Earnhardt Says JR Motorsports Sprint Cup Upgrade Unlikely

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday that he doubts his JR Motorsports team will move to Sprint Cup competition in 2010.

An online website reported last week that Earnhardt could be shuffled to JR Motorsports next season to make room for Danica Patrick in the Hendrick Motorsports stable, but Earnhardt said it would be "quite a challenge for anybody to find the kind of financial support you need" to move the team from Nationwide to Sprint Cup competition. It would also reportedly require team co-owner Rick Hendrick to divest his ownership stake, in order to comply with NASCAR’s four-car ownership cap.

Mayfield Back in Chi-Town?: Crewchief Tony Furr says the Mayfield Motorsports team could be back on track with less than two days notice. Furr and the rest of the team were laid off in the aftermath of Mayfield’s suspension from NASCAR, but said Saturday that if the sponsorship is there, the team can be reassembled quickly. “All the stuff is still there at the shop," he said. "We're a day-and-a-half away from having (the car) ready to go. I could have a team in place in less than an hour. Mayfield Motorsports has not competed since the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway on May 24. In an open letter to fans, friends and fellow competitors, Mayfield said he is working around the clock to try and secure the funding needed to take part in this weekend’s race at Chicagoland Speedway.

PRM/Dodge News: Richard Petty said Friday that Chrysler is working on a plan to pay some of the money it owes Richard Petty Motorsports. After seeing the cash pipeline shut down in recent weeks, Petty said all parties are working to determine what Chrysler can do to help eliminate the past-due balance. RPM is in the final year of its contract with Dodge, and Petty said he is open to talking with other manufacturers about 2010 and beyond.

Leffler's `09 Schedule Trimmed: Braun Racing has announced that Great Clips will remain on board as sponsor of its #38 NASCAR Nationwide Series team for the next three seasons. Jason Leffler will drive the #38 Great Clips Toyota Camry in 27 of the 35 races, with Kasey Kahne running the remaining eight. Leffler is currently fourth in Nationwide points, trailing only Kyle Busch, Carl Edewards and Brad Keselowski.