Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson and Shawna Robinson are likely to get most of the attention when it comes to the 2002 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year chase. But don't forget about Carl Long.

If nothing else, Long could get a prize for being the most tenacious of the quartet of rookies trying to gain a foothold in NASCAR's top stock car series.

Determined to get on the track this year enough to get some attention from an established team, Long has come up with a unique arrangement that will, hopefully, get him into 30 of the 36 Cup races with three different teams in 2002.

As part of the deal, the 34-year-old Long will again team up with Thee Dixon and Mansion Motorsports to run 10 races in the No. 85 Dodge, beginning with the Feb. 17 Daytona 500.

Long will also drive between eight and 10 races in a Dodge for the new Price Motorsports team, beginning with Rockingham on Feb. 24. And, with the help of SR Racing, which will furnish the engines for all of his rides, Long will drive another 10 events in yet another Intrepid.

"I've got three different team owners pooling their resources to help me race and at the same time looking to find me a sponsor," Long said. "If one of them can find a full-time sponsor, we'll go with that team.

"But, with the economy the way it is, it's not likely. So, instead we're offering 2-3 race deals for people looking to test the waters in racing."

To get it done this season, Long will still have to drive his transporter and his friends and family will still be drafted into service as volunteer crew members. But he's not complaining. "I just want to race," he said.

Open-wheel racers
Longtime IROC test drivers and NASCAR veterans Dave Marcis, Dick Trickle, Jim Sauter and Andy Hillenburg have been spending time this month teaching the art of stock car racing to a group of open-wheel stars.

Among them: Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr., Buddy Lazier, Scott Sharp and Helio Castroneves, as well as World of Outlaws sprint car champ Danny Lasoski. They've been working hard to learn the art of drafting on the high banks in the IROC Pontiacs.

"This is an important opportunity for us to get as much seat time as possible in order to adjust to the IROC cars and to learn how to draft here, which is important at Daytona," said Castroneves, switching along with the rest of the Penske team from CART to the rival IRL in 2002.

"I really didn't know how it was going to be, and it's great -- just a lot of fun," he added.

Sharp, a former IRL champion and last year's pole-winner at the Indianapolis 500, said he has a lot to learn.

"Each time you go out you learn so much. We'll be back here for more practice as soon as we can be," he said.

Lasoski, relatively new to racing on pavement, got a headstart by taking lessons at Hillenburg's Fast Track racing school.

"Everything he told me is exactly what's going on out there," said Lasoski, who drives for NASCAR star Tony Stewart. "I ran about 10 laps by myself and then Helio, Scott, and Sam and I got in a draft.

"Learning what to do and what not to do is what we're doing. I'm so excited I'm floating on air being here."

Also participating in the 100-mile race next Friday will be NASCAR stars Stewart, Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin, defending IROC champion Bobby Labonte, 2001's top Cup rookie and Busch Series champion Kevin Harvick, NASCAR truck champion Jack Sprague and longtime open-wheel star Al Unser Jr.

All-Star Sunday
A record field of 22 drivers will take the green flag Sunday at Daytona in the annual Bud Shootout, a made-for-TV event featuring the previous season's pole winners.

Among the drivers getting the first opportunity of 2002 to draft in race conditions will be second-year driver Kurt Busch, who won the pole in September in Darlington.

"For me, it's my first all-star Winston Cup event, and that is incredibly exciting," Busch said. "Winning the pole at Darlington last September during my rookie season was a real highlight for the No. 97 team."

Stat of the week
The first Daytona 500 in 1959 had a purse of $67,760, with winner Lee Petty getting $19,050 and Johnny Beauchamp, who lost in a photo finish, $7,650.

The 44th annual Daytona classic will be a little richer, with the driver finishing last in the 43-car field taking home at minimum of $114,236.

The race purse for Speed Weeks has been increased by more than $1 million to more than $12 million, with the winner of the featured 500-mile racing getting a payoff of at least $1,327,030 and second-place a minimum of $928,100.