New car adds new twist to Indy's venerable Brickyard

Perhaps no track on the Sprint Cup circuit demands more of the automobile than storied Indianapolis. The sharp, 90-degree corners at the 99-year-old facility require the kind of hard braking usually found only at much smaller venues. The long, 3,300-foot straightaways place a tremendous strain on engines and a tremendous premium on horsepower. There are no restrictor plates to govern the motors, there's no banking to help add grip. Its difficulty lies in its inherent austerity, a two-and-a-half-mile rectangle of asphalt as flat, narrow, and featureless as they come.

Now a new variable is entered into that already-delicate mix. Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will mark the debut of NASCAR's new vehicle at Indianapolis, one of only three Sprint Cup venues -- along with Kansas and Homestead -- that have yet to host what was once called the Car of Tomorrow. The vast majority of the field will come in blind, given that Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brian Vickers are the only drivers with any seat time in the new car at Indianapolis, the three having participated in a two-day April tire test at the racetrack.

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I don't think the new car has made the racing a lot different at any racetrack we've gone to, and I wouldn't expect it to be a lot different at Indianapolis.
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They came away with mixed reviews. Busch said the car still hits upward of 205 mph at the end of a straightaway, but requires more brake entering each of the four corners. He expects Sunday to be harder on brakes and harder on engines, given that the car is slower through the corners and takes longer to get back up to full speed.

"You'll see the speeds still in qualifying, but the pace will drop off once we get into the race," Busch said during the April test. "That really won't help with the racing we want to see. We want to see guys right on top of each other trying to pass."

That could be a chore given the combination of historically tight car and historically tight racetrack. "It could possibly be its worst race just because of aero," said Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt's crew chief. "That track is very aero-sensitive to the cars. You're going to see what you did at Pocono. You're going to see a lot of two-tire stops. You're going to see a lot of things happening just to keep your track position. It's not a favorable place to pass, and track position will be everything. I think the race will be won off pit road."

It's not all gloom and doom. Greg Erwin, Greg Biffle's crew chief, said Goodyear will be enforcing a left-front air pressure minimum to try and head off the tire blowouts that have plagued the last few Indianapolis races, a greater concern now given the force the new car exerts on that tire. But let's face it: Indianapolis is always narrow, always difficult to pass. Will the presence of the new car really make that much of a difference?

"I don't think the new car has made the racing a lot different at any racetrack we've gone to, and I wouldn't expect it to be a lot different at Indianapolis," said Ryan Newman. "Last year we had, let's say, some tire issues. We were worried about the track rubbering up and making fuel runs. Hopefully, based on the test they did this year, we'll have a different situation when it comes to this car at that racetrack, because obviously we've had some tire talk this year with this racecar. We'll see how it all works out, but I don't think the racing or anything in general should be way different than it ever has been."

Neither does two-time Brickyard winner Tony Stewart. The track will still basically be a one-groove facility because of its tight corners, there will still be four places to make a mistake rather than two, the preferred line will still be right down on the white stripe. Those things make it difficult to pass at Indianapolis before the car even enters the equation. But in Stewart's mind, they don't dilute what it means to win there.


"I think what sometimes the fans and sometimes the media loses sight of is that you're still winning a race at a track that has a rich history, and just to have your name on a list of winners there is a huge, huge accomplishment, in my opinion," he said.

"Most of times, somebody that's won the race there has won it in dominating fashion, and I think sometimes people lose perspective of what the accomplishment of winning that race is when you've had a dominating day like that or you've had a car that was just that much better than everybody else's. [They] lose sight and say, well, it was a bad race. It wasn't a bad race. It was a team that figured out the equation better than somebody else and went out and had a performance that day that showed that. I think you'll see a very similar race to what we've seen in the past. You never know for sure until you get there, obviously, but I think it's going to be very similar to what we've seen in years past."

Winning at Indianapolis, with its finicky, temperature-sensitive asphalt, requires that perfect combination of skilled driver and deft crew chief. In the 15-year history of NASCAR races at the Brickyard, there have been no flukes. The champions have often dominated the entire weekend. The new car could play into that -- somebody might very well hit it during initial practice on Friday, and leave the rest of the field trailing behind.

"I would say in general, this racecar seems to be very sensitive, and it seems that there are certain teams that get it right at certain racetracks and they dominate, whether it's a team itself or an organization," Newman said. "We've seen Roush be really strong at certain racetracks, we've seen Gibbs be really strong at certain racetracks, we've seen Hendrick struggle a little bit compared to what they used to do last year with this car at certain racetracks. It seems to be really hit and miss. But when you hit it, man, it seems like the guys who hit it hit it right, and the whole organization hits it. I don't think Indianapolis will be any different with respect to that."

Hornish the pessimist optimistic about Brickyard

It all happened so fast Sam Hornish Jr. didn't really get a chance to realize exactly what was going on.

Chasing down Marco Andretti during the final yards of the 2006 Indy 500, Hornish swept past the son of racing royalty to win by about a car length, the distinct rumble of the yard of bricks under his wheels at the finish line telling Hornish he'd finally captured the most-coveted title in open-wheel racing.


"I couldn't have scripted it any better," Hornish said.

The fairy-tale finish hasn't necessarily led to happily ever after for the three-time Indy Racing League champion during his rookie season in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series.

The winningest driver in IRL history returns to familiar territory for Sunday's Brickyard 400 in an unfamiliar position: struggling to find the magic that seemed to flow so easily during Hornish's dominant open-wheel career for team owner Roger Penske.

"We've been on a roller coaster, been on a lot of lows and we're waiting for it to come back up," said Hornish, who is 33rd in the Cup standings. "When we started out the season, we thought if we could be in the top 25 in points, win rookie of the year [it] would make it feel like a wonderful season."

Hornish still has a realistic shot at catching Regan Smith for rookie of the year honors. Finding a way to sneak into the top 25 could be more difficult. Hornish hasn't finished higher than 13th in any of his 19 starts this season thanks to a mixture of the circuit's steep learning curve and a little bad luck.

"We really should be in the top 25 in points," Hornish said. "I've made mistakes and we've made mistakes as a team."

Even on days when the car appears to be right, strange things seem to happen. Hornish was running second at Michigan last month when a hot dog wrapper got stuck on his car's grill causing the engine to overheat. He ended up 22nd.

"I live for days like Michigan, where I feel like I could have won," he said. "It's not every day you feel like that."

Those days have been rare this year for a driver who won 19 IRL races before jumping to the Cup Series following the 2007 season. While Hornish didn't expect a seamless transition, he also didn't expect to spend so much time at the back of the field. His average finish over his last four races is 34th.

"You always feel like you should be able to head in the right direction," he said. "We've had some things that have been pretty tough, days when no matter what we did we couldn't make the car any better."

Though his patience has been tested, Hornish doesn't regret making the move to NASCAR even after the IRL and ChampCar merged this winter, unifying American open-wheel racing for the first time in over a decade.

"In the IRL you felt like you could win every day, [but] I felt like I wasn't getting the challenge that I needed," he said. "It was time for something different."

Hornish hasn't ruled out a return to the IRL, though it would likely be an occasional cameo on Memorial Day weekend, much like Tony Stewart has done in the past. The thought of riding the Indy 500 during the day then hopping a plane and running the Coca-Cola 600 later that night is intriguing.

"Who knows?" he said. "I'm kind of a pessimist myself anyhow. Who knows? I could get fired tomorrow."

Unlikely, though Hornish will have at least one new teammate next season now that Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman has announced he's leaving Penske and could be poised to join Stewart's fledgling team for the 2009 season.

"It's something to see him leave, but we have to continue to move forward," Hornish said.

That won't include a move into Newman's No. 12 car. Hornish plans to stay in the No. 77 as he tries to help Penske translate to NASCAR some of the success that's made him arguably the greatest owner in open-wheel racing.

"It's hard for any kind of organization to have [the] kind of success that Roger has had in the IRL," Hornish said. "He's won over 100 victories over there, 12 championships, 14 Indy 500s. The Yankees are the only thing that's got anything close to that."

Hornish sees the day when Penske Racing is able to compete on a consistent basis with the Hendrick Motorsports of the NASCAR world. It just might not be Sunday.

"It takes time," he said. "It's not an overnight flip-the-switch kind of thing."

Zipping around the Brickyard in the bulky new racecar will be a decided departure from running in the Indy 500. Yet Hornish is ready to step back on the grid, soak in the track's electric atmosphere and prove he can win at Indy regardless of what he's driving.

In a way, it's something Hornish might have been thinking about even during the greatest moment of his career. Consider that in the moments after winning Indy two years ago, Hornish went out and kissed the bricks, a tradition made famous not by Indy drivers but by the NASCAR boys after they began racing there in 1994.

"I just wanted to lay out there forever," he said. "I didn't know how they would come and scrape me up over there. ... I would love to be the first guy to kiss the bricks after the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400. I'm looking forward to having a really good day."

LMS pairs with local hotels to lower race week rates

Building on Benjamin Franklin's simple concept of "a penny saved is a penny earned," Lowe's Motor Speedway has developed a multi-faceted program to lower the cost of attending a NASCAR race despite rising fuel costs during these difficult economic conditions.

Working with area hotel operators, its souvenir and concession vendors and corporate sponsors, Lowe's Motor Speedway has reduced the overall cost for fans to attend the Bank of America 500 Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday night, Oct. 11.

"Consumers are constantly faced with very difficult economic decisions and we've worked hard to make attending our race a more affordable entertainment opportunity. It should be about fun, not finances," said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway. "We've been able to make this a group effort. Not only have we put together a ticket package that will save race fans 30 percent, they will also enjoy reduced prices on hotel rooms, concession items and souvenirs."

In an unprecedented move for a NASCAR race market, 35 hotels located within approximately 30 miles of Lowe's Motor Speedway have agreed to reduce their nightly race week room rates by 15 percent and waive their minimum stay requirements.

"Collaborative efforts such as this are the essence of the Charlotte region," said Tim Newman, chief executive officer of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. "We are proud to represent the hospitality industry in this unique promotion. The hotels understand the importance of NASCAR here in Charlotte, and truly embrace it by giving fans the extra incentive to enjoy the fantastic sport that helps define this region."

