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BENTON: Furniture Row Racing hands wheel to Marlin

Published August 22, 2007 at midnight

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Furniture Row Racing has a seat ready for Sterling Marlin.

Marlin will try to qualify the No. 78 Chevrolet for Saturday night's Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway as Furniture Row continues its search for a driver or two.

Kenny Wallace had been behind the wheel of the car but agreed Aug. 14 to step aside.

Scott Wimmer attempted but failed to qualify the car for Tuesday's twice-delayed race at Michigan International Speedway, so now the 50-year-old Marlin, who was released earlier this season by Ginn Motorsports, gets his chance.

Barney Visser's car is outside the top 35 in owners' points and must qualify on speed each week, which has been difficult recently as the team has made the starting field twice in the past 11 races. Both times, it was on qualifying attempts because rain canceled qualifying.

"It's tough," Marlin said of qualifying. "I don't wish it on anybody to get in that position. One little slip and you go home. We'll go to Bristol, and the whole field will probably be within three-tenths of each other."

Marlin, who was in town last week to have a seat fitted, has been talking with FRR about possibly driving a second car next season if a sponsor can be found.

"They wanted me to run a second car for them, 15 to 18 races next year," Marlin said. "We talked about that. Then the deal came along with Kenny. They parted company."

Wallace clarified his "deal" on Speed Channel's NASCAR RaceDay.

"I have nothing bad to say about Furniture Row Racing," Wallace said. "I'm still under contract. They said, 'Hey, look, once we get done trying some drivers, we'd like to have you available to run some more races.'

"When you get outside the top 35 in the points, it is brutal. It is a subject that can tear teams and families apart."

Moving up

Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved up a spot in the standings after his 11th-place finish Tuesday at Michigan but fell further behind 12th-place Kurt Busch, who holds the final position for the Chase for the Championship.

Earnhardt blames himself for a mistake - he drove past his pit stall - that cost him a few places and points. Busch won the race and swelled his lead to 163 points over Earnhardt with three races remaining before the Chase cutoff.

"I made a miscue and it cost us maybe a top-10 finish," Earnhardt said.

Busch, in 17th place 10 weeks ago, has shelved his bad-boy reputation and has showed maturity during his standings climb that has been aided by new crew chief Pat Tryson.

"He's matured as a young man," owner Roger Penske said. "I'd rather have a guy that I'm pulling on his belt and having to kick him in the butt.

"We have to get in the Chase. If he is in, he is going to be a car they have to beat."

Pit stops

• For the second consecutive week, points leader Jeff Gordon had a potential good finish ruined by a late race spin.

"Hey, I want my bad luck to come right now because I want all the good luck we can get (for the Chase)," he said.

• Gordon and second-place Denny Hamlin are locked into the Chase. "It definitely gives us the freedom to do just about anything we want," Hamlin said.

• Martin Truex Jr. found Tuesday to be strange but productive. "Yeah, it was a little weird (to be racing on Tuesday), but, heck, I'd race any day of the week," said Truex, who finished second. "It's just a matter of it was pretty boring the last two days, sitting around. I felt pretty useless sitting in the bus for however many hours it was."