BY TEAM FORD RACING CORRESPONDENT

Avondale, Arizona — Jack Roush is trying to keep himself below the NASCAR radar screen at Phoenix International Raceway. The embattled car owner is still deciding whether he wants to protest NASCAR’s call of an illegal front spring in Mark Martin’s Ford at Rockingham, N.C. There is no doubting that Roush is displeased.

The decision will likely be made for Roush if Martin whacks into Tony Stewart’s point lead and the subtracted 25 points becomes a deciding factor in the championship title.

The word in the garage is that Roush was using a purchased and unmodified spring at The Rock, so there’s no discrepancy from what the team has asserted all along in regards to the spring. Roush has other focuses, however, at Phoenix, as his No. 60 Busch Series entry, driven by Greg Biffle, could clinch the Busch title in tomorrow’s event.

SPENCER SPENT
Jimmy Spencer is so upset about his release from Ganassi Racing that he’s taken the uncharacteristic approach of keeping his thoughts to himself. Spencer, during a Thursday NASCAR show interview, indicated that he was surprised at the news of his release; and that it was not a mutually agreed upon situation as the Ganassi folks portrayed.

People close to Spencer’s team told teamfordracing.com, today, that Spencer got a short and curt call from team owner Chip Ganassi on Tuesday concurrent with the press release distribution to the media.

DEAL DOINGS
According to team sources a deal between Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Nemechek is very close to finalization, with the announcement anticipated as soon as next week at Homestead, Fla.

Also, close to a extending an existing partnership (if it didn’t happen today) is crew chief Peter Sospenzo’s and Rick Hendrick for the No. 25 car. That deal eliminates Sospenzo as one of the men that Robert Yates eyed as a replacement wrench for Michael “Fatback” McSwain.