Earnhardt should relax on his next weekend off

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Surely by now you've seen the replays of the crash in which Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered burns Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

He was released from a hospital in Sacramento on Monday morning after being treated for burns on his chin and the inner side of his thighs.

His team has begun working on the car he'll drive this weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, trying to get more air to the affected areas, which will be sensitive to heat for a couple of weeks.

Thank goodness he was wearing gloves with his fire suit; he wasn't when he drove in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May. That fire-protective clothing, combined with the car's other safety equipment and, quite frankly, a little divine providence, kept the incident from being as serious as it looked.

It's pointless to argue whether he had any business driving in an American Le Mans Series race on the final weekend off for Nextel Cup teams this season. Racers are going to race when they get opportunities that appeal to them.

Earnhardt Jr. has loved driving the factory-backed Corvette he was in Sunday ever since he ran the Rolex 24 at Daytona with his late father in 2001.

That enjoyment has to be balanced against a lot of other factors, though. Earnhardt Jr. has a team that's trying to help him win a Nextel Cup championship. He's got sponsors who've invested a lot of money into seeing him drive his red No. 8 Chevrolet. He's the main asset for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Ultimately, it's his call. But after what happened Sunday, if he asked me, I think I'd tell Earnhardt Jr. to go see a movie on his next weekend off.

SEEKING DRIVERS OF COLOR: Experienced minority and female drivers and interested minority and female pit crew candidates can submit resumes and information to be part of the 2005 Drive for Diversity program through Aug. 31.

Selected applicants will be invited to testing and evaluation this fall. Drivers could earn the opportunity to drive for an established team in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series, while crewmembers selected will be placed with teams in various series.

Five drivers and six crewmembers are taking part in the program this year.

Interested drivers should send resumes, videotapes, on-track photos, race results, references and other supporting materials to Drive for Diversity, Access Marketing & Communications, 401 N. Tryon St., 10th Floor, Charlotte, N.C., 28202.

Interested crew members may also send their information to the same address.

For more information on the program visit www.drivefordiversity.com.

BIG CHANGE AT BUSCH: NASCAR made a sudden and unexpected change at the top of its No. 2 series Tuesday, announcing that Joe Balash has been named director of the Busch Series effective immediately.

The news release announcing the change mentions outgoing director Brian DeHart only once, saying he had resigned his position.

Balash, a 41-year-old native of Hobart, Ind., came to NASCAR earlier this year to be technical director for its touring divisions.

Talks on hold: Talks between the Indy Racing League and Champ Car about unifying open-wheel racing in America have come to a halt without an agreement. The sides issued a joint statement late last week saying differences couldn't be resolved and no more unification talks are planned.