GT1 Corvette about to end an era

Corvette Racing will mark the end of an era Saturday in Long Beach, Calif., with the final U.S. appearance by the Corvette C6.Rs in the GT1 category of the American Le Mans Series.

The series will give a send-off to the GT1 Corvettes in a special post-qualifying ceremony in the Long Beach winner's circle showcasing the championship-winning C6.R race cars and the production GT1 championship edition Corvette they inspired.

Later this season, the most successful sports car team in ALMS history will begin its transition to a new global GT class based on current GT2 regulations as GT1 is dropped.

Winner of the last eight ALMS GT1 team and manufacturer championships, Corvette Racing has posted 75 class wins worldwide, including a record 69 ALMS victories. Corvette Racing drivers have won a total of 13 ALMS class championships since 2002.

Since its debut in 2005, the Corvette C6.R has won 38 races, the most of any GT1 car and second all-time in ALMS history regardless of class.

"When the checkered flag falls at Long Beach, I think it will be a moving experience for everyone on the team," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "It will mark the closing of one chapter, the likes of which will never be written again in Corvette history.

"At the same time, it will mark the opening of another chapter that will eventually see Corvette competing in a global GT class under the international regulations that will come into effect next year."

Corvette driver Johnny O'Connell, racing in the GT1 class for nine years, said, "The GT1 Corvettes are among the coolest cars in racing history, and they've left their mark in the record books for Corvette, for Chevrolet and for sports car racing.

"Over the years, we've had great battles and rivalries with Viper, Ferrari, Saleen, Maserati, and Aston Martin. But we're moving to an even more competitive arena. ... The commitment to compete on the world stage is something that everyone at Chevrolet can be proud of."

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TRACK PLAN: Wilson Sahara Motorsports has released details of a new motorsports complex that will be built in South Korea.

Alan Wilson, principal of WSM, the company that designed and constructed the acclaimed Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, is now working on the Theme Auto Park Injae race facility to be built at Injae, east of Seoul.

"We have been working on this project for several months, and now that the concept for the facility has been agreed with the developers, Korea Racing Festival, we have begun the detail design phase that will see the complex open in 2011," Wilson said.

Wilson added that, while the new track will include Formula One-quality garages and spectator facilities, a hotel and a condominium building, it is not intended as an F1 venue.

"It will be designed to meet FIA Grade 2 standards and has the potential to host series such as Asia GP2, A1GP, Asian Le Mans Series and the Japanese Touring Car and GT championships," he said.

The 2.485-mile twin-layout track will include significant elevation changes and has been designed with specific attention to its impact on the environment and the natural beauty of the surrounding area.

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SIMULATING RACING: It's no longer unusual for a driver who has success at a new track to credit a computer simulation with helping him learn the new layout.

But veteran John Andretti said knowing how many corners you have to deal with and where they are located isn't necessarily enough.

"I think if you're going to a new road course or a track you haven't seen before, virtual racing can be helpful," said Andretti, a regular in NASCAR's Sprint Cup series and also planning to race in this year's Indianapolis 500 in May. "They're pretty intricate in the details and it gives you some highlights so you're not completely surprised by anything in real life. It will help you, but there's no way virtual racing will ever be the same as actual racing, although they're getting it very, very close.

"I've read articles about simulators that actually have seat belts that pull back on you when you apply the brakes, so you feel like you're decelerating. That's cool, but there are still things that virtual racing can't duplicate, like when the grip level of a race car changes, or the sheer risk.

"When you drive into a corner too hard in reality, the penalty is big," he added. "When you're playing a game, you just reset the button and start over."


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Logano wins Nationwide race in Nashville

Logano hoping Nashville win provides boost

AP Graphic Subway 500

Joe Gibbs did his best to enjoy a rare off week during NASCAR's grueling Sprint Cup season, playing the role of genial host along with wife Pat during his family's annual Easter egg party at their North Carolina home.

And while he tried to join in the fun, Gibbs -- along with sons JD and Coy -- kept ducking into a family room to watch Joe Gibbs Racing's Nationwide team in Nashville.

The disappearing act kept getting longer and longer as the night wore on, particularly after Joey Logano took the lead from JGR teammate Kyle Busch, then held on for his second career Nationwide victory.

Sure, it wasn't Sprint Cup. Sure, there's no real carry-over between Nationwide and Cup racing these days thanks to Cup's bulky new car. But it was a welcome result for an 18-year-old wunderkind off to a slow start in his first season in Gibbs' No. 20 Toyota.

"I thought it was great of the standpoint that it gives Joey a real boost of confidence," Gibbs said. "Here he is, at the front a big part of the day. He raced against Kyle, raced against Carl Edwards. It gave him, I think with me, a lot of confidence."

Logano is of a like mind. Being able to stay focused while Busch kept filling up his rearview mirror is no small feat, even for a kid nicknamed "Sliced Bread" because of his precocious talent.

"It's big for me," Logano said after becoming the first driver ever to win two Nationwide races before his 19th birthday. "Looking and saying, 'Hey, I can do this, I am here for a reason, I can win races.' That's big."

Even if it's not on the Cup side, not yet anyway.

Logano's debut season in the Cup series has been bumpy at best. He's 35th in points heading into this weekend's race in Phoenix, a slow start that hasn't been all his fault. The youngest starter in the history of the Daytona 500 got drilled 80 laps in and finished dead last. His engine blew in Bristol after a promising start.

More than two months in he's still looking for his first top-10. It's hardly time to panic. Gibbs expected growing pains, especially after NASCAR banned offseason testing as a cost-cutting measure. While Gibbs approved of the ban it robbed Logano of valuable seat time. Now he's having to learn lessons at 180 mph inches from the best drivers on the planet.

