Bill Elliott will replace Jeremy Mayfield for this weekend's Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen, Evernham Motorsports announced Tuesday. Mayfield's future with the team remains cloudy.

Mayfield's 41st-place finish last weekend at Indianapolis dropped him out of the top 35 in car owner points, meaning he was not guaranteed a starting spot this weekend. Elliott would be eligible for the champion's provisional, allowing the car to make the field.

"This team has a great deal of potential, and we just haven't met the expectations this year," car owner Ray Evernham said in a statement issued by the team. "We will do whatever we need to get this car in the show for Watkins Glen. It's important to our sponsors and it's important to this team. Having Bill in the driver's seat gives us this guarantee. I believe in our system, our process and our people, and am committed to getting this program where it needs to be."

Mayfield told NASCAR.com that he had not been contacted by Evernham about a switch as of late Tuesday morning.

"It's not professional, that's for sure,'' Mayfield told NASCAR.com about the way the matter was handled. "That's the way everything has worked around here for a while.''

The team also announced that no decisions have been made regarding the long-term future with Mayfield. Reports have stated that he'll leave the team for either Bill Davis Racing or Michael Waltrip Racing. Elliott Sadler is expected to replace him at Evernham Motorsports.

The bottom of the Evernham announcement listed the drivers and teams with the organization, but it did not list Mayfield.

Still feuding

NASCAR's meeting with Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards last weekend seemed to have little impact based on comments before and after Sunday's race at Indianapolis.

Stewart traded barbs with Bowyer and Edwards after an incident at Pocono where Stewart felt Bowyer crowded him into the wall. Stewart retaliated and collected Edwards in the incident. Edwards later spun Stewart on pit road.

Before Sunday's race, Stewart told NBC on the pre-race show of Edwards: "I think is starting to show everybody that he's the Eddie Haskell of NASCAR, when things aren't going his way, he decides he can do things, too,'' Stewart said, referring to the character on the TV show "Leave it to Beaver.''

Edwards' response? "Tony's just a moron,'' Edwards said. "Name-calling and all that -- he's a great driver, but he's got a lot to learn."

After Sunday's race, Bowyer spoke against Stewart's driving in the final laps. "Another close call with Tony, that was nice. I guess he ain't learned nothing," Bowyer told NASCAR Scene. NASCAR "told us to stay away from each other and by all means give each other respect. He put me three-wide and knocked me into [Brian] Vickers or whoever it was. He still ain't learned.''

New ride?

Mark Martin has talked about racing in some Cup races next season although he's scheduled to compete full time in the Truck series next year. Todd Kluever is scheduled to take over Martin's Cup ride next year.

So, if Martin runs in select Cup races, whom will it be with? Roush Racing is above the NASCAR-maximum four teams per organization.

Geoff Smith, president of Roush Racing, said an option could be to have Martin drive for Boris Said's team. Said receives support from Roush Racing. Smith said he does not see Yates as an option, although it's a fellow Ford team.

Another option, though, could be for Martin to return full time and give Kluever another year of seasoning in the Busch series or give Roush another year to find a replacement.

Missing

Kasey Kahne appears to be Dodge's only hope of making the Chase with Kurt Busch 174 points out of 10th place and five races left.

Kahne fell out of the top 10 in points after a last-lap crash Sunday at Indianapolis. Dodge had two drivers in the chase in 2004 (Ryan Newman and Jeremy Mayfield) and had three drivers last year (Rusty Wallace, Newman and Mayfield).