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NASCAR chairman Brian France told the Arizona Republic last weekend the series is examining ways to be more environmentally friendly.

"It's going to vary from the actual fuel we use to power the cars to looking at a green series," France told the Phoenix newspaper.

France also said series officials are working on a prototype vehicle.

Brett Bodine, NASCAR's director of cost research, said officials are looking at options of how to power the vehicle.

"We haven't committed to anything. We're still doing research," Bodine said. "Is it a hybrid? Is it an ethanol situation? Is it a diesel situation? There's a lot of things other than racing fuel to power a vehicle."

Bodine said officials started work on this more than a year ago. The IndyCar series powers its cars with ethanol, but Bodine says that's not possible yet in NASCAR.

"We've got some manufacturers that aren't ready to do that with their product," he said. "We've got a big garage area that we've got to be prepared to make sure we make the right decisions for everybody."

STAYING PUT: Mike Brown, general manager for Bill Davis Racing, says the team is not looking to move to the Charlotte area. The High Point team is one of the few Cup teams based outside the Charlotte area.

Petty Enterprises announced last week it would move from Level Cross to Mooresville after this season, in part to be closer to the racing labor pool in the Charlotte area.

"I understand what the Pettys are doing and if that's right for them, that's good," Brown said. "Right now, we don't see that as something we're entertaining."

Brown estimates 25 percent of the team's 300 employees live near Charlotte area.

"We're really happy with where we're at," Brown said.

MINOR CHANGES: Some drivers have said Goodyear needs to help teams with the Car of Tomorrow. A Goodyear official says next year's tire changes will be slight.

Rich Heinrich, product manager for Goodyear, says tires will be slightly softer to provide more grip at intermediate tracks. The Car of Tomorrow, which ran in 16 races this season, did not run on those tracks this year. Heinrich said Goodyear is likely to use same tires in 2008 that it used at this year's COT races.

STREAKING? Among the streaks on the line this weekend in the season finale at Homestead:

l Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won at least one race in each of the past seven seasons. He's winless this year.

l Gillett Evernham Motorsports has won at least one race each of the past six years. It's winless this season.

l Brian Vickers has won at least one pole in each of the past three years, but he does not have one this season.

TIGHT RACE: The closest points race heading into the season finale at Homestead is in the Truck Series, where Mike Skinner leads Ron Hornaday Jr. by 29 points.

Carl Edwards has already clinched the Busch title, and Jimmie Johnson leads Jeff Gordon by 86 points for the Nextel Cup crown.

PIT STOPS: Todd Bodine will replace Ward Burton this weekend for Morgan-McClure Motorsports. ... Bobby Labonte is looking to give the Pettys their first top-20 points finish since 1999. Labonte enters this weekend 18th in the points. ... Kevin Harvick has completed all but 100 of the 10,315 laps run this season (99.9 percent), which is best in Cup.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dlong@news-record.com