"It was a big curveball for us because we planned on testing all offseason," Gibbs said. "Now he has to go places he's never really seen and climb in a Cup car. We're convinced when we get through this first go around here, he'll be fine. We're convinced he's got the talent."

What he needs is the patience. More than once in the last two months Gibbs has pulled Logano aside and told him not to worry, that he doesn't need to take unnecessary chances, that JGR is committed to him long haul.

In a way, Gibbs said, it's like talking to a young quarterback. There are going to be rough spots. How Logano handles them will determine how long it takes for him to find his groove.

"I've talked to him a lot and said this is a long-term deal, we need to get you going and we're going to work our way up the ladder here," Gibbs said. "It's a tough, tough sport. It takes tough-minded people to get it done."

Which is why fellow JGR drivers Busch and Denny Hamlin have taken an active role in mentoring their new teammate. They know replacing a popular -- and Cup winning -- driver like Tony Stewart isn't easy. And doing it in the not exactly user friendly new car doesn't help.

Logano is quick to thank to his teammates, and Gibbs is encouraged by the quickly improving relationship between Logano and Cup crew chief Greg Zipadelli, who guided Stewart to Cup titles in 2002 and 2005.

"Many times the car will kind of fool you," Gibbs said. "We're going to do everything we can with him, let him race Nationwide, getting Denny and Kyle working with him nonstop. We're trying to surround him with all those things. Over a period of time you've got to develop that (chemistry), that's a work in progress."

So is earning the respect of fellow drivers. Logano has handled himself pretty well in traffic, even if he's been a little gun shy about mixing it up. That's OK. Once he gets the hang of the car, maybe then he can start going all Kyle Busch on people.

"Joey Logano, good God, I've been racing longer than he's been alive," Jeff Burton said. "That's a lot for someone his age to take on. He's going to be a better race car driver for the struggles he's having now."

Logano hopes he took a major step toward putting those struggles behind him in Nashville. He certainly proved himself to Nationwide crew chief Dave Rogers for the way he held off Busch in the final laps.

"It was driver versus driver on the racetrack and I'm sure there are plenty of days when Kyle is going to get the best of Joey, but today Joey got the best of (Busch)," Rogers said. "I think he's really that good."


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Jim France leaves as head of NASCAR track operator

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Jim France, son of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., will step down June 1 as head of the largest operator of NASCAR tracks.

Lesa France Kennedy, granddaughter of NASCAR's founder and older sister to current NASCAR chairman Brian France, will move from president to chief executive officer of International Speedway Corp. The announcement was made at Tuesday's annual stockholders' meeting in Daytona Beach, Fla.

ISC is the largest operator of NASCAR tracks and the France family's publicly traded company. The family runs NASCAR as a private entity.

"Under Lesa's continued outstanding leadership, I have every confidence they will drive future success for ISC's shareholders for many years to come," Jim France said of his niece.

Jim France began working for his father at ISC in 1959 when he was 14 and became president in 1987. He became CEO six years ago when his older brother, the late Bill France Jr., began transferring power to family members.

Jim France will continue as chairman of ISC's board of directors and vice chairman of NASCAR. He is NASCAR's largest shareholder and has spent 50 years with the company, which owns 11 tracks that host 19 premier Sprint Cup Series races each season. ISC's crown jewel is Daytona International Speedway.

"His vision and energies have been vital to our ability to prosper, and we will continue to benefit from his extensive experience and knowledge of the motor sports industry," Lesa France Kennedy said.

France Kennedy will be replaced as president by current chief operating officer John Saunders. Roger VanDerSnick was promoted from senior vice president to executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Daniel Houser moves from vice president to senior vice president.

"These changes follow the company's plan of succession that has been in place for quite some time," Jim France said. "Working closely with the board, I look forward to continuing to provide key oversight and support to a strong management team that has shown careful and sound judgment on both strategic and operational matters."


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Platform falls at Ohio car racetrack, injuring 5

In The Pits: Teresa Earnhardt and the end of No. 8

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- When Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing suspended operations on Aric Almirola's team, it ensured there won't be a No. 8 on the track this weekend for the first time in 10 years.

That falls squarely on Teresa Earnhardt.

She could have cashed in when the number was hot, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was willing to fork over a decent chunk of change to take the 8 with him to Hendrick Motorsports. Instead she set a price so high, it figured Junior and Rick Hendrick would never meet her demands.

And for what?

The number was important to the Earnhardt family. Although it was used by 86 different drivers from 1949 until Almirola's final ride two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway, it had become as much a part of the Earnhardt legacy as was the elder Earnhardt's feared No. 3.

Ralph Earnhardt used the number in 51 NASCAR starts, and his son, Dale, made his Cup Series debut with the number in the 1975 Coca-Cola 600. It was Dale Earnhardt's only Cup race using his father's number, and it bounced around to multiple drivers for the next two-plus decades.

But when Earnhardt Jr. was ready to go Cup racing, he wanted his grandaddy's number.

Stavola Brothers Racing had used the No. 8 with very limited success for 14 Cup seasons, but left it idling when the team left NASCAR following the 1998 season. Dale Earnhardt Inc. grabbed it for Junior, and he made his calculated Cup debut behind the wheel of the No. 8 at the 1999 Coca-Cola 600 -- 24 years after his father's debut in the same race.

A year later, it had grown to one of the most recognizable numbers in NASCAR.

Earnhardt Jr. made 291 starts in the No. 8, winning 17 races and the Daytona 500. He became synonymous with the number, and his die-hard fans eagerly emblazoned everything from ballcaps to body parts with his slanted red 8.

