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Veteran dismisses talk of driving the No. 14 or No. 42

BROOKLYN, Mich. — For a driver that runs a limited schedule, Mark Martin has suddenly become a full-time topic of conversation in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.

In scenarios that put him in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet while co-owner/driver Tony Stewart continues to mend from a broken leg, to serving as a mentor for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing development driver Kyle Larson next season, Martin finds his name thrust into the mix.

While the 54-year-old Martin was quick to put the brakes on any such scenarios, he didn’t completely dismiss the ideas at Michigan International Speedway.

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Officials with SHR have been scrambling to fill the driver’s seat of the No. 14 entry after Stewart suffered a broken right leg while competing in a sprint car race Aug. 5 in Iowa. The following week at Watkins Glen International, road racer Max Papis finished 15th in a relief role; for this weekend’s Pure Michigan 400, former Camping World Truck Series champion and current Nationwide Series competitor Austin Dillon will handle the driving duties.

On Friday, SHR’s Greg Zipadelli said the organization hopes to iron out details in the coming week that will see two drivers fill the seat until Stewart’s return.

Martin’s schedule calls for him to drive the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing in 10 of the remaining 14 Cup races, including Sunday’s stop. Brian Vickers, recently announced as the team’s full-time driver for 2014 and 2015, is scheduled to be in the car next week at Bristol, as well as at New Hampshire and Martinsville later this year. Co-owner Michael Waltrip is slated to race at Talladega.

Could Martin, then, fill the seat for SHR at Bristol and Martinsville, if not for the remainder of the season?

It’s something that had not been discussed, he said, in part because the focus was to wrap up negotiations for 2014 with Vickers and sponsor Aaron’s.

“That’s where most of the energy has gone the last couple weeks, getting all that put to rest and announced,” he said.

Martin said he has not heard directly from Stewart, a three-time Cup champion, “but obviously the question came up early on.

“It’s just really complicated, it’s more complicated than it looks at face value,” he said.

MWR fields Toyota-branded cars while SHR has support from Chevrolet. Aaron’s, the primary sponsor for the No. 55, signed on with Vickers for 2014 and beyond, but has expectations that Martin would be in the car for select races this season.

“It sounds logical, but there’s a lot of complications that go with that,” Martin said. “As of right now, I’m driving the Aaron’s Dream Machine and tickled to death. I love (crew chief) Rodney Childers and everybody at MWR and that’s what we’re doing.”

Logic might also indicate that Larson moves into the No. 42 being vacated by Juan Pablo Montoya, but such a scenario is complicated as well. Larson, 21, has six starts in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, winning at Rockingham (N.C.) earlier this year.

He is eighth in points in the Nationwide Series, where he has posted five top-five finishes this season for Turner Scott Motorsports. He has no Cup experience.

A standout in the open-wheel sprints, Larson is considered one of today’s top young talents. Stewart tabbed him a star of the next generation, saying earlier this year, “you can bet the farm on it.

“I guarantee it,” he said. “If not, you can take everything I own because I’m that confident.”

Martin said he has not been approached by anyone from EGR. But a return to competing full time “won’t happen.

“I wouldn’t do it for the world,” he said.

With 40 career wins, Martin has driven for some of the series’ most successful teams, notably Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. He is 29th in points while making just 15 of 22 starts this season.

“Here’s the thing … the reason I haven’t talked about 2014 is because I felt like the landscape was probably going to change and it’s starting to change rapidly. I have no idea. I promise, no one has talked to anyone on my side from (EGR). I know that it’s really churning out there, but there really hasn’t been the first discussion about that.”

As for serving as a mentor for Larson?

“This Ganassi rumor that’s going around, I heard that at Indy and I laughed because they better start talking to us,” he said. “… I’m not saying they might come talk to me tonight, I don’t know. I haven’t even heard anything. I suspect they might already have something up their sleeve.”

While he has no firm grasp on where he will be next season, Martin said he is confident that he will continue to “be involved in NASCAR racing.

“I’m as big of a fan of it as all you guys,” he said. “It’s been my life and I will be around, I’m just not in a hurry to even start to move forward about ’14 because there’s some good racing to go here yet.”

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Five-time champion will start from the rear in search of first Michigan win

Related: Practice results, lineup

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, fastest in Saturday’s second and final practice at Michigan International Speedway, will start at the back of the field for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver wrecked his primary car during the final practice session, and only quick work by the No. 48 crew enabled Johnson to get in a handful of laps in his backup car before the practice came to an end.