"Lodging is a major expense for race fans and we greatly appreciate the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority working with its member hotels to roll back prices and eliminate minimum stay requirements," Smith added. "The CRVA is truly setting an example for other NASCAR markets around the country."

In conjunction with Circle K and Coca-Cola, Lowe's Motor Speedway has introduced the Circle K Family Four-Pack for $159.

The unique race-day experience includes four reserved Diamond Tower seats for the Oct. 11 Bank of America 500 along with four hot dogs and four 20-ounce Coca-Colas. The $159 price represents a savings of 30 percent if the same tickets and concession items were purchased separately.

In addition, each person purchasing the Family Four-Pack will receive a coupon for a free 12-pack of Coke Zero that may be redeemed at a participating Circle K store.

The savings will continue when fans arrive at the speedway for the Bank of America 500, round five of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. A special souvenir package, featuring a Lowe's Motor Speedway T-shirt and hat that would normally sell for $48, will be available for just $20. At concession stands, fans will find four new combination packages reflecting 10 to 25 percent savings on their favorite items.

Race fans are reminded that Lowe's Motor Speedway offers 160 acres of free parking and numerous affordable camping options are also available.

On this day ... July 24

1966: Paul Goldsmith wins the Volunteer 500 at Bristol for his ninth and final NASCAR victory. Richard Petty leads 336 consecutive laps but is passed by Goldsmith on Lap 496 and finishes second. Goldsmith leads 84 laps, and Curtis Turner, who finishes 30th, leads the other 80.

Toyota ordered to weaken Nationwide cars

NASCAR tried to even out the competition in the Nationwide Series on Wednesday by ordering all teams using Toyota motors to squeeze down their horsepower before this weekend's race in Indianapolis.


Toyota has won 14 of 21 races this season in the Nationwide Series, and all but one came in a Camry fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing. The exception was JGR driver Kyle Busch's victory at Charlotte in May in a car fielded by Braun Racing.

NASCAR ordered all the Toyota motors to use a smaller spacer that will knock down 15 horsepower in the motors.

Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development, said he was "extremely disappointed" and found no justification for NASCAR's decision, arguing the Nationwide teams have been successful this season because of hard work and not technical advantage.

"Despite this setback, we will continue to work diligently to keep our Nationwide teams competitive," White said. "Our hope remains that a Toyota team or driver will be rewarded with a championship at the conclusion of this year."

Technically, the new guidelines aren't directed solely at Toyota: the bulletin distributed to teams did not even mention the manufacturer.

But because the automaker is working with a brand new engine and has access to the latest technology, Toyota teams have gained an advantage over the manufacturers using older engine models.

If the other manufacturers should reach the stage Toyota is currently at, they would be subject to the horsepower guidelines NASCAR mandated Wednesday.

Chevrolet has been pushing to use its new engine in the Nationwide Series, and many believe that model is on par with the Toyota motors.

Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition, said the Toyota motors are legal and in line with previous guidelines. But NASCAR is responsible for maintaining a level playing field, and because Toyota is new to the sport and working with new designs, the manufacturer has gained an advantage over Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford.

"We are not punishing Toyota, but the end result is we have to try to maintain a competitive balance," Pemberton said. "Toyota has the newest, latest greatest parts and pieces -- no other company has had new engines in the Nationwide or Truck Series in I don't know how long.

"It can be debated whether this is a small or medium change, but we felt it was just enough to put (Toyota) back to where everybody was almost on par with the competition."

NASCAR recently sent 10 motors for testing, and found that David Reutimann's Toyota was the best with an estimated 3 percent horsepower advantage over the competition. JGR's No. 18 car -- which Busch drove to victory at Chicago right before the motors were tested -- was second.

Roush Fenway Racing's Nos. 16 and 17 Fords were next, followed by JGR's No. 20 car, which has won nine races with four drivers this season.

JGR builds its own motors for its two Nationwide Series cars. The rest of the Toyota engines in that series and the Craftsman Truck Series come from Triad Racing Development, a Bill Davis-owned company that leases engines.

White worried that NASCAR's tweak to the Toyota motors would stretch beyond immediate on-track performance.

"Unfortunately, the decision by NASCAR could be more far-reaching than simply mandating Toyota to adjust its Nationwide engine," he said. "The real impact will be felt by the Toyota teams as they adjust to the change, work to remain competitive for the remainder of this season and attempt to line up their sponsorships for next year."

Indy still gives Johnson cause for concern

As a member of an elite group of NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who have won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson -- one could reasonably assume -- might be brimming with confidence entering Sunday's Allstate 400 at the 2.5-mile track.


Think again.

Though Johnson won at Indy on the way to his first Cup title in 2006, the Hendrick Motorsports driver believes his overall record at the track is a more accurate reflection of his Indy resume.

In six starts at the famed oval, Johnson has just two top-10 finishes. Meanwhile, he's placed 36th or worse three times.

The two-time defending Cup champion has an average starting and finishing position of 20.2 and 23.5, respectively, at the Brickyard.

"We've struggled at Indy for some reason - it's definitely on our list of tougher tracks," said Johnson, who has led just 33 laps in his six Indy starts. "We were able to get a win there a couple years ago so we know we're a team capable of winning there. We just have to have all the pieces fall into place for us."

Last season, Johnson's bid for a second-straight Allstate 400 win ended when he was collected in an eight-car accident on lap 45 and then cut a tire and hit the wall 16 laps later. He finished 39th.

"It seems like it hasn't been bad performances that have kept us from good finishes," Johnson said. "We just tend to get caught up in a wreck or have some bad luck in the pits."

Johnson hopes to change that this weekend.

"A solid finish is definitely within reach if we can just stay out of trouble," he said.

ESPN will let Rusty Wallace own a Cup team

In an apparent shift from past policy, Rusty Wallace can own a Sprint Cup team and keep his job as an ABC/ESPN analyst, a network executive said Tuesday.


When Wallace started as a race analyst in the booth for the Indy Racing League in 2006 and then for NASCAR in 2007, he said he was not allowed to have ownership in a Cup team. He wasn't even allowed to be a consultant/driver coach for Chip Ganassi Racing's Juan Pablo Montoya in 2006 and 2007.

ESPN hired Ray Evernham as a contributor to the network at the start of the year, mostly for NASCAR-related shows during the week. Evernham's job was different than that of Wallace.

But with studio host Brad Daugherty buying into JTG Racing and the new JTG Daugherty Racing team going to Cup next year, it appears the policy for Wallace - whose job primarily changed this year into a studio analyst as well - has been relaxed.

"The choice for Rusty to go into Cup racing is Rusty's choice and we have relayed our position to him on that," ESPN Vice President of Motorsports Rich Feinberg said during a teleconference with reporters Tuesday.

Wallace owns Rusty Wallace Racing, which fields two Nationwide Series teams. When asked about the possibility of his team going Cup racing in the past, Wallace has cited his ESPN contract as a hurdle.

Speaking on the call to talk about the network beginning the Sprint Cup portion of its contract this weekend with the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Feinberg said there will be no restrictions on its announcers who also own parts of race teams.

"I don't think Brad's partial ownership and interest in a team will have any impact on how we cover races - we certainly wish him success in that venture," Feinberg said. "We don't anticipate any changes to his role with us. We really weren't surprised. In the back of my mind, I knew Brad had a history of ownership and as he got it going, he shared some conversations with various members of our team.

"My advice to Brad and the gang is the same as it is to Rusty and Ray and anybody else who has an interest beyond broadcasting, and it's a very simple concept: When you put on those headphones or sit in that pit studio and wire up that mic, you need to leave behind your intuitive response as an owner and let come out your intuitive response as a journalist and a broadcaster. And if there is a fuzzy area, then the recommendation is stand back."

Feinberg said he felt that last year Wallace handled it fairly well when his drivers, including son Steve, had issues on the track. He also said he has no concerns with Daugherty.

"It's on our radar," Feinberg said. "We all talk about it collectively. And I think for the most part, it's sort of a separation of church and state. We monitor that process and overall we've seen success."

Newman looks to future, and life after Penske

Ryan Newman joked on Tuesday that Tony Stewart had called and offered him a ride in one of the Sprint cars that Stewart owns.


As for the speculation surrounding Newman's possible move to the Stewart co-owned Stewart-Haas Racing next season in the Sprint Cup Series, Newman revealed little.

"I still have choices and I'm getting closer to making that choice and making that decision but I have no answers yet," Newman said during a conference call with reporters.

The Sound Bend, Ind., native did shed some light on the impetus behind his decision to leave Penske Racing at the end of the year after eight full Cup seasons with the organization.

"For me personally at Penske Racing, I've achieved a lot of things," said Newman, whose plans to leave the company were made public last week. "I've been close to a championship. We were sixth two years in a row, we made the Chase for a couple years and for the last couple years we didn't and that was tough from a performance standpoint.

"We have had good runs, we've had good cars at times but consistency hasn't always been there. The bottom line was [team owner] Roger [Penske] and I decided to just move on and do different things."

Newman said that the Penske operation as a whole isn't as strong as it has been in previous seasons such as 2003 when Newman won eight races and 14 poles in his No. 12 car.

Since opening the season with a 1-2 finish in the Daytona 500, all three Penske teams have struggled. Its drivers -- Newman, Kurt Busch and rookie Sam Hornish Jr. -- are 16th, 18th and 33rd, respectively, in the series points standings.

Newman has just two top-five finishes in 19 races and is 189 points outside the 12th and final spot in the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup with seven races left before the championship-determining field is set.

The drop-off in performance seems to have played a key role in Newman's decision to go elsewhere.

"We have been dominant - we just aren't dominant right now," the 2008 Daytona 500 champion said. "That cycles. Maybe it'll cycle again for Penske Racing or maybe it'll cycle for a new team. You just never know."

Newman does have a theory on the factors that cause a team's performance to cycle in certain directions.

"[Roger has said], 'Effort equals results,'" Newman said. "If you're not getting the results then, you know, you question the effort."