So when he left for Hendrick following the 2007 season, it was natural that he wanted to take the 8 with him.

Only Teresa Earnhardt refused.

She wanted the number back when Earnhardt Jr. was done with it, and it was a reasonable request he might have agreed to. But she also demanded a percentage of the licensing revenue, and agreeing to such a giveaway would have been a ludicrous business decision.

So Hendrick and Earnhardt Jr. walked away from the number that had come to define NASCAR's most popular driver, and instead brokered a more reasonable deal with team owner Robert Yates for the No. 88.

Earnhardt Jr. held his tongue despite his disappointment. He instead set out to start a new brand with the No. 88, and leaving his old number behind actually gave him a clean break from the difficult dealings he'd had with Teresa Earnhardt since she took charge of DEI after Dale Earnhardt's 2001 death.

It didn't take long for Teresa Earnhardt to learn the number had no value without Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel.

Budweiser didn't want to continue sponsoring the car without him, and Teresa Earnhardt's executive management team was unable to find new funding. So she moved Mark Martin and sponsorship from the U.S. Army to keep DEI's flagship No. 8 afloat.

Although Martin was a fine choice to fill the seat, his merchandise revenue was a monstrous drop-off from what DEI had been pulling in from Junior.

Then DEI deteriorated quickly last season, and when the Army pulled its sponsorship at the end of the year, both the No. 8 and the entire organization were in jeopardy of collapsing.

A late November merger with Chip Ganassi Racing saved Teresa Earnhardt's NASCAR interests, but it was too late for the No. 8. She sent that team to Ganassi without any sponsorship and, in this poor economic climate, no real hope of finding anything that could guarantee the car would stay on the track this season.

EGR tried for four months to keep the team afloat without secure funding, but there's not much new money floating around NASCAR right now and Almirola's tough start to the season didn't help.

So the Cup series will go to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend without the No. 8. Earnhardt Jr., who has a deep respect for NASCAR history, will notice the absence.

No telling if Teresa Earnhardt even cares.


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Platform falls at Ohio car racetrack, injuring 5

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A concrete viewing platform at a central Ohio racetrack has collapsed before a NASCAR event, injuring several people.

The platform was under an announcer's box at the suburban Columbus Motor Speedway.

The fire department says five people were injured when the platform fell just hours before the track was to open its season Saturday night.

The wife of one of the track's co-owners says the five people sustained cuts but no other injuries. Cindy Nuckles says track officials have no idea why the platform fell.

A buildings inspector is expected to examine the area.

The track's racing program of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models, Columbus Modifieds, Sport Stocks and Crazy Compacts has been postponed.


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Logano wins Nationwide race in Nashville

GLADEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Teen star Joey Logano raced to his second career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory, holding off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch in the Pepsi 300 on Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway.

The 18-year-old Logano and Busch ran in the top two and traded the lead for most of the race, with Logano leading the final 10 laps and finishing 0.487 seconds in front.

Brad Keselowski, the Nashville winner last June, was third, followed by Kelly Bires was fourth and series leader Carl Edwards, Jason Leffler and David Ragan.

With the exception of two laps under caution, either Logano or Busch led over the final 89 laps on the 1.333-mile track. Some tense moments ensued immediately after Logano claimed the lead for the last time when crash sent Joe Nemechek's car tumbling near the finish line and brought out the red flag.

"I wasn't too nervous. I was just driving as hard as I could," Logano said. "I knew I had to have a good restart but Kyle had one, too and he was bearing down on me in one and two, but he couldn't get out to a lead."

A weekend of wild weather that featured thunderstorms and torrential rain Friday, was followed by cloudy conditions that gave way to bright sunshine during the race. And 10 cautions for 40 laps, in effect shortened the race.

"We were really good on short runs and that was a factor at the end to get that clean air back on the nose," Logano said. "That worked against Kyle but it's really cool to have a 1-2 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing and it's a big deal for the guys at the shop."

Despite his second-place finish, Busch was noticeably angry after the race. He has run well at Nashville, but has won only once -- in 2003 in an ARCA race.

"He had a better short run car and we were better on the long run," Busch said. "It's just a shame we weren't able to get out there and win this thing. It's kind of frustrating."

Logano led nine times for a race-high 95 laps. Busch led six times for 77.

Edwards led three times for 45 laps and was in contention until loose lug nuts forced him to pit under green just past the halfway mark. Edwards, who has three Nationwide wins at Nashville, was shuffled back to 20th.

Defending race champion Scott Wimmer started 29th and never challenged for the lead en route to an 11th-place finish. He also touched off a caution on lap 124 when he exited his pit stall with the catch can attached before dropping it in turn three.

A crowd that appeared to be half of the announced 25,000 turned out for the race. Many took advantage of the track's new All Access promotion that includes pre-race access to the garage, front stretch and driver's meeting.

Busch was not particularly pleased with how the promotion played out.

"There were a lot of people with a lot more access than typical," Busch said. "Some fans need to respect the drivers a little more because they're bringing suitcases of diecasts for us to sign. Yeah, it's our job to sign for the fans and to treat them nice, but when they have three suitcases, that's a little ridiculous."

Logano also won last year at Kentucky.

"We spent a lot more hours working on the car than we did sleeping," said Dave Rogers, Logano's crew chief. "We spent a lot of time trying to figure out how much to tighten up the front side and how free to we leave the back side. We couldn't do both so we just tried to shoot the gap.

"We got the win, but in hindsight, we probably got it a little too good on the front and not good enough on the back so the cautions did play in to our favor. We adjusted according to the conditions and just kept tweaking it out, little by little, as the race wore on."