Once the damaged car was returned to the garage on the back of a wrecker, a handful of crewmen worked quickly to cover the car as others rushed to prepare the team’s backup.

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“I’m a little puzzled as to why I spun out going in, because I’ve had great entry stability — even on that run I had great entry stability,” Johnson said before climbing into the backup car and heading back out onto the track.

“I got a little close to the No. 27 (of Paul Menard) but then again it’s not like I was right on him.

“To me it felt like I lost downforce just from the traffic scenario. I’m not really sure; either way we have a torn up car and we will have to work hard to get this one ready to go.”

Because Johnson’s incident occurred after qualifying (he was scheduled to start third), he will now have to drop to the rear of the field prior to the start of the race.

Michigan is one of five tracks on which Johnson has yet to win. He’s also winless at Chicagoland Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and Watkins Glen International.

It will be the second time this season he has started from the rear of the field. At New Hampshire earlier this season, Johnson’s No. 2 qualifying time was disallowed when the front of his car measured too low during post-qualifying inspection. Johnson went on to finish sixth in the race.

Before Saturday’s crash, which saw Johnson spin and make contact with the wall in Turn 4, he had turned the fastest lap of the session at 199.457 mph. He had been third in the morning session, while posting the best 10-lap average before turning to his backup car.

"Very good backup car went out and put down an eight- or 10-lap run there at the end that I would put up against anybody’s time," Johnson said. "I hate the extra work load, but we are trying to figure out what really happened because I had no sign of loose and certainly spun out and crashed. The No. 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) came over and he said that he felt there may have been some oil down and he slipped real bad going through there."

Juan Pablo Montoya (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing) was second Saturday morning at 198.758 mph while Greg Biffle (Roush Fenway Racing), Kurt Busch (Furniture Row Racing) and Jeff Gordon (Hendrick) completed the top five.

Earnhardt Jr., 13th on the chart, had the fastest 10-lap average in the closing session.

Kevin Harvick paced the day’s first practice, a 55-minute affair, with a lap of 202.577 mph in the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Hendrick teammates Kasey Kahne (202.338) and Johnson (202.304) were second and third.

Completing the top five were Montoya and teammate Jamie McMurray.

Joey Logano, whose 203.949 mph lap on Friday established a track qualifying record and put the Penske Racing driver on the Coors Light Pole, was 15th in the morning session and 22nd in the final practice.

Posted on by Staff Report

 

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Coors Light Pole Award winner Michael McDowell in the first stall at pit out

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In the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota Camry, Michael McDowell will be in pit stall 1 at the exit of pit road, choosing the first box after winning the Coors Light Pole Award.

Penske Racing’s AJ Allmendinger, who won his first NASCAR national series race at Road America in June in a Ford Mustang, has an opening in front of him in the seventh pit stall. Across the way in the sixth stall is Kyle Larson.

The Turner Scott Motorsports No. 30 Chevrolet Camaro of Nelson Piquet Jr. has the only other opening in front of a car in the 17th pit stall. Across from him is McDowell’s JGR teammate Brian Vickers in stall 16.

Returning to the NASCAR Nationwide Series is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Marcos Ambrose, and he has the last pit stall, No. 40, at the entrance to pit road out of Turn 13.

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Coors Light Pole Award winner Jeb Burton picks first stall off of pit road

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After winning his fourth pole of the season, Jeb Burton and his No. 4 team chose pit stall No. 2, which is the first stall at pit exit into Turn 1.

In stall five, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader, Matt Crafton, who starts the race with a 52-point advantage over Burton, has the fifth stall with an opening behind him.

At the start/finish line, Darrell Wallace Jr. is on the Turn 1 side in stall 22 and Max Gresham on the Turn 4 side across the opening in stall 24.

Watch the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Michigan National Guard 200 live on FOX Sports 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

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Coors Light Pole Award winner Joey Logano picks first stall off of pit road

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After winning his first Coors Light Pole of the season, Joey Logano and the No. 22 Penske Racing team selected the first stall on pit road at pit out toward Turn 1.

Second-place qualifier Kurt Busch and the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team has the 23rd stall with an opening in front of him at the start/finish line. Across the opening is Juan Pablo Montoya in pit stall 22.

Third-place qualifier Jimmie Johnson chose the other pit stall with an opening in front. The stall, No. 38 for the No. 48, is six stalls from the entrance of pit road at Turn 4. Across the opening from him is the No. 31 Jeff Burton.

