Roush Racing can only enter the #06 in one more Nextel Cup race this year because of the team limitations imposed by NASCAR, team president Geoff Smith confirmed Saturday. Roush already has its fifth full-time team grandfathered in on the four-team NASCAR Cup limit. Teams are also allowed to enter an extra team for a rookie to get ready for next season. Smith said Roush Racing interpreted that limitation to mean seven races with any rookie, but NASCAR informed the team at Martinsville last week that it could run only one more race - the eighth Nextel Cup attempt overall for the #06 car this year. The #06 has attempted to run six events (including one where the team failed to qualify) with Todd Kluever and two with David Ragan. That final race for the #06 will be Phoenix with Kluever at the wheel. Smith said it is the team's plan to run Ragan in whatever races he is eligible for the rest of the year in the #60 No Fear Racing car, which has an affiliation with Roush. Ragan originally was supposed to drive the #06 car at Atlanta this weekend. When Roush Racing found out last week it could only run that car one more time this year, it withdrew the car and planned to have No Fear enter Ragan in the #60. Before it could get the new entry filed, NASCAR ruled that Ragan was not approved to run the 1.5-mile Atlanta track in the Cup race because of struggles at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday. Smith said the team is fine with the limitation imposed.(
SceneDaily.com)
October 28th, 2006