Agent - Blues eyeing Maicon
O.A.R to headline NASCAR’s All-Star race concert

O.A.R to headline NASCAR's All-Star race concert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Rock band O.A.R will headline a free outdoor concert to open activities surrounding NASCAR's annual All-Star race.

"NASCAR Rev'd Up" will take place May 13 in Charlotte, marking the first time promoter Sprint will stage such an elaborate event days before the race. The six-hour event also will feature NASCAR driver appearances and interactive displays.

The NASCAR All-Star Challenge is May 16.

"We are all fans of NASCAR and have had the chance to get to know some of the drivers, so I have a feeling this is going to be a great time," O.A.R lead singer Marc Roberge said.

Last year, O.A.R. performed at NASCAR's season-ending Nationwide Series awards show. In 2006, the group performed at baseball's All-Star Game in Pittsburgh.

Sprint also will host the annual Pit Crew Competition the day at Time Warner Arena on May 14. NASCAR Day is May 15, and qualifying for the All-Star race will be held that evening at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"Race fans will enjoy four days of entertainment at an incredible value -- something everyone is requesting in this economic climate," said Steve Gaffney, director of Sprint's sports and entertainment marketing.

Bad pit stop keeps Edwards from Texas threepeat

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Carl Edwards looked like he might deny Jeff Gordon his first Texas win while getting his third straight Sunday.

The final pit stop with 30 laps to go changed everything.

Edwards went to pit road with the lead just a few laps after he overtook the four-time Sprint Cup champion, who was struggling to keep his car under control. Moments later, Gordon's crew was celebrating wildly, while a problem with a tire change left Edwards angry.

The only three-time Sprint Cup winner at Texas Motor Speedway dropped an astonishing 10 spots because of the mistake and was relegated to spectator for Gordon's historic win.

As mad as he looked in the car after leaving the pits, Edwards chose the philosophical route after the race.

"They don't yell at me when I hit the wall, so it's not my position to be mad at them," said Edwards, who settled for 10th. "We just have to do whatever we can to fix it."

Edwards spent most of the day in the bottom half of the top 10 before surging to the front after a restart with about 80 laps to go. He looked a little faster than Gordon when the final caution came out, raising the stakes for the pit stop.

All the crews figured the winner of the pit stop would win the race, and Gordon proved it.

"You never know how the result would have changed had Carl not had his problems," Gordon said. "All I know is we had a great pit stop."

It was still a strong day for Edwards' team, Roush Racing. Greg Biffle took third and led the second-most laps (93). Matt Kenseth also ran strong all day and took fifth. Edwards gave Roush three drivers in the top 10 after the team had just two top 10s the previous three races.

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BRIEFLY UP FRONT: Dale Earnhardt Jr. was out front coming out of a caution about 75 laps from the end, but the lead disappeared in a hurry.

Trying to keep from going two laps down, Kyle Busch tried to make a move and slid up the track. Earnhardt said he didn't hit Busch, but he had to swing way wide, almost into the wall, to avoid contact.

Earnhardt dropped to fifth quickly and later hit the wall. He finished 20th, same as his starting position.

"He had gotten his car a little bit better and saw an opportunity to try to get his laps back," Earnhardt said of Busch. "Tough deal. He races really aggressively."

Earnhardt said he spun his tires on the restart, giving Busch hope for a pass. Trailing closely, Gordon saw it differently.

"I thought he had a good restart," Gordon said of Earnhardt. "It's just that (Busch) obviously came out of nowhere. He just shot up there. It was a big moment that I thought we were going to have a heck of a wreck."

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SOLID STEWART: Tony Stewart finished fourth, one spot shy of his best with his new Stewart-Haas Racing team. But this might have been his most solid effort.

After starting seventh, Stewart ran in the top five all day and led four times for 16 laps.

"The car owner is happy, the driver is ticked off," Stewart said. "We weren't very good at taking off, but after about 25 laps, we were the fastest car on the race track all day."

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MORE PITFALLS: Pole sitter David Reutimann knocked himself out of contention about halfway through the race by missing his pit box. The one-lap penalty knocked from the top five to the back half of the field.

Reutimann eventually got the lap back on a caution and finished 11th, but he wasn't a factor again after leading 40 of the first 51 laps.

"A car was coming out of its pit stall and we kind of had to take evasive action there," Reutimann said. "We just spent the rest of the day trying to battle back, and we were able to do that."

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GOIN' OLD SCHOOL: Kyle Busch drove with a throwback Bobby Labonte paint scheme to pay homage to the Texan who used to drive the No. 18 car.

Busch, normally in the yellow M&M's car, drove a green Interstate Batteries car Sunday, just like the veteran Corpus Christi native used to do.

Part of the plan was to honor Labonte's induction this week into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. An inscription on the trunk made reference to the induction.

Labonte, driving the white Ask.com No. 96, finished 40th after his car was damaged when he got caught behind a smoky spin by Sam Hornish Jr.

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AWESTRUCK BUSH: New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush experienced his first Sprint Cup race Sunday. The former Heisman Trophy winner was in awe.

He even forgot that he once played for a national championship in front of about 100,000 people at the Rose Bowl, overestimating the announced crowd of 176,300.

"The amount of people that come out for this is three times any football game I've ever played in," he said.

Bush said he's intrigued enough that he might one day invest in racing, just as former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman did.

"Maybe 10, 15, 20 years from now, who knows?" Bush said.

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PIANO PRODIGY: Lewis Warren Jr., a 12-year-old prodigy on the piano, played like a seasoned veteran with a stirring rendition of the national anthem.

