Conditional approval was granted to Craftsman Truck Series rookie Kelly Bires, who plans to race nearly the full 25-event schedule, splitting time with Martin in a Ford (#21?) fielded by Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said that Bires would be “observed” at Daytona’s events and would be required to test at the 2.5-mile tri-oval. Bires did a lot to aid his approval by finishing fourth in his ARCA Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway, after qualifying eighth. Bires’ approval puts Wood/JTG in a much better position than a year ago, when Marcos Ambrose and Bobby East were there full time although neither was eligible to compete at Speedweeks.(nascar.com)(1-8-2007)
