Clint Bowyer said he believes he and his team are back on track, so to speak. (Photo: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)

UNDER THE HOOD Ford Motor Co. will roll out its new R09 NASCAR Sprint Cup motor later this season, exact date to be determined. Dodge, meanwhile, began phasing in its new motor, the R6P8, late last season, with Penske Championship Racing adopting it for all three of its Dodge Chargers this season.

Richard Petty Motorsports, the other multi-car Dodge team in Sprint Cup racing, is not using the new motor, and that has driver Kasey Kahne somewhat concerned. “There’s a couple of ways to look at that,” said Kahne, who drives the No. 9 RPM Dodge. “I was at Dodge two years ago and they said that the engine was right around the corner and everybody was excited for that. Basically, two years later we still don’t have it. Early on, I would say it was a big part of Dodge’s fault … actually I know it was. But at this point, I just think that it’s our team.”

Kahne is eager to transition to the R6P8. “We just need to figure out how to get it in our cars,” he said. “It just depends on who you talk to on why we don’t have it in there; I don’t think that I’ve heard a straight story yet. I think at some point, we’ll get it and we need it. If we’re going to be a Dodge team, we need to have that engine.”

HANGING TOUGH Clint Bowyer is both a surprising second in NASCAR Sprint Cup points and one of the pre-race favorites to win Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. What’s been most surprising, however, is that he’s doing it with what essentially is a start-up fourth team at Richard Childress Racing, having relinquished the seat of the RCR No. 07 to new teammate Casey Mears.

And because of NASCAR’s testing ban, Bowyer and new crew chief Shane Wilson have had precious little track time to learn each other and how they like to race.

“Typically pre-season we were able to work five, six, seven tests together and really get that communication down and take advantage of those tests as getting your team ready and assembled for Daytona,” said Bowyer. … A completely new team was assembled underneath, some of them I knew from the championship run in the Nationwide Series. Some of them were completely new guys from other teams. Getting to know your guys and being on the same page is very important.”

PHOTO GALLERY: BRISTOL

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to