The Dallas-area native was featured last year on NBC's "America's Got Talent" series and has studied at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. His mother said he sets himself apart with his improvisation, and he showed it in front of his largest crowd yet.

Dressed in a flashy white suit, Warren was in position on a flatbed trailer at the start-finish line in plenty of time, which is significant because of what happened 12 years ago with world-famous pianist Van Cliburn, a Fort Worth native.

Cliburn was lined up for the anthem at Texas Motor Speedway's first race, but officials didn't realize he wasn't there until three minutes before he was supposed to play. He was waiting for someone to fly him by helicopter over a disastrous traffic jam. Instead, Cliburn did the honors a year later.

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ATTENDANCE DROP: Add the biggest sporting event in Texas to the list of victims of the economy. The spring race had its lowest attendance to date at 176,300, about 13,700 lower than last spring.

The spring numbers in Texas have been down since a fall race was added in 2005, but Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage was prepared for even lower numbers this year.

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NUTS AND BOLTS: Sunday's race blew away the Texas record for the latest caution flag. The first caution came on Lap 98 for debris. The previous record was 64 laps in the 2006 spring race. ... Mark Martin celebrated the 28th anniversary of his first Sprint Cup race in 1981 at North Wilkesboro, N.C. Martin finished sixth in his 729th career race.

Gordon snaps winless streak with victory at Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Jeff Gordon had gone so long without winning a race, that he picked up a new trick or two watching other drivers celebrate.

No, not a backflip a la Carl Edwards.

After the obligatory burnout on the frontstretch for his first victory ever at Texas, one that ended his career-high 47-race winless drought in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Gordon pulled up to the start-finish line and got the checkered flag to take on a long-awaited victory lap.

"It was the coolest. It was like winning for the very first time," Gordon said. "Things have changed since I won a race ... That's the first time I've ever carried a checkered flag in NASCAR. I used to do that in quarter-midgets when I was 8."

Then, after doing another burnout on the backstretch, Gordon finally got to drive into Victory Lane at Texas, where winners get cowboy hats and fire six-shooters into the air.

"This is a huge relief, but also very exciting," Gordon said. "If we can win at Texas, I feel like we can win anywhere."

Gordon, already the season points leader with four top-five finishes in the first six races, beat Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson to win for the first time on the 11/2-mile high-banked Texas track -- leaving only one active track he hasn't won in his No. 24 Chevrolet.

Edwards, who was going for three in a row at Texas after last year getting to do his celebratory backflips twice by sweeping both races, finished 10th after passing Gordon to lead only nine laps late in the race.

It was the 17th Cup race at Texas, the track where the four-time Cup champion has the only two last-place finishes in his 552 career starts. One of the 43rd-place finishes came last spring before he was the runner-up to Edwards in the fall race after winning the pole.

"How ironic is this that when we go into this streak and we end it here in Texas, a place that's just eluded us for so long," Gordon said. "Incredible team effort. This whole year has been amazing. What a great car. I've never had a car like this at Texas. We finally had one and put it in position."

The only track Gordon now hasn't won at is Homestead. He will have to wait until the season finale in November for a chance to change that.

Not only was it his first victory in the Lone Star state, it was the first time Gordon had won anywhere since October 2007 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

During interviews in Victory Lane at Texas, Gordon had to sneak a peek at the logos on his car to remind himself of everybody he needed to thank. It had been a long time, especially by his standards.

Rick Hendrick wasn't there, so Gordon tried to talked to him by cell phone from Victory Lane. Also missing were his wife and daughter.

"I'm just thrilled. I can't wait to get home to Ingrid and Ella," Gordon said. "I know (Ella) was saying 'Go poppy go' all day long. I hate that they couldn't come."

Gordon won by 0.542 seconds with an average speed of 146.372 mph for his 82nd career victory, one behind Cale Yarborough for fifth on the all-time list. Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip are tied for third on that list with 84 victories.

Edwards was leading when the final caution came out because David Stremme got loose and spun coming out of the third turn with 30 laps to go in the 334-lap race.

But Edwards' crew had problems changing tires and he dropped 10 spots to 11th coming off pit row. Gordon had a flawless stop, moving from third to first.

"They don't yell at me when I hit the wall so it is not my position to be mad at them," Edwards said. "We just have to do whatever we can to fix it."

Gordon stayed in front the rest of the way though he was pushed by Johnson in the No. 48 car that had clinched two Sprint Cup season championships since Gordon last won a race.

"I ran Jeff's line, put pressure on him," Johnson said. "He didn't make any mistakes. I could only get so close."

What if Johnson had been able to pass Gordon, the teammate who owns his car?

"As a friend, I would have felt bad. As a competitor, I would have been excited," Johnson said. "If I'm not going to win it, I want one of my teammates and especially one of my friends. As a friend, I'm definitely happy for Jeff."

Johnson moved up two spots to second in season points, 162 behind Gordon before the series takes next weekend off for Easter.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. took only right-side tires and went from 12th to first on a restart with 76 laps to go.

But Earnhardt quickly lost that lead between turns one and two when Kyle Busch, trying to regain a lost lap, got loose and bumped him. Earnhardt got pushed to the top of the track, allowing Gordon to charge ahead, and wound up sliding all the way to 20th.

Gordon was still holding the lead with 39 laps left when he got caught in traffic and Edwards slid under him into first. Tony Stewart got past Gordon a few laps later and that was the running order when Stremme spun out.

Greg Biffle finished third, followed by Stewart and Matt Kenseth. Edwards finished a spot ahead of polesitter David Reutimann.

Reutimann, driving a No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip, didn't even lead the first lap. Gordon did, passing him as they crossed the start-finish-line for the first time.

