Regan Smith Disppointed, Won't Talk Smack

Regan Smith is disappointed that he won't be starting his full-time Nextel Cup career this weekend at Indy, but the young'n is being smart about what he says out loud and that's wise, because all hope is not lost. Yet.

"I'm not worried, I'm not upset, I'm not frustrated. For me, I was extremely disappointed. On Monday, I was planning on going to the Brickyard and starting my full-time Cup career and getting to start it at one of the biggest venues that you could possibly start it at. I was extremely excited about that and looking forward to that. Then on Tuesday, things changed and [I] found out I wouldn't be racing [there]. I was disappointed from a personal standpoint."

I'd be a little more than disappointed--I'd be pissed after getting dissed like that. He's handling things a lot better than some drivers would and way better than I would. DEI hasn't even had the courtesy to sit down with him and discuss his future yet.

Smith is understanding of the situation and waiting patiently:

"I've got to see what happens. We briefly talked on the phone. I just have to wait and see how it plays out. We'll sit down and talk and we'll see what the plan is.

"There's a lot of stuff going on, and a lot of stuff has taken place over the last couple of days. I think everybody was trying to halfway digest everything that took place and then get all the plans and details worked out in time."

"Until I sit down with those guys and find out what the plan is, I don't know. There are so many unknowns in the situation, I have to wait a couple of more days and see what happens."

I don't know that there are too many unknowns left at this point ... Maybe whether or not the new DEI has a Busch ride for him. And the little matter of who will drive the #8 ... but I hope Smith isn't holding his breath for that.

One has to wonder what made Ginn move forward with signing Aric Almirola when they knew that in the event of an acquisition they'd be forcing Smith to the sidelines. Why bring another driver into the mix before taking care of your own? Is Almirola any more ready for Cup than Smith?