Johnson, Busch worry about Castroneves trial

Jimmie Johnson says it's business as usual with his agent, Alan Miller, even as Miller stands trial as a co-defendant with Helio Castroneves on federal tax evasion charges.

"I've been in touch with Alan and asked him how things are going," Johnson said here Friday while the Castroneves trial continued in Miami. "He's given me some overviews that he feels very good about how things are going, and [he's] just waiting for everything to come together. His general impression has been positive about how things are going."

Meanwhile, Johnson and Miller have "still been working as we typically do, working on projects," Johnson said. For instance, "there's a motor home I'm getting ready to buy, and all the purchase agreements and all that stuff.

"So our relationship is still maintained and stays the same," Johnson said. "He's been gone a couple of days a week and working, really, around the clock continuing to give his clients the level of service they need."

Kyle Busch dropped Miller as his agent in 2007, saying Miller's shopping him to other teams contributed to his being squeezed out at Hendrick Motorsports to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

But, "I like Alan Miller as a person," Busch said Friday. "He was a great guy to meet. His kid was always fun. His wife was great. So it's unfortunate he's in a little bit of a bind now.

"But I wish him the best and hope he pulls out of it," Busch said.

Busch added, though, that "I am fortunate that I changed representation [he's now with agent Jeff Dickerson of Motorsports Management Inc.]. It had nothing to do with Alan as a person. It was just his business ethic that I wasn't quite up on." ESPN