Notes: Stewart say Patrick will eventually race in NASCAR

HAMPTON, Ga.

Tony Stewart is confident that Danica Patrick will be racing in NASCAR. The question is when and how often.

Patrick has given indications she'll remain in the IndyCar series after this season, but it appears she could race in some Nationwide events on off weekends.

Stewart met with Patrick recently at his race shop, the second time she's visited Stewart-Haas Racing this summer.

Stewart and Patrick have built a friendship over the years and with Stewart having taken a similar path, he can offer advice others can't.

"I'm glad to be there to have someone to bounce ideas off of," Stewart said. "I'd love to see her come. I think it would be awesome for our sport if she could come over here and be out here and be successful."

Stewart said he knows Patrick isn't just using NASCAR to get a better IndyCar contract.

"She looked me straight in the eye and said, "This is what I want to do,' " he said.

"She's trying to put together her IRL deal and try to figure out how to transition that into NASCAR. I think she's trying to do it the right way. She's not just cutting the cord and then all of a sudden jumping into a car she's not familiar with."

FAST TIME

Martin Truex Jr. earned his second pole of the season and third of his career Saturday.

Truex averaged 184.149 mph around Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne (183.497 mph) will start second. Jimmie Johnson (183.358), Jeff Gordon (182.994) and Kyle Busch (182.771) complete the top five.

HEALING TIME

Carl Edwards said if all goes well, it will take eight weeks for his broken foot to heal.

Edwards said the only time the foot hurts him in the car is when he pushes too hard on the pedal.

QUOTE OF THE DAY 1

Edwards on what Jack Roush said to him when the driver told his boss he broke his foot playing Frisbee: "You just can't go a day without showing everybody how dumb you are, can you?"

QUOTE OF THE DAY 2

Denny Hamlin on what he could do to help teammate Kyle Busch get a spot in the Chase: "Just pumping him up. He can't let his head get in the way of his brain."

CHANGE OF PLANS

Scott Miller, crew chief for Jeff Burton, has taken on the added duties of director of competition for Richard Childress Racing in the team's reorganization. He'll hold both jobs through the end of the year and then relinquish the crew chief role for next year. He said that the team looked at making the move last year, but decided against it.