Check out the image to find out where your favorite driver will pit during the Pure Michigan 400 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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Australian grew up racing Marcos Ambrose, rooting for Davey Allison

Down from the upside that is Australia, Australian road-course warrior Owen Kelly — just like the 39 other drivers who will be boiling rubber onto central Ohio asphalt for the first time on Saturday afternoon — threw everything that his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota had at the final practice session for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200.

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Stopping the clocks with a lap recorded at an average of 85.201 mph, the Tasmanian-born devil was the fourth-fastest racer in the stint, a mere 0.587 off of the P1 time that Brian Vickers threw down on the storied 2.258-mile, 12-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Only two races into his 2013 NASCAR Trans-American tour, Kelly, 36, has certainly made a large impression — with his on-track skill and aggression as well as in the form of a few large dents and wrinkles he has left in his competitors’ sheet metal — on the NASCAR brotherhood.

Just a few minutes removed from the jet-black and green electric glow-colored wedge of flying aluminum/steel tubing/metal/carbon fiber/rubber that is the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Monster Camry, Kelly was sitting alone in the Kyle Busch Motorsports hauler. I hit him with the following, and he hit me back.

Owen, in the last practice session today only a former NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and multi-time Sprint Cup race winner (Brian Vickers), a former Formula 1 world championship contender (Nelson Piquet Jr.) and former IndyCar Rookie of the Year (AJ Allmendinger) were faster than you. In fact, you were faster than three-time IndyCar champion, San Hornish Jr. — and he who grew-up right near this place. How did you like the track? Is there anything similar to it down in Australia?

Not really. It’s a cool little racetrack. It’s really tight over the back so it’s going to be really hard to pass. That’s going to make it all interesting. Track position is going to be really important. We’re having a good time so far. We went to make a mock qualifying run in that last practice and then there was a caution so didn’t really get make a proper run at it. Even so, we’re pretty confident in what we’ve got and what we’re going to have for the race.

In late June you drove one burner of a race at the Nationwide round at Road America. I mean anything that could go wrong, did go wrong in Wisconsin, but you still ran an amazing fourth. You were like the man who refused to die out there!

(Laughter) Yeah, we’d been at the front all weekend, and we qualified on the front row. Then when we ran out of gas. We went back to 34th; I knew we could fight our way back up through there and get us a good finish. Then, man, we had to pit again and went back to 23rd. We just ran out of laps. We got back to fourth, though. I was just getting back what was rightfully ours! (Laughter)

If the cards would have fallen a bit better or the wind might have been blowing a different direction, could you have won that one?

Yeah, we definitely had a shot to win that one. We were right there with AJ (Allmendinger). I was just being real conservative early on when we led for a while. AJ led for a while, and we led for a while. We were just playing in real conservative and looking after our stuff, knowing that they always have those Green-White Checkereds in the end of that race. We were just being careful, but the whole plan changed when we ran out of gas. Then we really had to get on with it then.

Did you receive any sort of positive feedback after the race?

Yeah, we did. James Finch actually called me and hired me to drive his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car at Watkins Glen last week. So that was a direct result of what we did at Road America, and I guess that’s about as good a compliment as you can get after a race. We went up there and ran the Cup race, and that was a huge amount of fun and quite awe-inspiring racing out there with those dudes. It was great.

In 2013, and as far as the Nationwide race and the Cup race, it has been a baptism by fire for you out there in NASCAR-land. How does this bump-and-grind American-style of racing compare with that of the Australian V8 Supercar series? I’d assume that it’s pretty wild…

Yeah, it is wild. I’d prefer NASCAR, for sure. There are too many rules and regulations in V8 Supercar. You know, somebody just lands on someone else’s door, and there’s an investigation and then somebody ends up with a $5,000 fine because they’ve knocked somebody else’s rear off. It’s always that sort of business so that’s what I enjoy about NASCAR — it’s just pure gloves-off racing. They leave it up to the drivers to sort it out on the racetrack, which works pretty good, I think.

How are the NASCAR guys to you? You’re obviously a pretty new dude out there…

Everyone’s been good, you know? It’s been nice. Kurt Busch helped me with some stuff at Watkins Glen and AJ Allmendinger did also. And, obviously, Marcos Ambrose helped me out, too. Everyone has been good. It’s been refreshing.

