As the gap between Nextel Cup teams grows, NASCAR officials are studying changes to the testing policy that could restore some balance.

Testing is vital to a team's success because of the limited track time on race weekends. NASCAR's restrictive policy, some team officials say, hinders them.

NASCAR limits teams to seven tests a year at tracks that host Cup races. NASCAR selects those tracks based on team input. Since last month's Dover test was cancelled because of weather and could not be rescheduled, there are only six tests this year. Also, Goodyear's tire-leasing program requires teams to return them each race weekend, leaving them without Goodyear tires except at the NASCAR-sanctioned tests.

NASCAR's top teams have overcome the obstacles by testing at tracks where the Cup series does not race -- such as Nashville, Milwaukee, Kentucky and Virginia International Raceway, among others. Such tests are not regulated by NASCAR. All teams have gotten around Goodyear tire-leasing program by using other brands.

The top teams have thrived since NASCAR instituted the current testing policy.

Hendrick Motorsports' top-five finishes have increased 25 percent from the same time in 2005, the year before NASCAR mandated what tracks teams could test. Joe Gibbs Racing's top-fives have more than doubled during the same time.

Roush Fenway Racing's top fives and top 10s are down nearly a third since the same point in 2005. Car owner Jack Roush says he didn't test as often this year because he thought NASCAR would penalize teams that tested on tires other than Goodyear. He also said he thought NASCAR would prohibit testing the Car of Tomorrow at tracks that didn't hold Cup races. Neither happened. Roush has increased his testing.

Team officials are nearly unanimous in their desire to have Goodyear tires available for all tests. Not all tires are equal, some team officials say, but using Goodyears, even old ones, would help teams better decipher information than using brands such as Hoosier and BFGoodrich.

Not as many agree on how to regulate what Cup tracks to test.

Marty Gaunt, vice president and general manager of Team Red Bull, says he wants NASCAR to give teams the freedom to choose what Cup tracks to test.

If NASCAR permits teams to choose what seven Cup tracks they can test, Gaunt could send each of his two teams to different tracks and gather information on 14 tracks instead of seven.

"We'd get to collect data that we never had,'' he said.

Robbie Loomis, vice president of operations for Petty Enterprises, says if he had the choice, he would go test at tracks where Bobby Labonte had the best chance to win.

He used that philosophy when he was a crew chief at Petty before he left to lead Jeff Gordon to the 2001 title.

Loomis says his belief is that "if I got that win, it was going to stir a lot of excitement for the whole company and bring more sponsorship dollars in.''

Car owner Chip Ganassi says the only thing that needs to change is NASCAR.

"They need to leave it the same and police it a little better," Ganassi said. "They have to be careful not to create a model that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and the people in the middle like us are kind of stuck in the middle."

Another look

The Newark Star-Ledger reports that executives from NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. have had preliminary discussions with the chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority about the Meadowlands Sports Complex as a possible site for a race track.

An ISC spokesperson told The Record in Hackensack, N.J., that "the process is purely exploratory."

Wait and see

Ricky Rudd on if he'll return next season: "I think until we see some good things happen on the race track because the [Robert Yates Racing] team has gotten stronger, I don't think ... it's time to talk about next year.''

New hire

Penske Racing hired Pat Tryson to be Kurt Busch's crew chief. Tryson replaces interim crew chief Troy Raker. He had been subbing for Roy McCauley, who is off the road to be with his ailing wife.

Pit stops

Sterling Marlin has had talks with Ginn Racing about cutting back to a part-time schedule next season. Marlin's contract expires after this season. ... Bill Davis Racing has signed development driver Ryan Matthews to compete in at least five more truck series races.