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With NASCAR mandating a four-car limit per team beginning in 2009 or '10, Roush Fenway likely will sell one of its programs to the two-car Yates operation, adhering to the rule but reaping the same benefits as keeping it in-house. It would be paid for providing services to Yates. But the best part for Roush Fenway, a team that often has had its forward thinking thwarted by NASCAR, is that it is totally legal. "There would be concern if you had everything in one facility," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said. "That's why we've gone to the four-car limit. There's business sense in buying cars and going and employing an engineering staff that has the resources that make your teams run better." Geoff Smith, president of Roush Fenway, said his team showed NASCAR its business plan before announcing its union with Yates - it has no ownership stake in the team but will continue collaborative engine-building - and Smith seemed confident. -- St. Petersburg Times

Sports: Ford teams increase partnership