While you were racing, did the “gloves-off” concept of racing take a while to adjust to, or was it more like, “OK, I see how it’s going to be…’?

I knew everyone had the gloves off pretty much at the start (laughter). We knew what we were in for a spin. I was probably a bit too conservative at Road America and I got cleaned up a couple of times, but we managed to keep things straight and keep it all happening. Yeah, we knew what we were in for and we were up for the challenge. It was all good fun.

How do you compare a 358-cubic inch, 650-horsepower V8-motivated 3,400-pound Nationwide car with a 5.0-liter, 635-horsepower-shoved 3,086-pound V8 Supercar?

Well… a Supercar is lighter and there is less power, but it’s also wider and it has a little bigger wheels. The Supercar is more nimble than a Nationwide car, but they’re very hard to turn because they have a fixed rear-end — they have a Spool in the rear-end. A Nationwide car or a Cup car is actually quite good to turn because of the different rear-end. They’ve both got their strengths. A NASCAR on a road course is actually pretty good to drive. They’re very heavy, and they take a lot of stopping. That’s probably the biggest difference — trying to get a NASCAR slowed down is a hard thing to do. It’s like trying to stop a train.

Apparently, it’s been a lifelong dream of yours to get to NASCAR. True?

Yeah, it is. I’ve been a big NASCAR fan since I was a kid. My dad was a dirt Late Model racer so there was always Stock Car Racing magazine laying around the house. That’s always been my major interest. I was a big Davey Allison fan when I was a kid. To actually come over here and do some racing and do some NASCAR and start a Cup race has been really cool.

What type of relationship do you have with your Down Under Brother, Marcos Ambrose?

We’re buddies. We’ve been racing against each other since we were about 9 years old. We raced each other in go-karts. We grew-up about an hour away from each other. We’ve known each other a long time. He’s certainly been a help to me wherever he can over here in America. He’s been good.

How did Kyle Busch find you?

Last year, I qualified Kyle’s car at Montreal. That’s where I got to know him. That came about because I did the same thing for Marcos the year before.

How do you guys get along?

We get along really good. Kyle is a great dude. A cool guy.

What’s he thought of your driving thus far?

I think he’s been pretty happy so far. The big thing for the team, and obviously we’re trying to win the race, but we all need to keep in mind that the team is going after the owners championship across the year. We’ve got to keep that in mind and just make sure we get solid top five if we can’t win the race. We have to make sure we get it to the finish the best that we can and keep the results rolling in.

What’s the master plan for Saturday?

We’re going to qualify up front and we’re definitely going to try and win it, but we’ve definitely got to finish the race, too. That’s the plan for tomorrow.

Anything else you want to throw in here?

No. I think we go it all covered.

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Sweepstakes gives fans chance to win 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor; fan event celebrates end of 2013 NASCAR season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR® announced today NASCAR After The Lap sponsored by Ford and Coca-Cola will return to Las Vegas for the fifth consecutive year. NASCAR After the Lap has become a favorite event of both fans and drivers during NASCAR’s annual celebration of its season, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™. This year’s event will take place at the Pearl Palms Concert Theater inside the Palms Casino Hotel on Thursday, December 5 at 5 p.m. PT. 

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NASCAR fans are invited to “Buckle Up” when all 12 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers show off their distinctive personalities and interact with their loyal fan base. Impromptu questions and unexpected requests deliver memorable moments such as Denny Hamlin performing the “Dougie” on stage or a NASCAR produced Gangnam Style video that set the crowd abuzz and generated spirited conversation across social media.

“NASCAR After The Lap is an event unlike any other in sports that gives our fans the chance to see the drivers with their helmets off and their guard down," said Norris Scott, NASCAR vice president of partnership marketing. “Celebrating its fifth consecutive season, NASCAR After The Lap has evolved into one of the most talked about events of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ and provides two long-standing partners, Ford and Coca-Cola, a valuable platform to connect with our brand-loyal fan base.” 

Beginning today, NASCAR fans can enter the NASCAR After The Lap sweepstakes by visiting www.NASCARafterthelap.com up until November 17. This is the biggest giveaway ever for the NASCAR After The Lap sweepstakes, providing two winners an all-inclusive VIP trip for them and a guest to NASCAR After The Lap in Las Vegas and either one trip to the 2014 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway or one trip to the 2014 Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  One lucky winner will also be taking home the ultimate grand prize – a 2014 Ford F-150 Tremor.

