KFC has emerged as one of the leading candidates to take over title sponsorship of the NASCAR Busch Series, sources say.  The deal is expected to cost the new title sponsor an average of about $30 million a year, about three times what Busch has been spending.  Anheuser-Busch said in December that it would end its sponsorship after a 25-year run.  NASCAR is not following a timetable, other than the pursuit of a partner before the end of the 2007 season, NASCAR Spokesman Andrew Giangola  said.

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KFC is one of five restaurants owned by Yum! Brands of Louisville, Ky.  It's uncertain if any of the other brands -- Taco Bell, Long John Silver's, A&W All-American Food and Pizza Hut -- might be included in the sponsorship.  KFC's relationship with NASCAR goes back 20-plus years when it was a sponsor for Junior Johnson's teams. The restaurant chain has been in and out of the sport since the 1980s, picking up part-time Nextel Cup and Busch sponsorships along the way.

Most recently, in 2004, KFC sponsored Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Busch car as part of a deal that included Taco Bell and Long John Silver's.  During that sponsorship, Earnhardt became the first person other than Colonel Sanders to have his image on a KFC bucket of chicken.  KFC sold more than 9 million buckets during that promotion.

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