Until his plans for next season are made known, questions will continue to linger about Newman's future. Earlier on Tuesday, Stewart said there is more than one driver in the running for the second Stewart-Haas entry in 2009. Stewart, who recently announced he would leave Joe Gibbs Racing at season's end to become a co-owner at Stewart-Haas, will drive one of the team's cars.

The timing of Newman's revelation that he would leave Penske came less than a week after Stewart announced he was buying into Haas CNC - which will be absorbed into Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009 - and fueled speculation that Newman would become Stewart's driver and teammate next season.

Such speculation is premature, however, Newman said.

"For me, I don't know the answer yet what it is or where it's going to be," Newman said. "But I'm entirely dedicated to doing what I'm doing here throughout the rest of the season for my sponsors and for myself more importantly to just go out and have fun but try to win races."

Newman said he is carefully seeking the counsel of several people, including wife, Krissie, on the best move for his career.

"You have to rely on yourself most importantly but obviously [also on] the people and friends around you," he said " • There are people that I go to and talk to about it. Obviously meetings are important, talking to people, figuring out what the best opportunity is from a performance standpoint, from a financial standpoint - that doesn't matter so much to me but it does. It takes time [and] it takes effort.

"It does take away from what I do on a day-to-day basis. Whether it's spending time with the guys here at the shop [or] going out to lunch with [crew chief] Roy [McCauley], it takes away, but it's part of my career."

As for a timeline for making his decision, Newman said he is trying to let things take their natural course.

"Maybe it's like being in high school and having a bunch of girls and if you get an opportunity to date one or the other," Newman said. "And you don't know the timeline of how everything's going to go; you don't know when you're going to get a date. It just happens. Maybe on a Friday night you go out and think, 'Maybe, that's how things are going to work out for me.'

"It's just going to take some time for things to mesh. From a people standpoint, it's just like chemistry. It just happens."

On this day ... July 23

2006: Rookie Denny Hamlin sweeps both Cup races at Pocono, winning the Pennsylvania 500 by 1.51 seconds over Kurt Busch. Hamlin wins from the pole, just as he did in winning the Pocono 500 in June.

Newman, Stewart play coy on potential partnership

If Ryan Newman is indeed in line to join Tony Stewart's new team next season, neither driver is saying.

Stewart said Tuesday he's still trying to fill the two-car lineup at Stewart-Haas Racing, while Newman joked the only new offer he's received was to drive for one of Stewart's sprint car teams.


All kidding aside, Newman is believed to be the top candidate to drive for Stewart next year. The Daytona 500 winner announced last week he'll leave Penske Racing at the end of the season, a decision that makes him the top current free agent.

Stewart, who is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to become part-owner of what's now known as Haas-CNC Racing, said he's still looking at who is available.

"There are a lot of drivers in the running right now," he said. "It's not narrowed down to just one driver right now."

But Stewart does have a list of criteria he'd like his future teammate to meet, and among the things he's looking for is the commitment to help the new team drive from the back of the NASCAR field and start contending for wins and championships.

"We definitely want somebody that you feel like is dedicated to what we're trying to do and realizing that we're taking an organization that's not had the success that it wants, and has the foresight to look forward and see what we're trying to accomplish," Stewart said.

"You want a driver that has that same attitude with what they do every weekend. You don't want a guy that's just content to run in the Top 15 or Top 20. You want a guy who has every intention every year and a realistic intention of saying, "I expect to make the Chase."'

Based on that description, Newman sounds like his guy.

Newman is in his seventh full season driving for Penske, where he's won 13 races and 43 poles. He's finished sixth in the standings three times, but has not qualified for the Chase since 2005. Although he won the season-opening 500 this year, he's got just seven top-10 finishes and heads into Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend ranked 16th in the standings.

He cited Tuesday his continued performance drop-off since 2005 as his reason for leaving Penske.

"The stats speak for themselves, but going back to 2003 ... we were a dominant race team. Eight wins, 14 poles," Newman said. "That's awesome and we have been dominant, we just aren't dominant right now and that cycles.

"Roger Penske always says, it says right on his Web site -- "Effort equals results.' If you're not getting your results, then you question the effort."

But Newman said he's committed to finishing the season strong in the No. 12 Dodge for Penske, no matter where he ends up driving . He said he's not set a timeline for figuring out his future.

"Maybe it's like being in high school and having a bunch of girls, and if you get an opportunity to date one or the other. And you don't know the timeline of how everything's going to go, you don't know when you're going to get a date," he said.

"It just happens. Maybe on a Friday night you go out and think "Maybe that's how things are going to work out for me."'

Stewart, meanwhile, said he'd like to fill his second seat sooner rather than later. He's expected to announce this weekend in Indy the sponsors for his car, and Haas-CNC has applied for a trademark on the No. 14 for certain souvenirs -- an indicator that Stewart will use childhood idol A.J. Foyt's longtime number on his new team.

But he needs to work out those details on a second car, and finding a driver is the first part of the puzzle.

"As soon as we can get a driver signed, I want to announce it right away," he said. "That will be key in being able to attract sponsors to the second car. We're still working on that. I feel like that is a big key in this whole program being successful next year, is having the right teammate. I definitely want to get that done as soon as possible."

Stewart hasn't chosen teammate yet

Tony Stewart says he has not yet finalized a driver to be his teammate at Stewart-Haas Racing next season, but it is a decision he hopes to make soon.

Sources have indicated that Ryan Newman is the leading candidate for that ride, but there also are several other drivers available.


"There's a lot of drivers that are in the running right now," Stewart said Tuesday during a teleconference with reporters. "It's not narrowed down to just one driver right now."

Stewart said getting a second driver named is a top priority. It's been 10 days since he announced the formation of the new team with him being one of the two Cup drivers for 2009.

"Obviously I would love to announce it sooner than later," Stewart said. "As soon as we can get a driver signed, I want to announce it right away. That will be key, like we mentioned earlier, in being able to attract sponsors on the second car. We're still working on that."

Getting the right teammate will be a big part to whether Stewart himself is successful, Stewart said. Stewart leaves Joe Gibbs Racing, where he has had strong teammates during his career for the new venture, which will absorb Haas CNC Racing after this year.

"You definitely want somebody that you feel like is dedicated to what we're trying to do and realizing that we're taking an organization that's not had the success it wants but has the foresight to look forward and see what we're trying to accomplish and see that we're dedicated and going to put 110 percent into making this organization the best it can be," Stewart said. "You want the driver that has that same kind of attitude with what they do every weekend.

"You don't want a guy that is just content to run in the top 15 or top 20. You want a guy that has every intention every year and a realistic intention of saying, 'I expect to make the Chase [For The NASCAR Sprint Cup].' I want somebody that expects to win races and expects to be a contender to win the championship every year and if they don't have those intentions, that's not a guy I want driving my race cars."

Stewart also must decide on who will serve as crew chief for the two teams. Currently Robert "Bootie" Barker and Dave Skog are the crew chiefs for the Haas CNC Racing team.

"We have to figure out exactly if we're happy with the crew chiefs that we currently have or if we need to look outside the organization - and at the same time looking at the leadership of what we have on the floor, and deciding [on] the team managers roles and the people that are going to really be the brain trust and the guys that you trust to get everything turned around," Stewart said. "Those are key positions right now that are a huge focus for us."

Haas to trademark No. 14, likely for Stewart

Haas CNC Racing general manager Joe Custer has applied for his team to trademark the No. 14, which is expected to be the number next season for Tony Stewart, who will co-own and drive for Stewart-Haas Racing beginning in 2009.

A Stewart spokesman said that the "details" of Stewart's car will be announced Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The trademark application covers a variety of products -- everything from paper goods to luggage, knives, air fresheners, video featuring racing themes and several other items. The application was filed July 2, according in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database (which can be accessed through its Web site).

Stewart would like the No. 14 presumably because that is the number that A.J. Foyt made famous in open-wheel racing.

NASCAR teams typically trademark a number in association with products to prevent non-licensed vendors from selling products with the number on them in order to make money off the driver's number.

Stewart-Haas Racing will absorb Haas CNC Racing at the end of the season. The trademark application just lists the applicant as "Haas Racing," with the Kannapolis address of the current Haas CNC Racing team listed.

Ambrose, Terry Labonte on Indy entry list

Marcos Ambrose makes his debut with what is now JTG Daugherty Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this weekend. Ambrose is one of 47 drivers on the preliminary entry list for the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He is also one of the drivers who will need to qualify based on speed.

Mark Martin, who earlier this season said that he planned to win this race, is back in the Dale Earnhardt Inc. No. 8 he shares with Aric Almirola.

The surprise on the entry list is Terry Labonte in the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge. Kyle Petty has been out of that car while working in the TNT broadcast booth, but that stint has ended.

Stanton Barrett is also on the entry list, driving the No. 50 Ski Motorsports Chevrolet, and Jason Leffler returns in the No. 70 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet.

Qualifying for the Allstate 400 is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. EDT Saturday, with the race at 2 p.m. Sunday.

On this day ... July 22

1990: Richard Petty finishes ninth in the AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono, the second-to-last top 10 of his career. It is his last top 10 on an oval. In 1991, he will finish ninth at Watkins Glen for his 712th and final top 10.

Kevin Harvick wins Maine's TD Banknorth 250

NASCAR's Kevin Harvick stayed an extra day and then raced to victory in the rain-delayed TD Banknorth 250 on Monday night.

Harvick built a comfortable lead before turning back a late challenge by Glen Luce of Turner as he upstaged the field of local and regional drivers at Oxford Plains Speedway.


Heavy rain on Sunday postponed the race for only the third time in 35-year history of the race. Racing finally got under way Monday night after more rain.

Harvick, ninth in the Sprint Cup standings, took advantage of NASCAR's weekend off to race at Oxford Plains Speedway. His idea of a vacation is racing.

"It's got to be fun," Harvick said before the race. "It's an off weekend from my normal job. That's the first priority, to have fun."

The TD Banknorth 250 hasn't always been kind to NASCAR's elite drivers.