“Over the last five years as event sponsor, Ford has enjoyed some remarkable and very unpredictable moments with our NASCAR drivers,” said Tim Duerr, motorsports marketing manager for Ford Racing. “The NASCAR After The Lap Sweepstakes continues to provide Ford with a great avenue to engage with fans by offering them a chance to not only win a trip out to Las Vegas, but also an opportunity to go home with a brand-new 2014 Ford F150 Tremor. This sponsorship delivers results to Ford on many levels.”     

“As a long-time partner, Coca-Cola is proud to celebrate the 2013 season with the stars of NASCAR at this year’s NASCAR After The Lap,” said Ben Reiling, director of motorsports for Coca-Cola North America Group. “In our fifth year as an event sponsor of NASCAR After The Lap, we are offering fans a stellar experience to interact directly with members of our Coca-Cola Racing Family and a chance to win a trip to our marquee event, the Coca-Cola 600. We’re looking forward to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week, it’s going to be a wild ride.”

Tickets for the event will go on sale September 16 and are priced at $20 apiece. All ticket sale proceeds benefit The NASCAR Foundation™, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that raises funds to support children’s charities and important causes throughout the nation. Fans can visit www.NASCARafterthelap.com to purchase tickets. For fans unable to attend NASCAR After The Lap, NASCAR.com will offer a live stream of the event.

“I am really looking forward to being there and making the After the Lap award show but I think it is really neat that Ford has stepped up and done things there that they are doing with that program and sending some fans out there,” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Greg Biffle said. “Somebody is going to get to win a new truck and a lot of cool things.”

“The thing that makes me nervous about that is it usually gets pretty loose and things are said and done like Jeff Gordon break dancing,” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards said.

“Once it is done I kinda think, man, as that okay? The fans seem to enjoy it. The website is NASCARafterthelap.com and someone is going to win a 2014 F-150 Tremor truck.”

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Montoya’s departure from EGR could open doors for Busch

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Juan Pablo Montoya’s looming departure from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing means a potential opening for Kurt Busch.

The 2004 champion of NASCAR’s top series said he spoke with EGR personnel in regard to 2014 before the news broke this week that Montoya would not be returning to the No. 42 car after this season. Montoya has been with Chip Ganassi’s team for the entirety of his NASCAR career, which began with the 2007 season and includes victories at the road courses at Sonoma and Watkins Glen.

Busch this season has substantially raised the competitive level of Furniture Row Racing, which is in Chase for the Sprint Cup contention for the first time in the team’s history. A 24-time winner on NASCAR’s top tour, Busch said the talks he’s had with EGR were not related to Montoya’s impending exit.

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“I’m good friends with Felix Sabates, and I know Chip real well and the whole gang — Max Jones, Steve Lauletta,” Busch said Friday. Sabates is EGR’s minority owner, while Jones is team manaer and Lauletta president. “They came up with that decision (on Montoya) not based off any of the talks that I’ve had with them, but it is a potential opportunity, that’s for sure.”

Busch also hasn’t ruled out returning to Furniture Row next year. He joined the Denver-based team late last season, and although he’s yet to win a race, he stands 11th in points and right in the mix for a potential Chase berth. Busch visited the organization’s Colorado facility earlier this week in a trip that also included a stop at Denver Broncos training camp and throwing out the first pitch at a Colorado Rockies game.

His focus this weekend at Michigan International Speedway — where he’s won twice, once victory each with owners Jack Roush and Roger Penske — is less on 2014 than it is enhancing Furniture Row Racing’s push for a first playoff berth.

“The focus is making the Chase, and we have four weeks to go, and we’re in great position,” he said. “It’s been neat to feel the energy from the team. We spent a week in Colorado meeting with Denver media, and they’ve adopted us as like a fifth sports entity for that town. It’s been really neat. They talk Broncos. They talk Rockies. And now they’re talking us. So it’s cool to have talks with Furniture Row about what we can do in 2014 and beyond. The Ganassi thing came up, and other phone calls have happened. Nothing’s going to change. We’re just still really focused on the Chase and what we can do in these next four weeks together.”

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Zipadelli: ‘It will be two drivers probably the rest of the year’

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Greg Zipadelli is working under the assumption that Tony Stewart will be out for a month or longer with a broken leg suffered in a sprint car crash earlier this month. But the Stewart-Haas Racing competition director is sounding as if he’s preparing for the worst.

NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Austin Dillon is driving Stewart’s No. 14 car this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, the second straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event the three-time champion has missed since breaking the tibia and fibula in his right leg. No timetable has been given for Stewart’s return, and SHR is working on a replacement driver schedule for the remainder of the 2013 season — something Zipadelli plans to have solidified before the circuit moves to Bristol next weekend.

“It will be two drivers probably the rest of the year, just to … try to get them guys to try to build some chemistry and get the best finishes we can,” said Zipadelli, who won two championships as Stewart’s crew chief when both were at Joe Gibbs Racing. “We’re still 11th in owners’ points. That’s a big deal, and we can look at that, and that’s kind of what we’re focused on right now. We are working on (a driver lineup), it’s just too early to talk about.”

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Does that mean Stewart won’t return this season? According to doctors, typical recovery time for such an injury begins at four to six weeks, although that can last considerably longer for athletes — including a race car driver who needs use of that right leg to work the pedals. Stewart had a follow-up visit with a physician on Wednesday, and Zipadelli said all went well. But the three-time champ is still occasionally in a lot of pain, and is under doctor’s orders to stay in bed with the leg elevated to reduce swelling.

When Zipadelli and a few other SHR team members met with Stewart on Thursday, the driver was in a wheelchair. But Zipadelli emphasized Friday that Stewart was doing well mentally, and that he was still the same old Tony. “He was pretty ornery Wednesday night when I left,” Zipadelli said. But does planning a replacement driver schedule for the remainder of the season mean Stewart will be out that long?

“We don’t know that yet. I’m working under the assumption that he’s out for the next month or so or longer. He went to the doctor’s this week, he had a decent visit. No setbacks. Basically, very simple instructions: ‘Stay in his bed with your leg up over your heart for the next seven days, and then come back and see me. We’ll re-evaluate you and tell you what you can do.’ That’s what he’s doing,” Zipadelli said.

“I saw him Wednesday night, we spent some time together, spent a couple hours together (Thursday) just kind of filling him in on all the things that we’ve got going on. He’s in great spirits, and they changed some of his medicines and things of that nature. He’s going through a little bit of a transition period, but … the doctor’s appointment went well, or as good as it can. He said the next seven to 14 days will tell a lot of how it heals, how those things take. … It’s going to be a really slow process.”

For the moment the focus turns to Dillon, whose best Sprint Cup finish in nine previous starts came in an 11th-place run at Michigan in June. Given that Dillon usually competes for another organization, Richard Childress Racing, SHR won’t share particulars about the race car or ask its interim driver about setup specifics from earlier this season. Dillon’s feedback to crew chief Steve Addington will consist primarily of “tight” or “loose.”

“We’ve got to be very respectful of our partners at Hendrick Motorsports and things,” said Zipadelli, whose team receives engine, chassis and technical help from Hendrick. “So I’ve talked with Hendrick Motorsports, I’ve talked with Richard Childress about it, and we’ve all agreed that Austin will just get in and give tight/loose and drive the hell out of it.”

Dillon is also juggling double duty this weekend with a Nationwide race Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The series points leader practiced Thursday at Mid-Ohio, and will take a helicopter back to the road course after getting in some Sprint Cup practice on Saturday morning — a schedule that means missing Nationwide qualifying that same day. Dillon appeared in the Michigan media center Friday sporting a new Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops firesuit, and of course his trademark cowboy hat.

“I’ve been able to be pretty successful at finishing a lot of laps in my career,” the 23-year-old said. “I think trying to put ourselves in position at the end of the race to get a top-15 would be great.”

Zipadelli said Dillon would likely be in the No. 14 car for at least one more race, although the details had yet to be firmed up. The team has been so busy getting the vehicle prepared for another driver that it hasn’t had much time to stop and reflect on the larger picture of Stewart being out indefinitely. Back at the shop, management stresses business as usual — even if it’s clearly not.

“Everybody has been pretty good, honestly,” Zipadelli said. “We’ve been so busy trying to work through all these details, and seats and seat brackets and all the things that have gone on in the last two weeks, that these guys haven’t had time to stop, I don’t think, really, and reflect on what’s going on in the year.  … We’re 11th in owners’ points, and that’s the message that we keep driving to these guys, that it is business as usual. There’s no reason in the world that we can’t be in the top-10 with where we’re at, and that’s our goal, to continue fighting as hard as we can, do the best we can to represent our sponsors, and keep the boss smiling at home that we did a good job with what we had to work with.”

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