Gordon led six times for 105 laps in a race that featured 28 lead changes, nine more than any other Cup race this season and one short of the Texas record.

Gordon led the first seven laps, but gave up the lead because of some handling issues with his car. But he was never too far from the front, never out of the top 10.

Biffle, led three times for 93 laps and his Roush Fenway teammate Kenseth had three leads for 55 laps. With Edwards, Roush had three drivers in the top 10 following a three-race span where the team had only two top-10 finishes.

Texas track reaches out to Fargo flooding victim

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Josh Hoper was about to scrap plans to attend NASCAR racing in Texas because of record flooding at home in Fargo, N.D.

Then Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage found out about Hoper, who had made North Dakota the 50th state to buy a ticket to his track. Never one to miss a good public relations opportunity, Gossage called Hoper.

Five days later, the Jimmie Johnson fan was in front of the media Saturday, suite upgrade and autographed Johnson photo in hand. Of course, there was the Lowe's gift card as well. Lowe's is Johnson's primary sponsor, and Hoper's home has a flooded basement in need of repairs.

Gossage simply suggested that perhaps Hoper, who has a friend in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, could use a few days away after the stress of preparing for the flood and bracing for the damage.

"If you've been following the story in Fargo, it's just a tremendous story about how communities really come together and step up in a time of crisis," said Hoper, a 35-year-old software consultant. "Sort of the same way that the NASCAR community has really stepped up and made this weekend a wonderful experience for me."

Hoper counted himself among the lucky ones because his sister's house was spared the worst of the disaster. While the water swamped their basement, they had removed their belongings, and the Red River, which sits next to their home, crested a few inches below the main floor.

Hoper bought his ticket in mid-March, about two weeks before the floodwaters crested. He knew even back then the flooding was possible. Besides, Fargo residents are used to such cycles because surges from snow melt frequently overwhelm the river.

A massive volunteer effort helped put about 3 million sandbags in place, which Hoper said was twice the amount originally planned before record flood levels were predicted.

With more flooding possible in the coming weeks, Hoper wasn't sure whether to take Gossage's offer.

"I talked to a lot of family and friends," Hoper said. "And not a single person discouraged me from coming. In fact, they said I would be crazy to not come."

Hoper, who has attended several NASCAR events, wasn't sure if he'd get to meet Johnson, the defending three-time Sprint Cup champion. But that hardly mattered to him based on what he had already received.

"You gotta help our your fellow man," Gossage said. "Hopefully it lifts the spirits of the people back there. It's the right thing to do."

Kyle Busch wins 3rd straight at Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Kyle Busch made it a Texas trio in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Busch won his third consecutive Nationwide race in Texas with another dominating performance Saturday, leading a race-record 178 of 200 laps to win the O'Reilly 300 even though he insisted it wasn't as easy as it looked.

"I was uncomfortable because of the handling of the car, just inconsistent at times," Busch said. "My feet got hot. My body was fine, my back was OK, my head was fine."

Still not enough problems to keep him from returning to Victory Lane.

Busch finished 1.447 seconds ahead of Tony Stewart, who made a late charge from seventh with four new tires after a caution on lap 188. Brad Keselowski, forced to start 42nd in a backup car, finished third.

The winning streak at Texas began with Busch sweeping both races last year when he led 300 of 400 laps. This time, he became the first polesitter to win any of the 17 Nationwide races at the 11/2-mile, high-banked track.

Busch led the first 56 laps in his Joe Gibbs-owned Toyota, building a 6-second lead over Jeff Burton before the first pit stop. Before a caution a dozen laps later, Busch had already regained a 7-second lead.

The only time Busch was passed on the track was when he got loose and Burton went by him on the 90th lap. By lap 106, Busch was back in front to stay.

Keselowski, who wrecked the primary No. 88 Chevrolet owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in qualifying, worked his way through the field and by lap 170 was second. And he was closing the gap when rookie John Wes Townley's accident brought the final caution.

"The 88 was coming there at the end. He was catching me there," Busch said. "If we did not get a caution like we did, it probably would have been a whale of a show."

Busch didn't go into the pit during the caution, shooting back on to the track after initially acting like he would. Keselowski stayed right behind him.

But Stewart did pit because he still had a new set of tires, and that was almost enough.

When the race restarted with seven laps left, Busch charged ahead while Keselowski and Joey Logano wound up side-by-side batting for second. But it was Stewart taking over second three laps later, though he didn't have enough laps left to catch Busch without another caution.

"I got a good restart," Keselowski said. "I was doing all I could to keep up with him."

Logano fell back after making contact with series points leader Carl Edwards and finished 12th. Edwards was running fourth at the final caution, and maintained his points lead despite dropping to an 18th-place finish.

David Ragan ended fourth, followed by Paul Menard, Matt Kenseth, Mike Bliss and Jeff Burton. David Reutimann, on the pole for the Sprint Cup race Sunday, was ninth.

Gordon on Texas: 'I want to win here bad'

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A win Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway just might be the biggest of Jeff Gordon's career.

Is that a stretch for someone with 81 career victories and four Sprint Cup championships?

Perhaps, until you consider that it would end a 47-race winless streak, the longest of his career, and leave just one active track where Gordon hasn't driven to Victory Lane.

It would also be a win at a track that seems to grow in stature annually.

"I want to win here bad," said Gordon, who leads the point standings through six races. "This team deserves to win here. They've put ourselves in position to win here a couple of times."

The best chance was the spring race in 2007, when Gordon had the fastest car and the lead with 21 laps to go. Running alone, he inexplicably brushed the wall coming out of Turn 4. His lead was gone five laps later, and he settled for fourth.

