KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The car was slow in morning practice, but by the afternoon it had improved enough to give Patrick Carpentier a top-20 starting spot for this weekend's Sprint Cup event at Kansas Speedway. It was the kind of effort that made Carpentier proud of his crew -- and sad that he might have to leave them.

"It almost makes it harder," said the Gillett Evernham Motorsports driver, whose 2009 plans are still undetermined. "I have a good team. They know how to turn it around and make it good for qualifying. It's been fun, it's been good. I hope it keeps going. But I'll be honest with you, with the economy, there's no hard feelings. I'm not mad. There's nothing I can do. It seems like all the teams we're talking to, there's a lot of them that aren't sure they're going to run the same amount of cars next year. It's the same everywhere."

And it all puts Carpentier, a former race winner on the defunct Champ Car circuit who came to NASCAR last year, in a squeeze. With Reed Sorenson moving over to GEM for next season and sponsors in short supply, his chances of remaining with his No. 10 team appear slim. Although he said the door isn't completely closed on a return to GEM, he may wind up running full time in the Nationwide Series next season. Carpentier has competed in eight Nationwide events this year, with a top finish of second Montreal.

"I think I've got something for the full season in Nationwide for next year, and I'm going to run it," he said, adding that the ride isn't with GEM. As for his prospects of staying with the No. 10? "They're still trying hard, and if it works out, we'll be here next year. That's what I hope, because I like the guys. We made a lot of races this year. It's tough. For guys coming from open-wheel to here, you'd better park your ego at the entrance."

Carpentier has shown improvement over the second half of the season, failing to qualify for only one race (Bristol) and recording a handful of top-20 finishes. He believes his inability to secure a Sprint Cup ride for next season has to do with the sluggish economy, which has driven some sponsors out of the sport.

"I think if the economy wouldn't have taken a sour turn, I think we'd be OK," he said. "But it takes money to go racing, and there's a little bit less right now. I think it's a little bit bad timing with that. I had great timing to come in, everything happened at the right time. Not this time. So we'll see what happens. But if I can stay in Nationwide, maybe run a few races here and there with [GEM], we'll see. I want to stay. We'll see what happens."

And if he has to move on? He has no regrets. "If it doesn't happen, I'll be thankful," he said. "I've had a good time this year."