Teams in NASCAR's Nationwide Series have been put on notice that they should prepare to build superspeedway versions of NASCAR's new Nationwide racecar in time for the series season opener at Daytona in February.

If the introduction of the new car proceeds according to plan, the new car will be used at superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega) and road courses (Watkins Glen and Montreal) next year before going full time in 2011.

Kyle Busch, a critic of NASCAR's new Sprint Cup car, isn't enthused about the prospect, if his Friday night post-race conversation with crew chief Jason Ratcliff is an indication. After finishing second to Clint Bowyer in the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona, Busch told Ratcliff the team needed to address some issues in the power department before returning to Daytona in February.

“We'll be back in one of those nice Nationwide COTs,” Ratcliff reminded his driver.

After a short pause, Busch quipped, “I think I'll put in my resume for the Grand-Am Series. I don't know if I'll be back here for that one.”

Ratcliff quickly insisted that he would.

Busch might want to reconsider the Grand-Am Series after his stint Saturday afternoon in one of Chip Ganassi's Daytona Prototypes in the Brumos Porsche 250. After racing for approximately one hour in extreme heat, Busch took IV fluids in the infield care centre as a precautionary measure.

A PR representative for Busch said he returned to his motor home after taking fluids and would be ready to race in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 Sprint Cup race. Busch attended the drivers' meeting two hours before the race. He and team-mate-for-a-day Scott Speed finished tenth in a field of 19 in the Grand-Am event.

by Reid Spencer/Sporting News