NASCAR NOTEBOOK \ Homestead, Fla.

Johnson packs up: The car cover was wrapped tightly around the No. 48 Chevrolet, its driver and crew long gone for the day. All around the garage, teams worked feverishly on their cars, but Jimmie Johnson was nowhere to be found. The absence of the Hendrick Motorsports team after qualifying Friday raised eyebrows everywhere at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Did they go home in disgust after qualifying 39th for Sunday's season finale -- Johnson's worst starting position of the year? Or were they playing mind games with the competition? No one was really sure. All that was certain was that it was unusual for Johnson to qualify so poorly. His effort was the worst of his career, surpassing two 37th-place starting spots last season. But even stranger was that noted perfectionist Chad Knaus, the crew chief, wasn't tearing the car apart trying to figure out what went wrong. "I heard him on the radio -- it didn't sound like he was disappointed in the lap," said Jeff Gordon, Johnson's teammate at Hendrick Motorsports. "It sounded like the speed wasn't there."
The first loser: There is no trophy for being the first loser, just a $1 million payday that Jamie McMurray has practically already deposited in his bank account. Locked out of the Chase for the Championship, all McMurray had to race for during the final 10 events was 11th place in the standings. He clinched the spot last week by finishing fourth at Darlington Raceway. "I think a lot of people were wondering how we were going to perform once Richmond was over and we didn't make the Chase," said Donnie Wingo, McMurray's crew chief. "And I feel like we've shown how strong this team is. Now all we need is to get a win this weekend so I can sleep better during the off-season." Since falling one spot short of qualifying for the Chase, McMurray has notched seven top-10 finishes.
Truck twosome: Ricky Craven, former Nextel Cup regular, and NASCAR newcomer Todd Kluever will drive the Roush Racing Fords in the 2005 Craftsman Truck Series. They replace Carl Edwards, who is moving up to a full-time Cup ride with Roush next season, and Jon Wood, who will drive for another team in the Busch Series in 2005. Craven, 38, a two-time race winner in 10 seasons in the Cup series, struggled through most of 2004 and was released by Cal Wells' PPI Motorsports in September. He was replaced by rookie Bobby Hamilton Jr. The 26-year-old Kluever has driven stock cars in the ASA series the past three years. He won a Roush competition to find a promising new driver for the truck ride that began with 400 names and was narrowed to 10 drivers for a final test earlier this month at Darlington.
Tony's new toy: Tony Stewart has added another toy to his collection: An entire race track. Stewart purchased Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, from owner Earl Baltes this week, taking over responsibility for the dirt track where he started his career.
Trying something new: Petty Enterprises will use car owner Ray Evernham's engines next season in its bid to increase horsepower in its slumping organization. The Pettys had used motors from builder Mike Ege for some time, but the relationship had been rocky as its teams struggled to make races. They actually split earlier this season, and Petty had been using engines made by Joey Arrington. The partnership can't start soon enough: Petty failed to qualify Friday for the season finale at Homestead.
Associated Press
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