FanHouse EvernhamMotorsports

Kasey Kahne confirmed that his phone has been ringing, but that the other owners are dreaming if they think he's going to leave Evernham Motorsports. He claims to have no such plans:

"I've had plenty of different teams calling to talk to me because we're running bad. I haven't talked to any other teams. I have never once talked to another team owner. It's just another reporter putting something out there with no facts. It's not true."

Kahne is signed with EMS through 2010, but is reported to have an exit clause if there is a change in ownership

Team owner Ray Evernham denies Kahne has a way out (or admits he has figured out how to work around it) and says Kahne hasn't given any indication that he wants out. Do they ever?

Evernham:

"Right now what we're trying to do is get this thing sorted out. Kasey has been one of my biggest supporters. The way he's jumped in, you'd think he was my partner. I'm really proud of him."

Hmmm. Kasey, Ray's partner? There's an idea. Maybe Evernham has been looking to the wrong people. The driver / owner thing worked out well for Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick ...

So after yet another disappointing and name-calling weekend, Kasey Kahne sits a wondrous 32nd in driver points.

Bad setups? Bad moves? Bad race cars? Bad luck?

Throw 'em all on the plate for Kahne. Excuses or not, he and Evernham Motorsports are just flat getting kicked on the race track. Kahne's best finishes this season (7th & 12th) came at restrictor plate tracks. Outside of those crapshoots? A 19th-place finish at Bristol.

Is this really the same driver that took 6 wins last season? Or the same team, even?

Kahne had 14 top 10s in his 2004 rookie campaign, with five already at this point in this season that year. This year, he has had one.

I'll say it now -- although its hardly a risk -- that Kahne won't come close to making the Chase this season. This is something terrifically wrong with the cars at Evernham, as Elliott Sadler's best finish this season outside of a 6th at Daytona was 14th at Vegas. However, he has a viable shot at that Chase still because he now sits 16th in points.

At this point in the season, Kahne needs to just start enjoying the fact that he's driving a race car for a living and go for winning races, not just finishing them. Of course, that's tough to do with the performance of that car this season.

Coming up with hilarious and unfounded nicknames for other drivers obviously isn't, though. Hey -- at least we have something to look forward to from Kasey now.

After discovering that sleeping with the boss didn't make her a better driver, Erin Crocker recently closed the book on her year-or-so long personal relationship with NASCAR owner Ray Evernham.

The two remain committed to each other, however, in the development of her racing career.

After a lackluster stint in the Craftsman Truck Series last season, Crocker, 26, returns to ARCA this weekend in Nashville in the #98 EMS Dodge Charger with a renewed determination:

"Part of me is upset because I don't have a big schedule, but at least I'm getting to race. I've had the big hype. What I need now are positive results .... Maybe I was pushed too fast. [Ray's] understanding and he believes I can do it. It's been more difficult than I thought it would be, but I'm determined to succeed in this sport."

Evernham, who closed the #98 Truck team after failing to secure sponsorship for the faltering female driver, has partnered with Mac Tools for their ARCA debut. The Mac Tools Mac Card Dream Garage Sweepstakes will be the main promotional marketing initiative supporting this sponsorship. The four race primary sponsorship will begin with the April 27th race at Kansas Speedway and continue at Kentucky Speedway on May 12th, Pocono Raceway on June 9th and Michigan International Speedway on June 15th.

Crocker has competed in 13 career ARCA events, logging four poles, six top-fives and eight top-10s. In her most recent start at Daytona, she took the pole, becoming only the second woman in ARCA history to lead the field to the green flag at the high banks of Daytona International Speedway.

And the quest for the next female NASCAR driver continues.

See also: Kelly Sutton

In development: Jessica Helberg

Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett seems committed to making a splash in a number of sports. When purchasing the most famous name in the NHL wasn't enough, Gillett teamed with Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks to buy the English Premier League's Liverpool FC. And if the most recent reports are to be believed, Gillett's next move is to buy his way into NASCAR.

Recently in Montreal, Gillett had a special guest in his suite at Centre Bell: NASCAR's all-time victories leader, Richard Petty. Like a lot of NASCAR teams these days, Petty is looking for a partner with deep pockets, something he probably talked over with Gillett when he made his way North recently:

He found it hard to understand what was going on because "all those guys spoke French." No one said much when the Canadiens fell behind 2-0, he added, but a five-goal second period for the home team fixed that.

Also reportedly in talks with Gillett: Evernham Motor Sports, home of Kasey Kahne, Elliot Sadler and Scott Riggs.

They're not the cream of the crop, but they have solid footing in the Top 35 heading to Martinsville. They don't have to worry about qualifying, but they need to make adjustments if they want to secure their spot in the Chase. Here are your teams in the middle of the road:

Chip Ganassi / Felix Sabates: Two teams solidly in the Top 35--the #40 in 11th and the #42 in 19th. Their third team, the #41 isn't faring quite as well in 29th, but they're inside for at least one more week.

The CGRFS cars have gained an average of 3.3 positions from the end of last season.

While the teams cars are on the rise, so is one of the team's stars. Juan Pablo Montoya's entry into NASCAR is one of the most talked about stories in all of auto racing--there's the F1 angle, the international angle, the diversity angle and the he'll push anyone and anything out of his way to win angle ...

Ganassi is also off to a good start in the Indy Racing League, which kicked off Saturday and saw the third one-two finish for Ganassi drivers Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon.

Kasey Kahne is his owner's success story of the day.

Last season, Kahne made it into the Chase for the Championship by the skin of his teeth.

Today, he performed under pressure once again and made his way into the Top 35 in owner points--again by the skin of his teeth. He salvaged a 19th-place finish after cutting a tire on Clint Bowyer's splitter and watching three laps go by while making repairs.

Kahne is now tied with Johnny Sauter for 34th position in owner points.

Not exactly the start he was looking for, but he'll take it. This week's outlook would be a whole lot worse if he was looking at having to qualify on time in Martinsville.

Awkward Moment Avoided
Kahne did do himself a favor by keeping himself out of Bristol's spring race victory lane and being forced to share the same air space with Miss Food City 500, his ex-girlfriend Britney Hagy, and run the risk of her making a stink. Rumor has it they haven't cleared the air between them.