Keeping track of Jeff Green this season has required a scorecard.

The veteran Winston Cup driver began the year driving the No. 30 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing -- his second year doing so -- only to be released in May. Then, in a strange "trade" of sorts, he took over for Steve Park in the No. 1 Chevy at Dale Earnhardt Inc., while Park moved to the Childress camp.

Green's tenure at DEI lasted until the end of August, when he again was given his walking papers. But the ever-resilient 41-year-old driver bounced back on his feet almost immediately when he joined Petty Enterprises to pilot the No. 43 Chevrolet for the remainder of the season.

Oddly, Green was part of yet another so-called trade, replacing John Andretti at Petty, while Andretti took Green's spot at DEI.

"I don't know if it's good or bad," Green said. "It's good in a way. I've been very fortunate to be having the trust and opportunity and ability to go out and drive these race cars and be with Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and now with Petty Enterprises.

"Growing up in Kentucky several years ago, you never dreamed you'd get an opportunity like that, but it's been kind of a nightmare season because this is the third uniform I've had on. Also, it's been a dream come true to be able to do that and to be able to say you've done that."

While all that movement may not say much about his job security in 2003, it does show Green's value and marketability as a driver, being tabbed to climb behind the wheel for three of the most prestigious racing organizations in Winston Cup racing.

"I've been auditioning all my life it seems like, especially in the Winston Cup Series," Green said. "The Busch Series is different. I've had some very good rides in that series, and I never worried about my job. I'm really not worried about it now.

"(Driving for Petty) is in a sense an audition, but there's only a handful out there that's not auditioning every week," he said. "I don't put any pressure on myself to go out and do anything different whether I have a full-time ride or an audition ride or a week-to-week ride. I just go out and do the best job I can with what that night or what that day gives me and try to make the best out of it. If that gets me the job, so be it. If it doesn't, so be it, too."

	Jeff Green, right, took the pole for the Daytona 500 back in February, beating out Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

With five races remaining, including Sunday's Subway 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, and his status with Petty Enterprises uncertain, Green once again finds his name being mentioned for several other driving roles in 2004. While that may be flattering to some drivers, all Green wants is some career stability.

"I don't think it's very much fun to tell you the truth," Green said. "I always want secure places to work and secure places to build people around you, to build your race team around the driver and crew chief and things like that.

"I think the more lock solid you can be, the more you can prepare for the coming weeks and coming years for sure. Once you can do that, you can put your program in high gear and make it easier for everybody.

"Hopefully (his experiences this season will) play into a future job and give us something we can build on week in and week out."

While Green would like to stay with Petty Enterprises, the reality is that he's a hired gun for the remainder of the season, period. But that's not to say team president Kyle Petty won't offer Green a position for next season.

For his part, Green says he hopes Petty does let him stay around.

"We've been pretty competitive each time we've raced -- in the four races we've raced," Green said. "I just want to be competitive and have an opportunity to win. They needed me the past couple of weeks as bad as I needed them. It's the first time I've ever driven a Dodge, and that thing is very capable of being competitive each and every week. Gary (crew chief Putnam) and the 43 guys have done a lot helping me get the car better throughout the race.

"I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, trying to put something together. We're talking about it now. The last couple of weeks we've been trying to get prepared for the rest of the year, but right now we're talking about some stuff for the future. I hope that will come through for me."

One thing that could potentially work against Green and his job-hunting efforts during the so-called Silly Season is his age. At 41, he can't deliver the type of presence that many of his fellow youthful competitors can, guys like Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray. And being judged only on age rather than talent is admittedly frustrating, Green says.

"Trying to get into this sport, it was all about experience, it wasn't about youth," Green said. "All of a sudden, the last three or four years now, it's all about youth. You don't have to have any experience, just so you can tie your shoes and get in the car if you're old enough to do that. I think experience overcomes the youth. I've got several more years under my belt. I think right now I'm at my prime. I'm 41 years old, but I know Bill Elliott and those guys are out there pushing 50. I still feel as young as I did 20 years ago in the race car."

While he'll be the first to admit he wants to stay and build a future with Petty Enterprises, Green is also a realist. He knows that Kyle Petty may go in a different direction at season's end. Which is why Green is still keeping his ear to the ground about other job opportunities for 2004. The last thing he wants to do is put all his eggs in one basket, and then wind up after the season with nothing.

"I think you keep your mouth shut and listen and look more than anything," Green said. "I try to look at the situations available, try to find out the caliber of people I'm going to be working with and the caliber of equipment I'm going to be driving, if that will put me in Victory Lane and make me competitive every week. I'll definitely be looking at those things. For the most part, these days, the way the economy is, there's not a lot of good cars out there to drive. I want to be able to roll into Victory Lane.

"As my career grows and I get older and I can kinda see the light where maybe I won't have to do this someday, I try to put myself in a situation to build up and bring trophies home. If I'm going to go out and run 30th every week, I'm going to do something different."

But at the same time, Green can easily see himself staying put at Petty and behind the wheel of the No. 43 for a long time.

"The feel when you climb in that car and see the number you're stepping over getting in the window, there's so much history behind that 43 number," he said. "Richard (Petty) has so many fans, Petty Enterprises has so many fans. It's just unbelievable. It is a little heart stopping you might say, especially the first couple of weeks I stepped in that thing. It's unbelievable you have an opportunity to drive for The King. I'm just pretty fortunate right now."

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Motorsportwriter@MSN.com.