Jimmie Johnson said he's apologized to Elliott Sadler for wrecking him and starting a multi-car crash that also eliminated Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Johnson said Tuesday he talked to Sadler after the race. The lap 20 wreck started when Johnson hit the rear of Sadler's car as they ran at the front of the 43-car pack.

"Going into turn one, I got too close to [Sadler] in front of me and it got him loose and when he got loose, he let off [the accelerator] to save the car and tried to catch it,'' Johnson said. "At that point in time, I was too close and got into him and we were in the wall.

"There was a lot going on out there on the track. That's the last thing in the world that I wanted to do. I went and spoke to Elliott immediately after the race. Even though he was upset, he apologized for saying some harsh things. He knew what took place that I got him loose before I actually got into him. I apologized. I feel terrible that it took out a lot of great cars and hurt our chances as well.''

Johnson also said he's called Michael Waltrip and left him a messaging apologizing for the incident. Waltrip's car rolled twice in the incident. He was uninjured.

Johnson said his bump wasn't the result of bump-drafting in the corner. Drivers ram the back of each other to help push a car forward. That's an acceptable practice on the straightaways but done in the corners, it can create a wreck.

Berrier suspended

NASCAR suspended crew chief Todd Berrier for two races, fined him $10,000 and placed him on probation until Dec. 31.

NASCAR penalized Berrier, crew chief for Kevin Harvick, after Harvick's car failed a post-qualifying inspection last weekend at Talladega. The car was found to have an unapproved aerodynamic modification and an unapproved fuel cell vent mounting. NASCAR ejected Berrier from the garage Saturday for the rest of the weekend.

This is the second time NASCAR has suspended Berrier this season. He missed four races after Harvick's car failed a post-qualifying inspection at Las Vegas.

Berrier will miss this weekend's race at Kansas and next weekend's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He'll be able to return for the Oct. 23 Martinsville race.

Also, Tony Gibson, crew chief for Michael Waltrip, was fined $10,000 for an unapproved air directional device and unapproved wheel spacers.

Tony Eury Jr., crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr., was fined $2,500 for an unapproved fuel cell found in a pre-event inspection.

Dustin Smith, crew chief for Morgan Shepherd, was fined $2,500 for an unapproved fuel cell foam.

Tough start

Matt Kenseth attended Monday night's Green Bay-at-Carolina game. Kenseth, who is from Wisconsin, is a Packers fan. Monday's loss dropped his team to 0-4. Still, he remains a fan of Brett Favre, whom Kenseth has met twice before games.

"When I got to meet him, he was just telling stories,'' said Kenseth, who was at the Greensboro NASCAR Cafe on Tuesday to promote the Oct. 23 Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. "It was just cool to be able to meet him, pretty awesome.

"I actually learn a lot watching him. I think the coolest thing about him is you can just tell how much passion he has for the game. You don't see everybody like that these days. You can watch a lot of people get their contract and get their stuff. They're there to do it and they don't really love it so much. He's one of those guys who got in it because he loves it. Plays hard every play no matter what their record is.''

Local racing

Martinsville Speedway hosts the Bailey's 300 for Late Model cars Sunday. A field of about 100 cars is expected to contend for the 42 starting spots. The winner's share is $25,000. Included in the field is Peyton Sellers, the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national champion. The 21-year-old from Danville is looking to make his fourth start in the race. Tickets are $20 for the race and $5 for qualifying.

Also, Virginia International Raceway will host the VIR 400 for the Grand American Road Racing Association Rolex Sports Car Series. The race will be televised on the Speed Channel.

Looking ahead

Tryouts for the 2006 Drive for Diversity program are scheduled to be held Oct. 17-18 at South Boston Speedway. Nineteen drivers, selected from 300 applicants, will be evaluated based on their performance in a Late Model car and off-track exercises.

Pit stops

Brian Vickers, Ken Schrader and Ricky Rudd took part in a Goodyear tire test at Martinsville Speedway on Monday and Tuesday. ... Mark Martin, Elliott Sadler, Rusty Wallace and Joe Nemechek remain the only drivers who won a race last season who are winless this season. ... Chevrolet has won 14 of 29 Cup races this season. Ford has 12 wins and Dodge has three victories. ... Rusty Wallace has been running at the finish of a series-high 42 consecutive races. ... Dale Jarrett had led only two laps all season before Sunday's race at Talladega. He led twice in winning.