Matt Kenseth had a third-place showing in 2004. Kyle Busch was a contender both years he raced, finishing sixth his first year and challenging for the lead before his second attempt ended with a blown engine.

NASCAR's free agency

The biggest domino in NASCAR's free agency season fell when Tony Stewart decided to bolt from Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the year. It opened up a seat in the coveted No. 20, a ride loaded with a two-time championship winning team that will stay behind crew chief Greg Zipadelli.

Yet despite the promise and potential in the latest job opening, top-name drivers aren't exactly jockeying for the seat.


Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle re-signed with Roush Fenway Racing before Stewart's exit became official, and long before he muddied any potential relationship by tangling with JGR star Kyle Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya reconfirmed his support of slumping Chip Ganassi Racing.

Matt Kenseth is under contract, Kasey Kahne isn't available, Richard Childress has his talent under contract and the stars at Hendrick Motorsports aren't going anywhere.

So where does that leave Joe Gibbs Racing?

With Joey Logano, of course.

Gibbs officials have done nothing to dispel the notion that their 18-year-old phenom will fill the seat next season, and Stewart himself has endorsed the promotion.

"Of all people, he could do it. He's been a proven product in anything that he's driven," Stewart said on his Sirius Satellite Radio show. "I definitely think that Joey Logano has the talent that whenever -- and I would say he's going to be in the Gibbs system a long time -- so whenever the Gibbs family decides to put him in a Cup car that he'll be ready."

Zipadelli, who so patiently nurtured Stewart over the past decade, already has faith in Logano based on the few years the teenager has been in JGR's developmental system. He's tested with the kid, and based on feedback and on-track performance, is quick to argue Logano is far ahead of his age.

But with just five Nationwide Series starts to his career (albeit he's scored two poles and a win in that span), Zipadelli also admits there still are questions surrounding Logano.

"Experience is priceless," Zipadelli said. "It's one thing to do it in other divisions, but when they feed you to the sharks out here (in the Sprint Cup Series) on Sunday, you're going against the best in the world that have tons of experience. There's a lot to this sport ... mental, physical ... and that all comes with time.

"I think what we've seen so far, I think he has as good of a chance as any 18-year-old to come into this sport and succeed."

With everyone so high on Logano, only the sudden availability of an A-list driver should block his imminent promotion into Stewart's seat.

That means Stewart's departure shouldn't create the big shuffling of rides that was widely anticipated -- though there's still going to movement.

Perhaps as early as this weekend, Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman could announce his next job.

The Indiana native has long been expected to choose Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's race, to reveal where he's headed. All signs have pointed to Stewart's new venture at Stewart-Haas Racing, and Newman waited just a few days after Stewart's deal was complete to announce he's leaving Penske Racing at the end of the year.

It's plausible that Gibbs could swoop Newman up and put one of NASCAR's greatest qualifiers in Stewart's old seat. Richard Childress could potentially persuade Newman to jump into his expanding fourth car. But all signs point to all-Hoosier lineup at Stewart's new team.

With Newman's seat available, that could be filled by David Stremme. Out of the Cup Series all season, Stremme smartly declined opportunities to get in sub-par seats, a decision that landed him a deal as Penske's test driver this spring.

When Dario Franchitti broke his foot, opening up Stremme's old seat at Ganassi, he was unable to secure permission to fill in beyond a one-race emergency substitution. It raised questions about what kind of contract Stremme had agreed to with Penske.

Why would a guy in search of a full-time Cup ride agree to a test contract that didn't have an out if a seat became available? Because he already had a job lined up, of course.

Casey Mears is on the market now that Mark Martin has nabbed his ride at Hendrick, and Martin Truex Jr. has yet to come to terms with Dale Earnhardt Inc. on his 2009 option year. One of the two could end up in Childress' No. 33, a ride loaded with potential but also with risks because it will start next season outside the top 35 in points. Because it will have to qualify for the first five races of next year, many top names weren't interested in the job, making it possible that a second-tier driver will get a chance in No. 33.

It could be Mears, who also is rumored to be in the running for a seat at Gillett Evernham Motorsports, while Truex might ultimately sign a long-term extension with DEI. That Truex still hasn't locked anything else up is good news for DEI, but the company has been plagued with sponsorship and stability questions that likely have Truex still scouring the market.

Assuming Stewart overhauls his new team and does bring Newman in, Scott Riggs will be out of a job and forced to join the flock of third-tier drivers that bounce from ride to ride. He could end up in a job with Petty Enterprises, particularly since David Reutimann has confirmed his commitment in sponsor-troubled Michael Waltrip Racing.

With all the seats filling up, Reed Sorenson will probably end up re-signing with Ganassi. He's not likely to get a better offer than the No. 41 Dodge he currently drives.

The wild card, of course, is the economy. With so many companies struggling to find sponsorship dollars, teams that exist now may fold like Franchitti's No. 40 did last month. That could put numerous drivers out of work, flooding the market with talent willing to drive on the cheap.

One thing is certain, though -- the next month promises to be a busy one, with everyone ready to move now that Stewart is settled.

On this day ... July 21

2002: Ward Burton wins the New England 200 at New Hampshire by 3.23 seconds over Jeff Green for the last of his five Cup victories. Green's second-place finish is the best of his career. Neither has raced in the Cup series since last year.

Stewart will run a different kind of race

Tony Stewart can race a car. Any car. And we know he can climb fences. But can he be a successful team owner and partner?

Stewart will own 50 percent of the new Stewart-Haas Racing team next year, and he hopes to improve the current mid-30s points standing of Haas CNC Racing. But to expect him, in one year, to turn this into an organization that can contend for the Chase is borderline ridiculous.


No matter how many -- or what caliber of -- people a team adds, moving up the racing ladder is difficult. Equipment is a major issue; to expect a team with new drivers (even if they're Stewart and maybe Ryan Newman) to make a jump of 20 spots in points is unfair.

This isn't like Stewart owning half of Roush Fenway Racing or even half of Chip Ganassi Racing. Haas CNC Racing is a team that started from scratch in 2002 with no Cup ties. Its ability to last in the Cup Series is an accomplishment in itself, but its drivers have only occasionally competed for top five finishes.

The most mind-boggling part of this whole arrangement is Stewart doing anything at 50 percent. He is someone who will hire people and let them do their jobs -- as long as he is kept in the loop on all major decisions. But one thing Stewart is not is Mr. Consensus, and it's hard to see him as anything other than a my-way-or-highway kind of guy.

Joe Custer, the current general manager of Haas CNC Racing, will work with Stewart (or Stewart's appointee) to manage the new Stewart-Haas team. The owner of Haas Automation, Gene Haas, is serving a two-year federal prison sentence until next May for tax evasion.

In seven years with Haas CNC, Custer has had some highs. The team has won in the Nationwide Series, and Johnny Sauter ran second in the all-star qualifying event last year. Haas CNC has been reasonably competitive, but it has never broken into the top 20 in points and both of its teams are currently outside the top 35.

Three former drivers have sued the team after being released early. That is either a sign that this is a company willing to make changes and risk litigation in order to enhance performance -- or a sign that it doesn't play fair.

The team also has made several strange decisions. One of the drivers who sued, Jason Leffler, has driven for the team in Cup races this year. Leffler was angry in 2004 when Haas CNC cut him after he announced he was switching to Joe Gibbs Racing for the next season. Leffler was taken out of the car despite being third in points with seven races remaining. Sauter was released last year to make room on the team for Jeremy Mayfield and then rehired after Mayfield moved on.

Custer says he's going to give Stewart the ability to make personnel decisions. The thinking is that people consider Stewart a winner and therefore will want to work for him.

It sounds good on paper. But so did the Wood Brothers-ST Motorsports merger that failed to improve results and the Robby Gordon-Gillett Evernham partnership that looked great in print but so far has failed to do anything for either team.

We already know Stewart is a great racing talent, but this new partnership will test his patience and administrative skills. If he turns Stewart-Haas Racing into a championship contender, it could be considered the biggest accomplishment of his career.

Rain postpones TD Banknorth 250 until Monday

The TD Banknorth 250 featuring NASCAR's Kevin Harvick against a field of top local and regional drivers was postponed Sunday because of rain.

Race officials said qualifying heats would resume Monday afternoon, weather permitting. Rain remained in the forecast and there was a flash flood watch in effect through Monday evening.

Taking advantage of an off week for Sprint Cup drivers, Harvick chose to spend the weekend at Oxford Plains Speedway. He finished second in his qualifying heat to earn a spot in the feature race.

Built Ford Tough 225 results

Fin. St. Car Driver Make Points Laps Status
1 4 23 Johnny Benson Toyota 195/10 150 Running
2 14 22 Michael Annett Toyota 175/5 150 Running
3 13 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet 165/0 160 Running
4 11 18 Dennis Setzer Dodge 160/0 150 Running
5 17 11 David Starr Toyota 155/0 150 Running
6 2 51 Kyle Busch Toyota 155/5 150 Running
7 1 5 Mike Skinner Toyota 151/5 150 Running
8 19 60 Terry Cook Toyota 142/0 150 Running
9 6 15 Marc Mitchell* Toyota 138/0 150 Running
10 8 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 134/0 150 Running
11 32 21 Jon Wood Ford 130/0 150 Running
12 28 4 Stacy Compton Dodge 127/0 150 Running
13 15 59 Ted Musgrave Toyota 124/0 150 Running
14 31 14 Rick Crawford Ford 121/0 150 Running
15 20 81 Willie Allen Chevrolet 118/0 150 Running
16 3 6 Colin Braun* Ford 115/0 150 Running
17 16 7 Ryan Lawler Chevrolet 112/0 150 Running
18 26 8 Jason White Dodge 109/0 150 Running
19 24 117 Timothy Peters Dodge 106/0 149 Running
20 27 71 Donny Lia* Chevrolet 103/0 149 Running
21 22 9 John Wes Townley Ford 100/0 149 Running
22 5 2 Jack Sprague Chevrolet 97/0 148 Running
23 18 40 Chad Chaffin Chevrolet 94/0 148 Running
24 34 63 Justin Allgaier Ford 91/0 148 Running
25 21 7 T.J. Bell Chevrolet 88/0 147 Running
26 35 74 Jennifer Cobb Dodge 85/0 144 Running
27 7 30 Todd Bodine Toyota 82/0 128 Accident
28 30 10 Brendan Gaughan Ford 79/0 128 Accident
29 25 99 Erik Darnell Ford 76/0 127 Running
30 10 8 Chad McCumbee Chevrolet 73/0 118 Accident
31 9 9 Justin Marks* Toyota 70/0 118 Accident
32 23 16 Brian Scott* Chevrolet 67/0 63 Engine
33 12 3 Chrissy Wallace Toyota 64/0 50 Accident
34 33 185 Brent Raymer Ford 61/0 41 Electrical
35 36 191 J C Stout Chevrolet 58/0 22 Power Steering
36 29 13 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 55/0 2 Accident


