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"We've been running so far ahead for so long," Browning said. "It's got us considering and looking at our options."

The talk is light years ahead of where Darlington was when Browning came in two years ago. He had just left the abandoned North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham to lead a track many considered the next to go. Darlington had lost its Southern 500 date on Labor Day weekend and had its race allotment sliced to one weekend.

Instead, Browning has helped guide millions of dollars in capital improvements, including a lighting project that led to last year's Mother's Day weekend night race. The largest Darlington crowd ever at 100,000 people watched Greg Biffle's victory.

That success led to this year's construction. Browning says just about all of the new seats, which offer an unmatched view of restarts as racers enter the first turn, are sold.

AUSTRALIAN TO MAKE NASCAR DEBUT: One of the most famous road racers in the history of Australian motorsports finally is ready to see if he can duplicate his success on ovals in America.

Marcos Ambrose, 29, winner of Supercar Championships in 2003 and 2004 and last year's runner-up in the series similar to America's Trans-Am, will make his U.S. debut Saturday in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

Ambrose, who enjoys rock-star status in his country, had to skip the first three races while NASCAR tried to determine if he was ready for the change to oval racing.

CARPENTER TO MISS ST. PETERSBURG RACE: Ed Carpenter, injured in the crash in which Paul Dana was fatally injured, will be replaced in this week's IRL IndyCar Series road race in St. Petersburg, Fla., by veteran open-wheel driver Roberto Moreno.

Dr. Henry Bock, senior director of medical services for the IRL, said Wednesday that Carpenter is in good condition but remains under doctor's care for a bruised lung sustained in the two-car crash Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

CVC BUYS LEHMAN BROTHERS' STAKE IN FORMULA ONE: CVC Capital Partners Ltd. bought Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s 14 percent stake in Formula One to complete its purchase of the most-watched motor sport.

Lehman has an option to reinvest in the sport, London-based buyout firm CVC said in an e-mailed statement. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

CVC has bought the stakes of all the former owners of Formula One, which generates annual revenue of $1 billion. CVC hasn't specified any plans for Formula One.

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