The frustration was entirely different a year ago, when Gordon wrecked a third of the way into the race and had just the second last-place finish of his career.

"I don't know if that's harder or leading and brushing the wall or having an electrical problem inside 50 laps to go, if that's more disappointing," Gordon said. "Looking back on it, those are pretty disappointing because we could have gotten that off our back."

Last spring's Texas finish was part of Gordon's first winless season since his rookie year in 1993. But he did get better, putting together three straight top-five finishes not long after that disastrous weekend. Gordon also bounced back in the fall Texas race, winning the pole and finishing second.

"We fought back really hard," Gordon said. "We did not want to show up at the race track like that again, and I think it's only made us better as a team."

It took Gordon five years to finish higher than 25th at Texas, but he answered that with four straight top-five finishes from 2001-04.

He's starting on the outside of the front row Sunday. If he gets his 82nd checkered flag, Miami will be the only track left to conquer.

"I really think we can win this thing this weekend," Gordon said.

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FOOLISH PRANK? Car and Driver magazine's fake April Fools story about President Barack Obama mandating the withdrawal of Chevrolet and Dodge from NASCAR didn't play well in the garage.

The story caused quite a stir before it was labeled a prank and later pulled from the magazine's Web site. The magazine has since apologized.

NASCAR fans were livid over the story, and drivers weren't much happier.

"I am all for practical jokes. I almost made a second career out of them," said Tony Stewart, a Chevy driver. "When you're dealing with a nation that is going through tough economic times and you have major manufacturers and millions of people are relying on them and you see that happen. ... I'm even smart enough not to do that, and I do a lot of stupid stuff."

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JUNIOR'S TONIC? Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s average starting and finishing positions are among the worst of his career. He's been needled over the fact that the driver he replaced, Kyle Busch, has been much better this season.

If Earnhardt could pick a place to turn the tide, Texas would be among the candidates. This is, after all, the site of his first victories in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series. His late father joining the Sprint Cup celebration is among the track's enduring images.

Earnhardt has seven top-10 finishes in Texas, although he's gone four races without one. He qualified 20th in the 43-car field.

"I really enjoy coming here and hope we are able to come here for a very long time because this is a great racetrack and it could have an amazing history," Earnhardt said.

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NO MISTAKING IT: Last year, it was the car. This year, it's the operator -- and his assistants.

That's defending three-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson's take on the early part of the season. He has his first win two weeks earlier than last year, and he's comfortably in the top 12 in the point standings at fourth.

He has replaced two rugged races in the first three weeks with three straight top-10 finishes.

"It's not really a preparation thing, but we've more mistakes at the start of the season this season than we did last year," Johnson said. "Last year the car held us up and this year we've been holding ourselves up. I've been caught speeding on pit road like three times, we've had some different issues and pit strategy has gone the wrong way."

It was all fixed last week at Martinsville, where Johnson got his first win this year and 41st of his career. He qualified just 35th for Sunday's race but had the fastest car in the final practice Saturday.

"I think we're in good shape," Johnson said.

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NUTS AND BOLTS: Bruton Smith, the owner of Texas and seven other NASCAR tracks, sat in the stands with the fans during the Nationwide Series race Saturday. He was about 19 rows from the start-finish line. The estimated crowd was 82,500. ... Kurt Busch didn't do TV executives any favors with his assessment of what kind of race to expect Sunday: "To be honest with you, I anticipate a boring race. I think you're going to see a lot of cars in line playing follow the leader." ... WinStar World Casino, which has a huge facility on the Oklahoma border just a few dozen miles north of Texas Motor Speedway, will sponsor the June Camping World Truck Series race. The casino is taking fans by bus from the track for evening gambling after racing events.

Roush team looks for momentum flip in Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Roush Fenway Racing could sure use another backflip in Texas.

The team is six races into a season that began with Matt Kenseth becoming the first NASCAR Sprint Cup driver in 12 years to win the first two races. But it already needs another boost, and there's no place to do that like Texas.

"We could run here every week, that'd be fine with me," Carl Edwards said. "Yeah, I couldn't be happier to be coming to Texas."

Edwards twice got to do his trademark celebratory backflip at Texas last year after becoming the first driver to sweep both races. That also made him the first three-time winner at the 11/2-mile high-banked track.

Even without winning a pole in Texas, Roush Fenway has won seven of the 16 Cup races at the track where no other team has won more than twice. Roush has 34 top-10 finishes in 76 starts, and all five drivers finished in the top 11 last November.

David Reutimann earned the pole for Sunday's Samsung 500 in his No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. Series points leader Jeff Gordon starts second at one of the two active tracks where the four-time Cup driver for Hendrick has never won a race.

Kenseth and teammate David Ragan make up the second row. Edwards and Greg Biffle also share a row, starting 13th and 14th, while Jamie McMurray, the other Roush driver, qualified 36th.

Since winning the first two races, Kenseth hasn't even led a lap. His bid for three victories in a row was done only seven laps into the race at Las Vegas.

"It has been really a miserable four weeks," Kenseth said. "The first two weeks couldn't have been any better, and the last four couldn't have been really much worse. So we definitely need a good finish here, hopefully get things rolling in the right direction."

That goes for the entire team, especially after consecutive races on tight half-mile tracks. Roush drivers had an average finish of 30th at Bristol and McMurray's 10th at Martinsville was the only better than 23rd.

Before the short tracks, Edwards was third at Atlanta -- another Bruton Smith-owned track with a similar layout where he has also won three times. That is Edwards' best finish this season after winning a Cup-high nine times last year, and the best for a Roush driver since Daytona and California to open the season.