* Rookie

Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 results

Fin. St. Car Driver Make Points Laps Status
1 3 60 Carl Edwards Ford 195/10 200 Running
2 4 20 Joey Logano Toyota 175/5 200 Running
3 7 111 Jason Keller Chevrolet 165/0 200 Running
4 12 38 Jason Leffler Toyota 165/5 200 Running
5 20 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 155/0 200 Running
6 11 5 Landon Cassill* Chevrolet 150/0 200 Running
7 41 32 James Buescher Toyota 146/0 200 Running
8 5 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 142/0 200 Running
9 9 64 David Stremme Chevrolet 138/0 200 Running
10 10 6 David Ragan Ford 134/0 200 Running
11 13 7 Mike Wallace Toyota 130/0 200 Running
12 33 33 Cale Gale* Chevrolet 127/0 200 Running
13 32 9 Chase Miller* Dodge 129/5 200 Running
14 23 170 Mark Green Chevrolet 121/0 200 Running
15 27 59 Marcos Ambrose Ford 118/0 199 Running
16 17 22 Josh Wise Dodge 115/0 199 Running
17 16 27 Brad Coleman Ford 117/5 199 Running
18 22 28 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 114/5 199 Running
19 24 81 Shane Huffman Dodge 106/0 199 Running
20 15 25 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford 103/0 199 Running
21 38 24 Eric McClure Chevrolet 100/0 198 Running
22 29 150 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 97/0 197 Running
23 40 52 Brad Teague Chevrolet 94/0 191 Running
24 25 30 Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 91/0 173 Running
25 14 99 David Reutimann Toyota 93/5 166 Running
26 6 66 Steve Wallace Chevrolet 85/0 157 In Pit
27 1 17 Jamie McMurray Ford 87/5 152 Running
28 36 161 Brandon Whitt Ford 79/0 122 Running
29 2 40 Reed Sorenson Dodge 76/0 115 Running
30 28 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 73/0 115 Running
31 8 1 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 70/0 115 Running
32 30 47 Kelly Bires Ford 67/0 80 In Pit
33 18 5 Casey Atwood Ford 64/0 55 Running
34 42 4 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 61/0 46 Running
35 43 90 Johnny Chapman Chevrolet 58/0 38 Out of Race
36 37 331 Kenny Hendrick Chevrolet 55/0 34 Running
37 21 89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge 57/5 33 Running
38 39 1 Danny Efland Chevrolet 49/0 19 Out of Race
39 35 91 Justin Hobgood Chevrolet 46/0 10 In Pit
40 26 292 Brian Keselowski* Dodge 43/0 10 Running
41 34 36 Ruben Pardo Dodge 40/0 7 Out of Race
42 31 0 Larry Gunselman Chevrolet 37/0 5 In Pit
43 19 149 Kertus Davis Chevrolet 34/0 1 Running


* Rookie

On this day ... June 20

2002: A 22-year-old from Columbia, Mo., makes his first Nationwide Series start, finishing 38th at what he one day will call his "home" track, Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Carl Edwards doesn't stick around long (valve), completing 35 of 200 laps in Danny Bost's No. 9 Waterloo Tool Storage Chevrolet. Greg Biffle wins the Charter Pipeline 250 by 1.95 seconds over Ron Hornaday Jr.

Edwards earns victory in Nationwide race

Carl Edwards was in no rush to get to the post-race interview room at Gateway International Raceway.

Edwards passed Jason Leffler with 49 laps remaining Saturday night and cruised to victory at the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250, marking his second win at Gateway in three years in front of a nearly hometown crowd.


"It was so hard to leave victory lane, I didn't want to come down here," said Edwards, who grew up in Columbia, Mo., about a 2-hour drive from the track outside St. Louis. "I have so many friends down there, they're taking pictures. It's just really, really special to win here for me."

Joey Logano, the 18-year-old racer in just his fifth race, finished second after starting fourth. Jason Keller took third, followed by Leffler and Brad Keselowski.

Edwards earned his second victory on the Nationwide circuit in 21 starts this year. He has nine Top 5 finishes and 11 in the Top 10. Edwards took advantage of the sixth caution of the 200-lap race. He got four tires and filled his tank, coming out of the pits third. He quickly overtook Leffler and James Buescher and went on for the easy victory.

"When you've got it, you've got it," Logano said. "And (Edwards' team) hit it dead on tonight. It was showing pretty much the whole race. My car wasn't horrible. It was pretty good, but Carl's car was remarkable."

The final caution, caused after David Reutimann got underneath the back of Keselowski, provided one of several pauses during the choppy race.

Landon Cassill, who finished sixth, started a five-car accident that brought out a red flag with 84 laps left. He sent Scott Wimmer into the wall with a tap to the driver's side back bumper, causing a chain reaction that knocked out Wimmer, Mike Bliss, last-year's winner Reed Sorenson and Steve Wallace.

The cars remained under red for nearly 30 minutes as the track was cleaned before driving resumed under caution for five laps with pole-winner Jamie McMurray in the lead.

"When you've got a guy who doesn't want to get passed and a guy who wants to pass, it gets tough," Cassill said. "I was just right on (Wimmer), but it's just hard to give up track position. I saw him bobble and as soon as he bobbled, it was too late. I just nudged him."

The event started despite a partial power outage that darkened about a third of the lights around the track, including the caution lights, the scoring tower and the public address system.

Officials called a competition caution on Lap 22 to practice going through the procedure without the caution lights. The caution was lifted on Lap 25 and all the power was restored almost immediately after the green flag was waved.

However, the caution lights went blank for a second time. That brought out another competition caution on Lap 72.

McMurray, who earned the pole with a speed of 133.101 mph during qualifying, left the race with engine problems after completing 152 laps. It marked the 11th time in 12 events at Gateway that the pole-sitter failed to win. Martin Truex Jr.'s victory in 2004 was the only time the top qualifier has won at Gateway.

Logano led twice for a total of 42 laps and he finished for the second consecutive race and in the Top 5 for the third straight.

In the end, however, it was Edwards' final pit stop that got him the victory.

"There's only been a couple of times I've had a car that dominant at the end of race," Edwards said. "I was just cruising around at the end and the car was so good. I was really proud of the guys for making the adjustments like that. I couldn't believe how fast it was."

Busch falls short of history in trucks race

Kyle Busch came up five spots short in his bid to make NASCAR history Saturday night and Johnny Benson took advantage, holding off Michael Annett to win the Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

Busch was attempting to become the first driver to win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series in successive starts. He won the Nationwide Series' Dollar General 300 on July 11 and the Sprint Cup's Lifelock.com 400 the following night.


The early portion of the race featured a number of yellow flags, and nine of the first 24 laps were run under caution. There were eight cautions overall, slowing drivers for a total of 36 laps. There was also a 10-minute, 34-second stoppage for track repairs following a red flag.

"The crew had a lot of really good stops," Benson said. "We had to use a little strategy because we had a loose right front tire, so I was glad that the (early) caution came out when it did. But these guys continue to do a great job."

Benson grabbed the lead in the truck series points race by one over third-place finisher Matt Crafton. Previous points leader Ron Hornaday finished 10th, dropping him to third in the standings.

"I thought we had the best truck tonight," Crafton said. "When we were in the dirty air, we could pass (Benson) and get away. I think if we had gotten the lead we would have won this race."

The race did boast a historical milestone for Roush Racing, which eclipsed Spears Motorsports to become the team with the most starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The race also marked the debut for NFL wide receiver Randy Moss as a truck owner. Willie Allen drove the No. 81 Rascal Flatts Chevrolet under the newly formed Randy Moss Motorsports team and finished 15th.

Scott Dixon on schedule for another title

Everything is right on schedule for Scott Dixon -- for now.

He heads into Sunday's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a series-leading four wins and the IndyCar Series points lead.


That's a step up from last year, when the New Zealander left Mid-Ohio with three straight victories, but still trailed eventual champion Dario Franchitti by 24 points. Eventually, though, Dixon caught and passed Franchitti, only to see him win the title when Dixon ran out of fuel while leading half a lap from the end of the season-finale at Chicagoland Speedway.

Dixon acknowledges that disappointment is never far from his mind as he chases his second series championship and first since 2003, even with Franchitti now racing in NASCAR.

Still, with six races remaining on the 2008 schedule and leads of 63 points over Mid-Ohio pole-winner Helio Castroneves and 69 over his Chip Ganassi teammate Dan Wheldon, Dixon insisted it's too early to be thinking about points.

"I think for us, you still go out and try to win races," he said Saturday after qualifying. "If you can win races, it's the easiest way to win championships. That's going to be our frame of mind and, when it comes to maybe the last one or the last couple of races, we'll starting thinking about the points and what we need to do."

Saturday was Penske Racing's day, with Castroneves, still seeking his first IndyCar title, and new teammate Ryan Briscoe taking the top two spots in qualifying. It is the first front row sweep for Penske since Castroneves won the pole and then-teammate Sam Hornish Jr. took the outside spot at Kentucky Speedway in 2006.

They were followed by Marco Andretti, IndyCar newcomer Justin Wilson and Tony Kanaan.

Dixon will start sixth on Sunday, exactly where he started last year's race.

But Dixon moved up quickly last year when three of the drivers ahead of him, Andretti Green Racing teammates Kanaan, Danica Patrick and Andretti, were involved in a first-lap accident that eliminated Andretti and put the other two behind.

