The obvious question

Brickyard winner Ryan Newman and crew chief Matt Borland are an effective pair, as they proved once again in Sunday’s race.

Given that Newman has been given his walking papers from Stewart-Haas Racing, effective at the end of the year, will Newman and Borland market themselves as a package deal to a prospective car owner.

When asked about his status at Stewart-Haas, Borland was noncommittal.

“At this point, I’m not sure what next year is going to bring,” Borland said. “Right now, 100 percent of my focus and our whole team’s focus is on doing as best we can in these next six races (before the Chase field is set) and the next 16.”

“Going to open up a fruit stand in Statesville if anybody is interested,” Newman joked.

“Do I get to drive the tractor?” Borland asked.

“You get to drive the tractor,” Newman said with a smile. “You also get to change the oil in the tractor.”