by Lee Spencer

Comment

Qualifying at the Glen was rained out Friday afternoon and the starting lineup for Sunday's Centurion Boats at the Glen was set based on owner points. As a result, road course ace Said was one of the unfortunate few who failed to qualify without getting a chance to qualify.

However, Ford officials gave their consent for Said to replace Kyle Petty behind the wheel of the Petty Enterprises Dodge.

A renown road course racer, Said finished fifth last week in the Nationwide Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Montreal.

"It was Kyle (Petty's) idea," said Stewart Cooper, crew chief for the No. 45 Dodge. "Where the No. 45 is in points, we're trying to get as high up in points as we can before the end of the season. Maybe we'll get in qualifying and everything will be fine. If not, Boris has sat in the car and we've got him all fitted up."

Petty Enterprises No. 45 car is currently 40th in owner points. The organization has experimented with several driver options — including former Cup champion Terry Labonte and Chad McCumbee, who finished 17th last week at Pocono, while Petty has been on a nine week sabbatical during his television analyst stint.