DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing will field a fourth entry -- the No. 41 Chevrolet -- in the Feb. 15 Daytona 500 and expects to decide on a driver Monday, team president Steve Lauletta said Saturday before the start of the Rolex 24 Grand-Am race at Daytona International Speedway.

The No. 41 entry will join Juan Montoya (No. 42 Chevy), Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Chevy) and Aric Almirola (No. 8 Chevy) to make a four-car contingent for the organization that was formed in an offseason merger of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.

Lauletta said the choice had been narrowed to two drivers but declined to name them, though he did indicate that veteran Sterling Marlin was not among the finalists.

"We're hoping by Monday," Lauletta said of the decision process. "We came close to making a final decision [Friday]. We need to work over the weekend and Monday, but it'll be pretty quick. Same thing with one of the sponsor deals we have done for Aric -- next week."

With sponsorship from Target and Bass Pro Shops, respectively, Montoya and Truex are set to run full schedules in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series this year. Though EGR intends to do the same for Almirola, his full-time status depends on sufficient sponsor signings to keep the car on the track.

"It's just a matter of what we have locked in versus what do we have that we're working on that we're confident is going to happen," Lauletta said. "The biggest piece of the puzzle that we haven't been able to see yet is how we're going to perform on the track.

"If all three cars are running really well, that's going to help us get some of the sponsorship arrangements done faster. As I said to everybody when we had our team meeting, let's put all of the 'stuff' of the sport behind us. We know what we're going to do. We know what our plan is. So now let's just focus all our efforts and resources and everything we can on the performance side of things, which is up to [competition director Steve] Hmiel and the rest of the gang."

Montoya

Montoya upbeat about prospects

Fresh from a Goodyear tire test Tuesday and Wednesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Juan Montoya seemed just as excited by his prospects for upcoming Cup season as he did for a shot at his third win in the Rolex 24.

"We were fast, really fast," said Montoya, who indicated his average speed compared favorably with those of fellow test participants Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Ford), Scoot Speed (Red Bull Toyota) and Sam Hornish Jr. (Penske Dodge).

Montoya said Friday at Daytona that, with the power of Earnhardt-Childress engines in his car, he expects to be consistently competitive in 2009.

Papis

Papis wants to ease into Cup season

Italian driver Max Papis said Saturday at Daytona that he chose Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his debut in the No. 13 Toyota Sprint Cup car because he wanted to ease into the season.

With support from Michael Waltrip Racing, the Germain Racing team that fields Papis' Camry will run 18 races in 2009.

"You're going to see a crescendo, more races toward the end of the season," Papis said. "We're going to gather momentum, getting geared in for the year after ... It's a little easier starting in Vegas. Everyone speaks about me doing the road courses and everything. I don't care about the road courses, honestly. I want to win my first NASCAR race on an oval. That's what I want to do."

The versatile Papis, now a resident of Miami was competing in the GT division in the Rolex 24. He said he will run the season finales at Homestead-Miami Speedway in both the Cup and Camping World Truck series.