With so much attention placed on the battle for this year's championship, many teams outside the top-12 in points are taking the opportunity to prepare for the 2009 season a bit ahead of schedule. Trying experimental set-ups and gambling on pit strategy are two ways teams on the outside looking in stay in contention for wins while testing for next season. Yet for four drivers, this weekend's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway is all about showing they have what it takes to be a part of NASCAR's future.

Scott Speed will attempt to make his first career Cup Series start this weekend, driving the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota. Team officials announced last week that A.J. Allmendinger would not return as the driver of the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota for the 2009 season, seemingly opening the door for Speed. A former F-1 driver, Speed has honed his stock car skills in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, where he currently leads the series standings with just two weeks to go. The California-native has also run a handful of Craftsman Truck Series events and even scored an upset victory at Dover in June.

"So far in my career, Red Bull has made very good decisions for me," Speed said of his sponsor. "Every championship, every car, every team I've raced for -- since I left go-karting -- pretty much has been where Red Bull put me. They made the right decisions to where I made it all the way to Formula One. I've been very successful in stock-car racing so far, so I trust that if they think this is time to race Cup, I believe them. Just seeing how everything has played out so far, I have to think they're right."

Speed will need to find the speed necessary to make the show on Thursday night, but feels confident following last month's successful test at the speedway.

"After the test we had, I think we have a really good chance of qualifying very well," Speed went on to say. "We were very quick on our own. I'm really looking forward to getting out there and racing. I'm sure I'm going to learn a lot by the end of the race. I've got the opportunity to come up through the ranks of two very, very big motorsports series -- stock car racing and open-wheel racing. Fortunately, we'll be able to have a run at the top of both levels. I'm really excited for that opportunity."

The man Speed replaced at Red Bull Racing, A.J. Allmendinger will climb behind the wheel of Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 00 this weekend. Allmendinger has announced that starting at Martinsville he will also be piloting the No. 10 Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) ride - left vacant after the team dismissed Patrick Carpentier. One of the hardest working and most committed young drivers in the garage area, Allmendinger has proven he is committed to remaining in NASCAR and finding a ride for the 2009 season.

"AJ has a lot of talent and if you look at his numbers you will see that he's only run in 38 races in his career," Mark McArdle, vice president and managing director of competition for GEM explained. "I think the more experience he gets the better results you are going to see and I hope that starts at Martinsville. He's demonstrated in open wheel he has the talent and I think his performance two weeks ago [at Kansas where he finished a career-best 9th] proves his worth in a stock car."

One kid that has already shown he is a hot shoe behind the wheel of a stock car is Hendrick Motorsports' Brad Keselowski. The Nationwide Series regular will also attempt to make his first career Cup Series start this weekend at Mr. Hendrick's home track. Driving for JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, Keselowski has proven he has what it takes to succeed and run with the best of them. This weekend, the 24 year-old will bring back the famed No. 25 for Hendrick Motorsports, with veteran crew chief Lance McGrew calling the shots.

"The first goal is to make the race," Keselowski admits. "This is probably the toughest race all year to make. Charlotte brings out a lot of cars; everyone wants to try some new things. So goal No. 1 obviously is to make the race, and then settle in and learn and just to have a strong showing and run all the laps. We'll see what result that produces."

Like Speed, Keselowski will have the benefit of participating in last month's test session at Lowe's to fall back on. Yet for Keselowski, the biggest thing that came out of those test days was getting to know the crew and developing a working relationship.

"The testing is so important to build the chemistry between the team and the driver," the man third in the Nationwide Series points explained. "All that stuff is a work in progress. Experience goes a long ways, but chemistry means just as much, if not more. So that was an important test for us, and certainly the more testing we can do the better the feedback I can give. That will make the cars faster."

One team desperately looking for speed and a glimmer of hope is Chip Ganassi Racing. A more than disappointing season has seen the departure of two drivers, one crew chief and a high-profile sponsor. When open-wheeler Dario Franchitti could not keep the No. 40 in the top-35 in owner points, the Scotsman cut his losses and headed back to open-wheel racing and forcing the team to abandon the No. 40. This weekend, the No. 40 will be back in action with the team's Nationwide Series driver, Bryan Clauson, behind the wheel.

"I couldn't be more excited about getting onto the track for my first NASCAR Sprint Cup event," Clauson said. "This weekend I get the opportunity to live my childhood dream of actually participating in Sprint Cup racing action."

A rookie on the Nationwide Series side, Clauson has only twenty-three starts in that series with one pole position, one top-5 and two top-10 finishes.  With the loss off Reed Sorenson and Franchitti, Chip Ganassi and Felix Sebates are looking towards the future with this young driver.

Racing so close to home this late in the season definitely allows teams outside the Chase format to try new things and prepare for the 2009 season. For these four drivers, now is the time to not only to prove what they've got, but to show what they can bring to the table. With forty-seven cars on the entry list for this weekend's Bank of America 500, each of these rookies will first have to lay down a hot lap in qualifying to ensure they do make that first career start.