Dixon eventually wound up playing the fuel economy game better than everyone else and led the last nine laps on the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course.

So far this season, the luck again seems to be going Dixon's way.

Last week, on the 1.5-mile oval at Nashville, Dixon got the word too late to follow leader Tony Kanaan into the pits, inherited the lead and had enough fuel to stay there until rain ended the race with 29 laps left.

"It's tough when his team makes a mistake, or he makes a mistake, and ends up winning the race," Castroneves said. "This guys definitely has some luck but, hopefully, that luck is running out and now it's time for it to turn a little bit for us.

"But, we're not counting on that. We're not waiting for something to happen to them. We're just trying to executive and we've got a good chance to win this race, myself or Ryan, and hopefully take some points from Scott and get closer in the championship."

In IndyCar's new knockout-style road course qualifying, with drivers eliminated in two rounds before a final Firestone Fast Six session determines the front of the grid, Patrick -- who started second a year ago -- didn't make it out of the first round. She will start 20th on the 26-car grid.

Another disappointed driver was Wheldon, who has two victories this year and is also chasing his second IndyCar championship. The Englishman also failed to make it out of the first round of qualifying and will start 13th.

Edwards hopes home cooking provides spark

When times are challenging, it's always comforting to go home and recharge your batteries before tackling your troubles head on. For Carl Edwards, a trip to his home track, Gateway International Raceway in suburban St. Louis, couldn't have come at a better time.

Edwards and the No. 60 Ford team had a rough outing last weekend in Chicago, finishing a lap down and falling one position -- to fourth -- in the Nationwide Series point standings. The defending champion is 254 points behind current leader Clint Bowyer after 20 of the series' 35 races.


Actually, 2008 as a whole has been an obstacle for Edwards. At this time last season, Edwards had four wins and a colossal 716-point lead over Kevin Harvick in the series standings.

Edwards has one win this season, last month at Milwaukee. It was his first race with new crew chief Drew Blickensderfer after Roush Fenway Racing opted to move his championship-winning partner, Pierre Kuettel, to the No. 17 car.

"We struggled a bit last week, so we need to have a solid run to stay in championship contention," Blickensderfer said in advance of Saturday's Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250. "Our goal is to win a championship. Anything less would be a major disappointment for this team."

Fast facts
What: Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250.
Where: Gateway International Raceway; Madison, Ill.
When: 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
TV: ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET.
Radio: MRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 128.
Track layout: 1.25-mile oval.
Race distance: 200 laps/250 miles.
2007 winner: Reed Sorenson.
2007 polesitter: Scott Wimmer.
Points leaders: 1. Clint Bowyer, 2,965; 2. Brad Keselowski, 2,782; 3. David Reutimann, 2,748; 4. Carl Edwards, 2,711; 5. Kyle Busch, 2,633; 6. David Ragan, 2,613; 7. Mike Bliss, 2,603; 8. Mike Wallace, 2,376 9. David Stremme, 2,325; 10. Jason Keller, 2,278.
Edwards has high expectations at the 1.25-mile track in Madison, Ill. In four starts, he has three top-10 finishes, including a win in 2006.

"It's going to be great racing at Gateway. I consider it my home track, and I will have a lot of family and friends there," said Edwards, a native of Columbia, Mo.

"I won a race there a few years ago, and it was one of my greatest accomplishments. (Sponsor) Save-A-Lot's headquarters are nearby, so I am going to try my best to get them into victory lane this weekend."

Notes: Reed Sorenson won last year's race, his second victory at Gateway. In his other start at the track, he finished fourth in 2006. ... Sorenson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick have two wins at Gateway. ... Landon Cassill made his NASCAR debut at Gateway last year, two weeks after turning 18. He has two top 10s in 10 starts this year, including last week at Chicagoland. ... Joey Logano, 18, returns to the series for the first time since finishing second at Milwaukee last month. Logano will be in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota, which he took to victory lane last month at Kentucky.

Terry Labonte joins field at dirt-track benefit

Two-time NASCAR Cup champion Terry Labonte has been added to the list of drivers scheduled to participate in the M&M's NASCAR Night of Stars at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., Wednesday.

Labonte will join other familiar names in racing UMP Modifieds at the one-third mile, high-banked dirt track.

Other additions to the race are Labonte's son, Justin Labonte, Nationwide Series driver Steve Wallace and Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney.

Two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart, I-55 co-owner and Cup veteran Ken Schrader, NASCAR Camping World Series driver and former AMA Supercross champion Ricky Carmichael and Craftsman Truck Series drivers Ron Hornaday, Dennis Setzer and Brendan Gaughan are also scheduled to race.

"Having Terry here for the first time is a really neat deal," Schrader said. "Plus, it'll be interesting to see Ricky [Carmichael] race four wheels on dirt instead of two wheels. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Special Olympics.

On this day ... July 18

1992: Harry Gant finishes second for the 35th and final time in his Cup career. Darrell Waltrip gets the win in the Miller Genuine Draft 500 at Pocono, with Gant 1.31 seconds back. Gant closes out his career in 1994 with 18 wins in 474 starts.

On this day ... July 17

1970: Bobby Allison and polesitter Cale Yarborough swap the lead nine times in the Volunteer 500 at Bristol, with Allison leading the final 279 laps. Allison leads 357 laps and gets the lead for the final time when Yarborough, who leads the other 143 laps, crashes and finishes 17th.

Kenny Wallace respects past, works on future

Kenny Wallace just can't help himself. The brain of the talkative driver sometimes moves way too fast for the ideas in his head.


By the time one idea is processed and released into sound through Wallace's mouth, more ideas spill out.

The full-time Nationwide Series driver and part-time television commentator was asked recently if there were one or two memories that stand out more than others over his long career in NASCAR.

For a guy who has won as much and has seen as much as Wallace, of course there are one or two. Or more.

"I will never forget • there are two things," Wallace said. "Well, there are three things. I just keep thinking."

And he keeps talking. And thinking. And talking some more. If ever there was a driver perfect for TV, it's Kenny Wallace.

But he's far from done with his driving career, and he wants everyone to know about it. Driving comes first, and he'll be happy to tell anyone who listens exactly that.

Wallace returned to NASCAR's No. 2 series this year, starting the 2008 season with Fitz Motorsports. Fitz was expanding to two teams, and Wallace would join Mike Bliss on what looked like a solid independent team.

But sponsorship money dried up, and Wallace was left without a job - for about a day. Jay Robinson Racing came calling, and Wallace kept going.

"Right now, with my race team, I promised myself that I would never be happy with 15th," Wallace said. "I think we are overachieving. We're taking a team that was thought of us a backmarker team. We're upgrading every week, and we're getting better.

"I will never run enough races that I will just run in the back. I joined Jay Robinson Racing because I felt like we could take this team with our new sponsor and upgrade it. We're getting better every week."

Wallace realizes his best days are behind him, and he remembers them fondly. The three things he mentioned? 1. His first race in the No. 2 series; 2. His pole at Daytona to kick off his first full season; 3. His first victory.

Wallace worked on his older brother Rusty's race team when he started driving in the American Speed Association.

"I will never forget for as long as I live that Dale Earnhardt gave me my very first Nationwide ride," Wallace said. "It was at Martinsville, and I sat in his old bucket seat, and I said, 'Dale, I can't drive this.' He said, 'Well, go get your old ASA seat.'

"I'll never forget coming from Charlotte to Kannapolis, N.C., and there I was. Tony Eury Sr. met me there and put my seat in Dale Earnhardt's car."

Wallace finished 11th in that race in the No. 8 GM Goodwrench car and won $650.

Rusty Wallace then started a team for his little brother, and Kenny immediately showed speed in the No. 36 Pontiac.

"I will never forget as long as I live -- it was like yesterday -- sitting on the pole in my very first time ever at Daytona," Wallace said. "Quick time, 1989: 192.730 mph, buddy. I ran a 46.70.

"I was invited to be on Eli Gold's show on MRN Radio. I said, 'Man, I made it!'"

Maybe, but there was more work to be done. Wallace ran well at times but couldn't break through with a victory. At Volusia County Speedway in Barberville, Fla., in 1992, Wallace qualified 13th.

"I remember thinking 13th was an unlucky number," Wallace said. "I won the race. My wife came up to me in victory lane, and I gave her a hug. I'll never forget this: I said, 'Well, it's finally over.'

"I had gone to the big-time right away. I had never started in any local divisions. I ran ASA right away in '87, '87 and '88. And I went to the Nationwide Series in '89, '90, '91. Hell, I went quite a while without winning because I went to the big-time right away.

"When I won that race at Volusia, it proved to me that I belonged."

He's been in NASCAR ever since, competing in all three national series. He recently made his 400th start in what is now known as the Nationwide Series, and upon reflecting on his career said he respects "nostalgia" and the drivers who made the series he still races in.

"I respect Jack Ingram. I respect Sam Ard, Tommy Ellis and Tommy Houston," Wallace said. "Those are the guys that molded me. They taught me how to race. I was so lucky that I came into the Nationwide Series in 1988-89 because I was able to race the great ones. I was able to race the guys that started this deal.

"When I came here, I would finish in the top five and the race would be over and every part of my car would be destroyed and I would almost win. We would run Hickory, South Boston, Orange County and Myrtle Beach.

"I do look back. I always respect the past. • When I first moved from St. Louis, they said the first thing I needed to do was make friends with Jack Ingram, and that's what I did. In '89, we'd run all of our shows one-day shows. When we would get in the garage area, the first thing I would do was go down to Jack and help him unload his car. I'd sit around Jack for a half-hour and just talk to him."

Yes, Kenny Wallace once did the listening.

My, how times have changed.

GM cutting back on NASCAR spending

Troubled General Motors has notified two racetracks that run NASCAR events that their current contracts will not be renewed as part of an overall $10 billion cost-cutting program.

That seems to be just the first step in what could be a huge drop in support by GM, Ford and Chrysler for tracks and teams in NASCAR's top three professional divisions, the NHRA and other racing series in the face of the weakest U.S. auto sales in a decade.


