Prism Motorsports will attempt two full schedules

Phil Parsons and Randy Humphrey's Prism Motorsports, which kicked off 2009 with a guaranteed start in the Daytona 500 and ran a single Toyota for the full schedule, will attempt to run two cars all season in 2010.

Parsons confirmed Tuesday that Prism had entered a No. 55 Toyota for Michael McDowell, with debuting Cup crew chief Zach McGowan and a No. 66 Toyota for veteran Dave Blaney, again with Bill Henderson leading the crew.

A year ago, former two-time Cup champion Terry Labonte drove Prism's No. 66 at Daytona and was a guaranteed starter via a past champion's provisional. This year both Prism cars are in the go-or-go-home group and will have to qualify on speed or in their Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying races.

"We're going to race those things in," Parsons said. "We have our same alliance with MWR [Michael Waltrip Racing] that we did last year. We're going to attempt every race. We've been talking about the second car, and we solidified it in the last few weeks [because] if you're going to go anywhere and take a shot at getting in, that's the one to do it because the rewards are so great.

"We really don't have any sponsorship. We thought we were really close to having something for Dave for [Speedweeks], and it turned out they went a different direction at the 11th hour. We're still actively pursuing everything we can pursue; we have some good conversations going, but nothing imminent."

Engines will be supplied by Pro Motor, built by Mark Smith and Terry Elledge, the father of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing crew chief Jimmy Elledge and a Parsons associate for 30 years.

Parsons said the purse cuts announced by NASCAR, while significant, wouldn't be a deal-breaker for his small team. Last year the minimum payout for a team not aided by NASCAR's various contingency plans was $263,963 won by Travis Kvapil for 42nd position in a go-or-go-home Yates Racing car.

Labonte ran all 152 laps of the rain-shortened race, finished 24th and won $273,963.

"Daytona, the purse is such that you can go down there and race and make out -- if you get in, obviously," Parsons said. "I glanced at the entry blank online [Monday] and there's very little difference for Daytona -- maybe two or three percent less to start the race.

"My understanding is the promoter's share of the purse went down but there was a slight increase built in for the TV money. So even though everyone's been talking 10 percent, I don't think the overall effect will be that much [of a decrease]."