ENDANGERED SPECIES? NASCAR's one-car teams might soon become extinct.(Motorsports)

Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH

"Heads up!'' shouts a crewman for NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Morgan Shepherd. It is 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 17, in the Cup pits. One hour earlier, qualifying ended for the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Shepherd didn't make it.

The crewman is standing behind the Racing with Jesus team's hauler, which arrived early that morning. Now, after the qualifying session and two days before the race, he warns people that the tractor-trailer is moving through the crowded pits and heading back to North Carolina.

Once again, Shepherd's one-car team missed the show. Shepherd, with four wins in more than 500 career starts in 36 seasons, made only two starts in 2006, down from four in 2005.

Shepherd has company. Rules limit the field to 43 cars, and 56 cars showed up at Homestead. NASCAR guarantees a starting spot to the top 35 in owners' points, which meant 21 cars had to seek a spot in the field by qualifying speed.

Well, 20, actually. Bill Elliott, who would not have made the race on speed, got in on a "past champion's provisional.'' Thus only seven spots were open for the remaining 20 drivers.

Of the 56 drivers, Jamie McMurray qualified 49th, but had a starting spot due to Jack Roush's owner's points. Ward Burton, Brandon Whitt, Casey Atwood, Kenny Wallace, Todd Kluever and David Ragan all qualified faster than McMurray but didn't make the race. The rest of the drivers that suddenly found their weekend free: Michael Waltrip, Mike Skinner, Derrike Cope, Kevin Lepage, Carl Long, Chad Chaffin and Shepherd.