Deadline looming for fourth Gibbs car

It's July, and J.D. Gibbs knows that means the clock is ticking. Joe Gibbs Racing is considering a fourth car for next season, but J.D., the team president, said no decision has been made.

"I wouldn't rule it out," Gibbs said. "At the same time, we're in no hurry to do it. If it lines up, great. If you don't have all the parts there, don't bother doing it."

Gibbs said this week nothing has changed with Tony Stewart's situation, and the team remains unsure of the star's plans. That would obviously impact any move toward a fourth team.

"We sit down with a group and say 'Where are we?'" Gibbs said. "If the time's right, and the things line up, do it. If they don't, wait a little bit. Sometimes you can cause more problems than you solve by trying to rush stuff."

Wood unsure about hand he's been dealt

Jon Wood qualified the No. 21 Ford for his family's Wood Brothers Racing 22nd for last night's race. However, the team made big changes after the first practice, and the second practice was rained out.

To start the race, Wood said the car was nearly in qualifying trim, which would result in several big changes during early pit stops to get into race condition.

"The way I anticipate the race going is by comparison knowing you're getting dealt 7-2 off suited [in poker] before the cards are dealt. You know what adversity you're going to battle before the race even starts. That's no fun. But it is a race we're in."

Wood took the No. 21 to the garage on Lap 3 to make some changes, but he returned to the track.

Said thrilled the rain stayed away Friday

Boris Said has one pole at Daytona and was on the provisional pole last summer at this race before rain canceled qualifying shortly before it finished. Because he only runs a partial schedule, he did not have the points to make the field.

This year, he qualified seventh. And just being in the race is a victory to him.

"To make this race, it's a big race," Said said. "A few years ago when we sat on the pole and finished fourth, I tell everybody that was my 10 minutes of fame, and I'm hungry to relive that again."

Scholarship fund founded for tech school

NASCAR and the Universal Technical Institute Foundation founded the Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund in honor of the 28-year-old NASCAR official killed in a car accident earlier this year. A $10,000 scholarship will be presented annually to one female student to attend the NASCAR Technical Automotive Program. Criteria and application information for this scholarship is available on the UTI Foundation Web site at ww.utifoundation.net.

Biffle says he has testing figured out

NASCAR is considering changes to its current Cup testing policy, which allows teams to go to five tracks, which are selected and scheduled by NASCAR.

One idea is just to open testing for anyone to test at any time. Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle has another idea.

"I think a perfect scenario, a win-win for everybody in the whole sport, is to give each organization five tests -- or six or seven, whatever the number might be -- give each organization that many, then they can go test whenever they want, however they want, 10 days before or whatever NASCAR wants to do, and then be done with it," Biffle said.

"Us, as an organization, we want to go test at Loudon. We might want to go test at Martinsville. And Joe Gibbs Racing doesn't need to test Martinsville or Loudon, they run good there. They can pick the racetracks they want to go test at, accomplish what they want to do. The original test policy was that way, only it was per car. So, a guy with five teams could go to 25 racetracks, which we don't even go to 25, so that wasn't fair. But a way to make it fair is to give it to the organization, and then everybody's on the same playing field."

-- Jill Erwin