ESPN Nationwide Series

Fridays, at times, have been deflating. Saturdays, fantastic. Sundays? Not so much. For David Reutimann, the weekends have been a maddening swing from low to high to low, once more.

In his rookie Nextel Cup season, Reutimann has seen more than his fair share of woes. Helping to usher Toyota into the sport, Reutimann is dealing not only with a new series but a new manufacturer, as well. The early returns have been harrowing.

Reutimann, unlike many of his Toyota mates, managed to qualify for the season's first two races. There was little time for celebration, though, because come Sunday he was hardly a factor. Reutimann finished 40th and 33rd in his first two starts.

Reutimann then failed to qualify for the third race of the season -- one Friday to forget. Though he made the field the next week, he finished 40th. In his fifth attempt at qualifying, Reutimann had another Friday to forget, failing to qualify for the second time this season. Then, two weeks ago, Reutimann tacked on a Sunday he's eager to put behind him -- a 33rd-place finish.

One week afterward, he was happy to see the Cup off date so he could get some time away.

"I'm glad to have the chance to test this week," Reutimann said, "and enjoy some time with my Busch team."

His efforts in the Busch Series have been the highlight of this year. In between occassional Friday disappointments from failing to qualify for Cup events and Sunday Cup jaunts that have yet to produce a top-30 finish, Reutimann has found success on Saturdays.

He ranks fifth in the Busch Series, where three top-15 finishes and a runner-up result last week have helped offset an occasional misstep.

The Saturday jaunts have him in contention for a championship. What's more, it's kept him sane and hopeful for improvement in Cup racing.

"We're hoping this weekend will be a continuation of last weekend's good run in the Busch Series," Reutimann said.

Dale Jarrett, one of the founding drivers of the NASCAR Busch Series, will return to the series this weekend -- as a commentator. Jarrett will join the ESPN2 broadcast team as an analyst for Saturday's race at Texas Motor Speedway (ESPN2, 2:30 p.m.).

"Over the last few years, TV was something that I have taken more interest in and looked more at because I want to stay involved in the sport," Jarrett said. "This is the perfect chance that ESPN is offering me to see if it's something that I really want to do and want to look at after 2008 to do maybe closer to full time. And to find out if it's something I can do and if ESPN would be interested in having me."

Carl Edwards has run out to a 321-point lead in the Busch Series standings after posting a top-six finish in each of the season's first seven races. The season is far from over, with 28 events remaining, but competitors are openly crowning Edwards already.

"That guy's tough anywhere," Reutimann said. "We could race golf carts out here and he'd be tough. He's a great guy and has a great team. Unless something breaks or he gets run over or something, that's the guy."

Rupen Fofaria has covered NASCAR for ESPN.com since 2002. He can be reached at rupenisracin@yahoo.com.