by Larry McReynolds

When you look at Michael McDowell, A.J. Allmendinger and what's going on with the No. 96 car, it just comes back to performance.

Around the track

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• Dale Jr. would consider racing Indy 500
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• Larry Mac: Midseason report cards

The specialist

Kenny Wallace is taking over the No. 00 this weekend. Kenny is a very good drafter and always runs well at Talladega and Daytona. Right now, the No. 00 is outside the top 35 of the owners standings by only 29 points. So all it needs is a solid run at Talladega and that car could be back in the top 35 in points, which locks you into a spot for Charlotte in two weeks.

What car owner Michael Waltrip knows is that as we get into these last few races, there will be more teams showing up and attempting to qualify. So it's going to be a little tougher to get in. So really there are two goals: Get the car into these last few races plus hopefully get it in the Top 35 in points going into the 2009 season.

Searching for confidence

No matter who has driven the No. 96 car this year, it has struggled. I know it has to drive those new owners of Hall of Fame Racing crazy because their relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing is a lot like Haas CNC's relationship with Hendrick Motorsports. The No. 96 gets a lot of technology from Gibbs and they get their engines from Toyota, but the result is the car is still outside the Top 35.

So I understand why Gibbs pulled Joey Lagano from that car. This young man needs experience and his confidence built up because let's face it, he is stepping into a two-time championship-winning team next year. There's not much to be gained having him in that No. 96 car that's back there running 28th to 38th every week. So Joey will be much better off running a fourth Joe Gibbs car than the Hall of Fame deal.

Running of the bulls

The third situation that has happened is the one I question the most. I don't understand why Red Bull would let A.J. Allmendinger go. They have already lived through the tough times and the learning curve with him, so why dump him now? That kid is starting to come around.

Let's face it, he finished ninth Sunday at Kansas and got his career-best finish. That kid is going to be a good race car driver for some owner. Now Scott Speed, who is set to replace him next year, might be the next Jimmie Johnson, but we don't know that yet. Going from ARCA and truck racing straight to Cup is a rough road.

They would have been better off to give A.J. a third year behind the wheel because he really is starting to shine. Ever since they had Mike Skinner step in for a few races earlier this season and crew chief Jimmy Elledge with A.J., that has been a pretty competitive race car. I just don't understand them pulling him out of the car with Elledge making such a difference over there.

I also think Red Bull didn't do the right thing by releasing A.J. so late in the season. If they were going to do it, why didn't they do it in June or July when there were more rides open for A.J. to apply for? Now his options are severely limited. I feel bad for A.J. because he has come so far in such a short time after being thrown to the NASCAR wolves with a new team and a new manufacturer around him. If back in June or July I was a multi-team car owner with some experience behind it, I believe I would take a chance on A.J.

A new beginning

Then the other news that came out this week was that Paul Menard and his father's sponsorship are going over to Yates Racing. I can see where Paul was ready for a change. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated is in disarray to some degree.

We all know that Yates Racing is an extension of Roush Fenway Racing. That's common knowledge. So with the success that Roush is experiencing this year, I can see where Paul is probably pretty ready to drive something else and excited to be at Yates next year.

While the future of DEI is cloudy, I think the addition of Bobby Hutchens from RCR can pay long-term benefits. Bobby is a good guy and is a racer. As long as they let him run the competition side of things, he will be a positive over there. Now, if Teresa Earnhardt does what she has done to so many others and put him in semi-handcuffs on what he can do, that's another story.

Again the future is pretty cloudy over there. I think the chances of them being a four-car team next year are slim and for that matter, the chances of them even being a three-car team are iffy right now.

FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds has more than 25 years of NASCAR experience as a mechanic, crew chief and broadcaster. He and his fellow Crew Chief Club members take you behind the wall at www.crewchiefclub.com.

"How to Become a Winning Crew Chief" is on bookstore shelves, or you may order your own autographed copy from www.DWStore.com.