GM announced Tuesday that it had suspended its stock dividend and will sell up to $4 billion in assets, moves made necessary by the downturn in sales and the rising cost of gas.

And motorsports sponsorships will not be exempt from the cutbacks.

"Like all areas of the business, these areas have not gone without a certain level of scrutiny, and there will be modifications and changes in our promotional footprint in all of those areas," Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, said Tuesday. "We're not going to talk about the details today, and specifically NASCAR, but all those areas have been reviewed and will continue to be as we work these action plans through."

Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns eight tracks that hold NASCAR events, already has been told GM will not renew contracts at two tracks -- New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.

Scott Cooper, vice president of communications for SMI, said nobody is panicking.

"We've seen bad times with the economy before, and we'll likely see them again," Cooper said Wednesday. "At the end of the day, we've still got a sport that pairs up well with the American car manufacturers. We believe the sport will continue to have tight relations with those manufacturers."

GM has contracts with 12 of the 22 tracks where NASCAR's top Sprint Cup series races and is the title sponsor for the fall race at Richmond International Raceway.

Cooper said SMI expects GM and the other American car companies to continue purchasing hospitality, suites and track displays, although perhaps not at the same level.

GM also is the official vehicle provider for Daytona International Speedway, owned by International Speedway Corp., and a track spokesman said they have not been notified of any impending change.

It is expected, however, that all car companies racing in NASCAR and other American series will be forced to make cuts before long if the economic downturn continues.

SMI and ISC, both publicly owned companies, have seen big drops in their share prices this year, and the loss of what could be millions of dollars in sponsorship money and promotion likely won't help the situation.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said GM's news was not surprising.

"Obviously, we're going to continue to speak to all the manufacturers on a regular basis," Poston said. "But NASCAR has served them well, and they are getting a good return on their investment. And they know NASCAR has a huge audience and loyal fan base eager to buy their products."

'Young gun' Keselowski trying to focus on title

Brad Keselowski always thought he'd get a chance to go out and enjoy being one of his sport's rising stars.


Wrong.

Ask the 24-year-old Nationwide Series driver if he has a life these days and he can't even muster the energy to laugh.

"I would say no, 35 weeks a year is a grueling schedule," he said. "To be honest I think the Nationwide schedule is tougher than the (Sprint) Cup Series schedule. So, you know, it presents its own set of challenges. And, you know, my life right now is racing."

On the track, the racing has never been better for Keselowski. He heads into the Dodge Dealers 250 on Saturday in St. Louis second in the series points, trailing Clint Bowyer by 183. The sometimes overwhelmed driver who limped to a 25th-place finish in the season standings last year is gone. Keselowski captured his first Nationwide Series win in Nashville last month and hasn't been out of the Top 10 in the season standings since March.

"There are times when you sit back and you think and you go 'Wow, this has really been a dream season, really been a great year so far,"' he said. "Just the past 12 months, a lot of good things have happened to me and I've been very fortunate."

The past week hasn't been quite so kind.

Navy, the title sponsor for Keselowski's No. 88 Chevy, announced it was pulling out at the end of the season even though Keselowski's win in Nashville gave Navy its first win in the series.

"The performance has been of such (success) to where it was somewhat surprising," he said. "But those issues are out of my hands and there wasn't much I could do about it. So that's just the way it goes. Life goes on."

That means Keselowski heads into the final 15 races of the season trying to catch Bowyer -- and the eye of a title sponsor for next year. He plans on driving the No. 88 for team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2009, even though he's not sure whose name will be splashed across the hood.

"We're working on a few things," he said. "But I know (driving for JR Motorsports) is locked in stone and look forward to that."

It'll also give him another year to learn from Earnhardt, who has mentored Keselowski when he has had the time.

"Going to Daytona he helped me out a tremendous amount, watching footage from Talladega and showing me what I did wrong and what I did right and trying to explain that to me," Keselowski said. "So it's just the small things like that, that seem to help me out a lot."

The small things aren't limited to the track. As exhausting as his weekly schedule can become, Keselowski knows it pales in comparison to the demands that face the sport's most popular driver. Yet Earnhardt has been sure to point out to Keselowski that the work done between Saturday nights is just as important as the work done at 180 mph.

"You know, when it comes down to the responsibilities to the sponsors and to the fans and how to balance all that and how to live your own life ... it's a constant juggling act," he said. "There's no right or wrong on it, but it's trying to find that right balance and that right harmony."

Keselowski would like to find some balance on the track, too. While he has no worries on midlevel tracks like the 1.5-mile ovals in Las Vegas, Kentucky and Kansas, he's still got a lot of work to do to figure out the road courses. If he wants to have any shot at catching Bowyer, he knows his team needs to do better when required to turn left and right.

"The road course races, you know, we need to just survive them and try not to lose any points to Clint," he said. "Those are definitely not my strong suit."

He'll get a chance to improve next month when the series runs at Circuit Gille Villeneuve and Watkins Glen.

Making up 183 points is a steep hill to climb, one that might not be so daunting if the Nationwide Series borrowed the Sprint Cup's idea and created a chase for the championship, resetting the standings late in the season so the top 12 drivers all have a shot at the title.

Under Sprint Cup rules, Keselowski could basically throw out two early season duds when he finished 32nd in California and 23rd at Las Vegas. With the standings reset, he'd be well within striking distance of Bowyer. Now, he's more of a distant speck in Bowyer's rearview mirror, though one that keeps getting bigger.

"The Chase is great, but I also respect the fact that it takes a whole season to determine a champion," he said.

And that would make a title run all the more rewarding.

"I really feel like we have a shot at running for the title," he said. "So we're excited about it. We're excited to see what the future will hold."

Hopefully, the future holds a title sponsor for '09. Oh, and a life would be nice, too.

Busch back in truck at Kentucky

With NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series taking the week off, Kyle Busch will stay busy, getting back behind the wheel of the No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota for the Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday at Kentucky Speedway.

Busch, who has two wins and six top-10 finishes in 10 starts for Ballew this season, was last behind the wheel of the No. 41 Tundra in June at Michigan, where he finished seventh.


The 23-year-old driver, whose Cup and Nationwide rides are with Joe Gibbs Racing, has racked up 14 victories overall this season -- including seven in Cup and five in Nationwide. And, coming off a sweep of the Nationwide and Cup races last weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, Busch can hardly wait to get back on track -- whatever the ride.

"I've never raced a truck at Kentucky," the youngster said. "Kentucky is one of my favorite places. It's always a lot of fun. I've raced Nationwide cars and won there, and I've won in the ARCA car there. Hopefully, our Cup test there last week helped me get a better sense and feel for the place and what I can learn there for the truck. I'm kind of itching to get back into the truck series."

And that won't be his only on-track activity this week.

He was scheduled to drive a Super Late Model entry on Tuesday night at Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin and at Iowa Speedway on Sunday.

"It's not exhausting," Busch said. "I am a racer and I enjoy doing it. We have a lot of fun in the Late Models and having the weekend off in the Cup Series just gives us an opportunity to go to a couple local tracks and have some fun."

But the main objective is to get Ballew another victory.

"I want to keep Billy up front, and no one else can do it," said Busch, who has shared the truck ride this year with Shane Sieg. "I think it's cool that as long as he's been in the sport, he's finally got a chance to win a championship, and I want to help him keep that alive. He's been around so long and he's never had a full-time driver capable of winning him a championship. I'd like to be the one to do it for him."

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COMING ON STRONG: People who follow the NHRA closely are probably a bit surprised to look at the Funny Car standings and see Tim Wilkerson at the top.

For most of his 12 years in the division, Wilkerson has been the consummate journeyman. In his first 223 races, he had five wins and his best points finishes were a trio of sevenths (1998, 2003 and 2004).

Through the first four races this season, it appeared nothing had changed. Wilkerson had no wins and was eighth in the points, although he had been the No. 1 qualifier twice.

Since then, Wilkerson has been nothing short of remarkable with four wins in nine races boosting him into the points lead.

The driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala has a 215-point lead over second-place Robert Hight and he'll become the second driver to officially clinch a playoff berth this weekend in Seattle, joining Tony Schumacher.

"We don't want to get cocky and do ourselves in," Wilkerson said. "We're planning to take what we know and keep using it to our advantage. We're feeling confident that we'll be able to do just that. ... We just can't lose focus on our goal of taking each race in two phases; first phase to qualify and the second to go rounds. That's what we've been trying to do all year and it seems to be working."

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WOMEN DRIVERS: The Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation has awarded five young women drivers funding from the its new matching grant program, Project Podium.

The inaugural funding distributed $28,900 grants to go-kart racer Natalie Fenaroli, 13, Raymore, Mo.; mini sprint racer Brandie Jass, 15, Bryan, Texas; go-kart racer Kristy Knoll, 13, Amherst, N.Y.; stock car racer Megan Reitenaur, 17, Miamisburg, Ohio, and sprint car racer Miranda Throckmorton, 16, Coatesville, Ind.

Each driver is required to submit an application that includes her driving qualifications, race resume, sponsor information, a written essay on her goals and plans, and what the funding will be used for. Project Podium is a matching funds program focused on young women drivers who have demonstrated talent, hard work and perseverance, and who have generated sponsorship dollars to be matched.

"Project Podium is designed to help young talent achieve racing and business success," said former driver Lyn St. James, the founder and director of the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation. "The 17 young ladies who submitted applications for our first round of funding exemplified the future of women in motorsports. They represented many different race Series and all are dedicated to being successful on the track and in the motorsports business world."

Goodyear 'smarter' about Atlanta tires now

Goodyear will conduct a tire test Monday and Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the track where it received harsh criticism for the tire it chose for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in March.


Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch (the Atlanta race winner), Haas CNC Racing's Scott Riggs and Yates Racing's Travis Kvapil will participate in the test.

At Atlanta, drivers complained heavily that the tires did not have enough grip. Goodyear officials had brought hard tires because they were concerned about excessive tire wear on the fast 1.5-mile oval.

