FanHouse Haas CNC Racing

For the guys who apply the name decals to the Haas CNC No. 66 Chevrolets and the No. 36 Bill Davis Racing Toyota, Monday brought plenty of new work.

Jeremy Mayfield will replace Jeff Green in the No. 66 immediately after departing Bill Davis' ride. He'll be there in 2008 as well.

For the guys who apply the name decals to the Haas CNC No. 66 Chevrolets and the No. 36 Bill Davis Racing Toyota, Monday brought plenty of new work.

Jeremy Mayfield will replace Jeff Green in the No. 66 immediately after departing Bill Davis' ride. With the No. 36 BDR ride available (and lacking a sponsor in '08), Davis hired a pair of Craftsman Truck Series drivers with past Cup experience to finish out the year.

Johnny Benson and Mike Skinner will split those duties. Skinner gets the gig at Atlanta this weekend and then at Texas Motor Speedway while Benson will wrap up the year at Phoenix and Homestead.

With Scott Riggs already announced as a Haas CNC driver for 2007, the driver lineup will completely change at Haas with both Jeff Green and Johnny Sauter on the way out it seems.

Following Denny Hamlin's victory in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 300, NASCAR found that two of his competitors were riding a little low.

The Chevrolets of Kyle Busch and Johnny Sauter both failed postrace technical inspection on the left front side, according to the Charlotte Observer.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said both cars would be taken to NASCAR's research and development center in Concord, N.C., to confirm the measurements taken at the track.

The teams face potential penalties if the violations are confirmed, but Poston said they would not be considered along the same lines as other penalties for "tampering with the car of tomorrow."

Hendrick Motorsports could now have three crew chiefs -- yes, count 'em, three -- sidelined due to technical violations. A points penalty for Sauter would put him right on the edge of the top-35.

I'll set the stage.

Ryan Newman, with a good car, was three laps down after a flat tire. Jeff Green, also not on the lead lap, was sitting in the beneficiary position, ready to get a lap back on the next caution.

NASCAR drops the green flag after a caution for Juan Pablo Montoya's crash on lap 75 with Jeff Gordon in the lead.

Ready? Go.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you the latest chapter from the As the World of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Turns.

The NASCAR media has again been called to attention. (Had we stopped paying attention?)

Junior will hold a press conference tomorrow at 11:00AM at his JR Motorsports shop to announce ... well, he didn't tell us.

But we have an idea.

So what's it going to be?

Gibbs? Ginn? Officials from both teams say they're not involved in the news conference.

Hendrick? They have no comment.

RCR? Couldn't be reached for comment.

Things that make you go hmmmmm.

Haas/CNC?

Hall of Fame Racing?

JR Motorsports?

Or something we haven't thought of yet?

Got any last minute predictions?

Speed TV will interrupt their regularly scheduled programming to carry the conference live at 11:00AM. Geoffrey Miller will interrupt his regularly schedule life to live blog the conference in the Fanhouse beginning at 10:30AM.

Update: ESPN's Marty Smith is reporting that his sources are saying that Kyle Busch will be out of the #5, as the Fanhouse previously predicted.

I know nothing is for certain 'til we hear it tomorrow, but this is Marty Smith talking, not Jerry Bonkowsi. And Busch's attorney had some very interesting comments:

"A lot of things may or may not occur. Out of respect for Hendrick Motorsports, we're not really sure what's going on yet. But we're trying. I don't think anything's changed yet. I cannot tell you that Kyle is out of the No. 5 for 2008."