"We're going back there knowing what feedback we got in the spring," Goodyear director of race tire sales Greg Stucker said Tuesday. "Obviously people were concerned about the overall level of grip that we had and if we were too conservative.

"We're going back a lot smarter on the car versus where we were at Atlanta in March. We have had several more races in that kind of configuration since then."

Stucker said most of the left side tires Goodyear will test are being used at other tracks, while many of the right sides it plans to test are new compounds.

"We just have a better idea what to expect throughout the course of the race and what the challenges were [at Atlanta]," Stucker said. "We can just work a little bit more on spreading the work out between the right sides and left sides, maybe versus what we had back then. We'll look at all those pieces and try to make sure we have a good, decent combination.

"The biggest thing is we just have some race data. We kind of know how the car behaves, we know what to expect from the tire. It's just a little bit more of a known animal than it was in December when we made the recommendation."

Goodyear engineers will take into consideration that the test will be conducted in hotter conditions than when the drivers race there in late October.

"You just have to take all that into account when we go back, but unfortunately there's not a whole lot you can do about that," Stucker said. "We've got to get it done when we can and then come back in time to make the recommendation and get production complete in time for the race."

Stucker said Busch was invited because he won the race in March. Riggs was a late replacement for Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick, who was originally scheduled to attend the test. The three drivers (Busch, Riggs, Kvapil) represent three different manufacturers.

On this day ... July 16

1972: Bobby Allison wins the last Cup race run in New Jersey, beating Bobby Isaac to the line by 1.4 seconds to win the Northern 300 at Trenton Speedway.

Tracy gets IRL ride for Edmonton

Paul Tracy will finally get his chance to race in the IndyCar Series -- for at least one race.

The former CART champion will drive in the July 26 Rexall Edmonton Indy in a car fielded by Walker Racing, supported by Vision Racing and sponsored by Subway.


"It's going to be good to be back in a race car and see how we can do," Tracy told The Associated Press in a Tuesday phone call. "A lot of these (IndyCar) teams are pretty tired right now. They've had a bunch of races in a short time and there have been a lot of crashes, so people are kind of run into the ground.

"We're coming in fresh, with a fresh outlook and a lot of motivation."

The 39-year-old Tracy, winner of 31 races in CART and its later iteration as Champ Car, found himself out of a ride when Champ Car was absorbed into the IRL's IndyCar Series in February. Forsythe Championship Racing, for whom the Canadian raced in recent years, closed down rather than joining teams moving to the IRL for the 2008 season.

Tracy then found himself in a dispute with team owner Gerald Forsythe over the settlement of his contract and was unable to sign with another team before the start of the season. His only race this year came in April, driving for Forsythe at Long Beach, where the final Champ Car race was run on the same weekend that the IndyCar series was obligated to a race in Japan. Tracy finished 11th.

Meanwhile, longtime open-wheel team owner Derrick Walker did not have the money to make the move to the IndyCar Series and was concentrating on running cars in the developmental Atlantic Series.

Tony George, founder of the IRL and owner of Vision Racing, wanted to sign Tracy to a run a third car for his team, but couldn't find the additional sponsorship dollars. But he was able to eventually broker the deal with Tracy, Walker, Subway and associated sponsor Rexall.

"Derrick and I have been talking all along, trying to work something out," Tracy said.

Tracy flew straight to Indianapolis, where he was fitted for a seat late into Monday night.

"Sure, I would like to be on Penske or Ganassi," he said. "But those options aren't on the table. And Derrick has shown he can do the job if he gets the right tools. With Tony's equipment and Derrick's preparation, I think we can be competitive.

"The important thing is we're going to get a chance to get in an IndyCar and see what we can do. Derrick's team is pretty confident they have a good setup for Edmonton. They put Will (Power) on the pole there last year."

The driver said he is hopeful that Subway, which has been a NASCAR sponsor, will see the benefit of working with him in IndyCar and sign on for more races this year and into 2009.

So far, the only race the Tracy-Walker combo is scheduled to run is Edmonton, one of only three races from the Champ Car schedule that moved to the IndyCar slate in 2008. In the three previous events on the temporary road circuit in western Canada, Tracy has finished third, fifth and, last year, fifth again.

"We think we can show them that they can get a lot of benefit out of this deal," Tracy said. "I'm going to do everything I can to promote it and show them how successful it can be.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I've been watching the races this year and I've seen that anything can happen."

On this day ... July 15

1971: Richard Petty wins the seventh and final NASCAR race at Islip (N.Y.) Speedway. The Islip 250 -- a 250-lap race on the two-tenths of a mile track -- was shortened to 230 laps because of a scoring error. Petty wins by more than two laps over Friday Hassler, and Elmo Langley finishes third, six laps behind Petty.

NSCRC upholds penalties against Truex's No. 1 team

On July 21, 2008, the National Stock Car Racing Commission heard and considered the appeal of Dale Earnhardt Inc. regarding the No. 1 car. The appeal concerned four penalties issued by NASCAR stemming from opening day inspection on July 3, 2008, at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Daytona International Speedway.


The penalties concern Section 12-4-A of the NASCAR Rule Book "Actions detrimental to stock car racing;" Section 12-4-Q: "Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the car, car parts, components, and/or equipment used in the Event do not conform to NASCAR rules" and Section 20-3.8A: "Roof of the car does not conform to the specifications of the NASCAR Rule Book."

The penalties assessed were:

• Loss of 150 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship car owner points for car owner Teresa Earnhardt.

• Loss of 150 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship driver points for driver Martin Truex Jr.

• $100,000.00 fine; suspension from NASCAR for the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events; suspension from NASCAR until Aug. 27, 2008, and probation until Dec. 31, 2008, for crew chief Kevin Manion.

• Suspension from NASCAR for the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events; suspension from NASCAR until Aug. 27, 2008, and probation until Dec. 31, 2008, for team member Gary Putnam.

The Appellants had requested and were granted a deferral of the suspension and fine penalties until this hearing could be convened.

The Appellants did not contest the rules violations, but argued that the penalties were too severe for the infractions. The Appellants explained that rigorous checks and balances in the fabrication process were in place at DEI and could offer no explanation as to why the roof failed to meet the inspection templates. They argued that the infractions were minor in nature, not deliberate, and that the resulting lowered roof was a disadvantage according to their wind tunnel findings.

The Commission found that the infractions were clear-cut. The roof was low across a broad area. Accordingly, the penalties that were issued are warranted.

Therefore, it is the unanimous decision of the National Stock Car Racing Commission to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR. The periods of the suspensions are to be adjusted from the date of this hearing.

The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the Rule Book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Commissioner.

Logano driving Nationwide 20, but hoping for Cup 20

Joey Logano makes no secret of his desire to drive the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota next season -- in the Sprint Cup Series.

If team owner Joe Gibbs and president J.D. Gibbs offer Logano the No. 20 Sprint Cup car Tony Stewart will leave at the end of the season, there is no question as to what Logano's answer will be.


Eyes on Logano
Joey Logano is one name that immediately pops to mind when it comes to a possible replacement for Tony Stewart.

Logano part of JGR future
"If they offer it to me, I'd take it," said Logano, competing in the Nationwide Series for the first time in a month Saturday at Gateway International Raceway. "It's something that has been talked about, but I'm not in a position to say anything. I don't really know what I'm going to do yet. Like I said before, I'm focused on the No. 20 Nationwide car right now, and from there, that is Joe and J.D.'s deal."

Not that Logano, 18, thought his rise to NASCAR's highest level would be so meteoric, but Stewart's decision to leave Gibbs in favor of a partnership in newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing opens a window of opportunity for the racing prodigy.

"I definitely think it's a cool thing to even have your name in the hat on that one," Logano said. "It's a great team and a great car. The car has won two championships with Tony driving it. The whole team has been together for so long, and to be driving any car for Joe Gibbs Racing right now would be great.

"I'm just trying to make the best of my opportunities now. The only thing I've got set in stone right now is this Nationwide car, so I'll make the best of it."

If there's a cautionary note for Logano to heed, he need look no farther than the starting grid at Gateway and Casey Atwood, who lined up for his first race in any of NASCAR's top three series this year.

Still the youngest pole winner in Nationwide Series history -- at age 17 at Nashville in 1998 -- Atwood won once in the series before his 19th birthday in 1999 and a second time a month after turning 19. Until Logano won from the pole June 14 at Kentucky Speedway, Atwood also had held the record as youngest race winner in series history.

Atwood finished eighth in the Nationwide standings in 2000, a performance that earned him a full-time Cup ride with Evernham Motorsports in 2001. In a classic case of too much too soon, however, Atwood was 26th in points in 2001, 35th in 2002 and out of the ride in 2003.

Since 2004, when he competed in 29 Nationwide races in Terry Bradshaw's Chevrolet, Atwood's career has consisted of sporadic starts in NASCAR's Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series.

Saturday night marked the first time Atwood, now 27, and Logano have lined up together for a Nationwide race.

Scrubs' McGinley named grand marshal for Indy

Actor John C. McGinley, best known for his role as the sarcastic Dr. Perry Cox on the long-running network comedy Scrubs, has been announced as grand marshal for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.


NBCJohn C. McGinleyThis year will mark the historic 15th running of the race, one of the highest-profile events in all of motorsports, and will kick off a block of 17 consecutive Sprint Cup Series telecasts on ESPN and ABC.

As a guest of Allstate, McGinley will be on-site at the famed Brickyard to headline pre-race activities, including the ceremonial waving of the green flag. As a continued family tradition of the speedway, IMS Chairman of the Board Mari Hulman George will deliver the legendary command given before every motorsports event at the track, "Gentlemen, start your engines."

McGinley is most recently known for his role as Dr. Cox, the often critical and harsh senior attending physician and Residency Director on Scrubs. The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedy-drama, which has spent the past seven years as a staple on NBC's primetime comedy lineup, is moving to ABC this fall for its eighth season. McGinley's extensive film career includes feature roles in Platoon, Wall Street, Office Space, The Rock, Are We Done Yet? and Wild Hogs.

McGinley will take Brickyard grand marshal baton from Desperate Housewives' actor James Denton, who served in this role during last year's race.