"We are the same team, I'm the same driver. Everything's fine," Edwards said. "Literally, we could win here and win the next 10 in a row. Or we could run second the next 10, the difference could be six inches in each race. ... It's been six races since we won. I don't think we're in any sort of trouble."

Still, Edwards feels "hugely fortunate" to be eighth in season points and the highest-ranked Roush driver. He rolled to a 17th-place finish in Las Vegas despite a blown engine and got caught up in a wreck at Daytona.

"It could have been way worse," Edwards said. "I'm OK with where we're at. I'm OK with how we've performed."

After holding off Jimmie Johnson by four-tenths of a second to win at Texas last spring, Edwards posted an eight-second victory over Gordon in November.

Kenseth and Biffle both have Cup victories at Texas, where the Roush dominance began with former team members Jeff Burton and Mark Martin won the first two races after the track opened in 1997.

"Jeff Burton and Mark Martin, they can win anywhere, and really they're the ones that really should have all the credit for us even running good still today," Kenseth said.

Burton, who won the inaugural Texas race, became the track's first two-time winner two years ago when he was driving for Richard Childress.

"The mile-and-a-halves have been a strong point for the Roush teams, no question about that," Burton said. "Some of it is a plan, and some of it is luck."

Reutimann, the pole-sitter, has made a quite a rise for the Waltrip team, so much in fact that he's been lightheartedly referred to as "The Franchise."

Already this season, Reutimann has his best career finish (fourth at Las Vegas), three top 10s -- one short of his career total in 63 races before this year -- and is 11th in season points.

"I feel like, don't enjoy it too much, because it can go the other way really quickly," Reutimann said. "You just want to sit back and look around and enjoy it a little bit because you know how hard it is to do. At the same time, my mentality is I can't do that because something else could go wrong."

AP source: NASCAR's Petty will have Indy 500 entry

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Richard Petty will make his first foray into the Indianapolis 500 as an owner when he fields a car for John Andretti in next month's race. Petty will be joining fellow NASCAR team owners Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi at Indy.

A news conference is scheduled Monday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but details were confirmed Friday by a person familiar with the arrangement. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the deal has not been announced.

Andretti drove for the now-defunct family-owned Petty Enterprises team in NASCAR from 1998 through the middle of the 2003 season. He has driven in nine Indy 500s, including the last two -- finishing 16th last year driving for Marty Roth -- and 10 NASCAR races at the famed Brickyard.

His best finish in the 500 was fifth in 1991, while his top performance in the Cup event was seventh in his first year driving for Petty.

The 46-year-old racer, the nephew of longtime open-wheel star and Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti, has also driven sports cars and dragsters.

In 1994, he became the first driver to run both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR event in Charlotte on the same day, finishing 10th at Indianapolis and crashing and finishing 36th at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon have both since done the double, but the grueling feat is no longer possible since Indianpolis changed its starting time several years ago.

Petty is a partner in NASCAR with George Gillett in Richard Petty Motorsports, the team formerly known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Gillett is not expected to be part of the Indy deal.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, which runs the full IndyCar Series, will work with Petty at Indy, providing equipment and personnel.

The IndyCar Series is in St. Petersburg this week for the season-opening Honda Grand Prix.

NASCAR could take show from New York to Vegas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR's year-ending awards celebration appears headed to Las Vegas after nearly three decades in New York.

"Well, we sure hope so," said track owner Bruton Smith, who has long pushed for the move.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday that the city's Convention and Visitors Authority had reached an initial agreement to host the Sprint Cup awards banquet, beginning this year. Final details were still being discussed.

"Las Vegas presents some very interesting options, but nothing has been finalized," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

Smith owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Las Vegas and Texas, where the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series run this weekend. He said he has tried for three years to get the season-ending banquet moved to Las Vegas.

"I'm glad that NASCAR is making good decisions," Smith said. "The hotel rooms will be half or less than New York. It won't be snow and ice on the ground. ... Hopefully, they will get some production company that will put this thing together and do it, and do it right."

He mentioned the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino as possible locations.

"They seat 16,000. Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities," Smith said. "That's what I'd like to see."

Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton said he supports any move that adds more excitement and provides for more fan involvement in the year-end event that has been held in New York since 1981.

"At the end of the day, our banquet needs some life injected into it. ... We need something new and exciting," Burton said. "It needs something that's built around fun, built around excitement that embraces the fans more. Vegas may give us a better opportunity to do that."

Las Vegas-born Kyle Busch said it would be special to have the year-ending celebration in his hometown.

"It'd be pretty cool. I look forward to it if it happens," Busch said. "We always like going to New York. I know the girlfriends love going there for the shopping.

"Vegas will be a little bit different in that respect, but at least the weather might be a little warmer."

Reutimann on pole in Texas; Jeff Gordon second

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- David Reutimann has taken Michael Waltrip Racing from a mangled mess at Texas to the front of the field.

Reutimann earned the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the 11/2-mile, high-banked Texas Motor Speedway with a lap of 190.517 mph on Friday.

"I guess that puts an exclamation mark on just how things have changed," said Reutimann, driving the No. 00 Toyota owned by Waltrip.

A year ago, the No. 00 was driven in Texas qualifying by Cup rookie Michael McDowell, who escaped unscathed from a horrific, tumbling crash when he slammed into the wall and rolled at least eight times before coming to a rest at the bottom of the track.

Two years ago, the first for Waltrip's team, Reutimann didn't get a chance to race at Texas after qualifying was canceled because of severe weather. The team didn't have enough points to get into the field.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a miserable time in my life and we actually had a very good car," Reutimann said. "People tend to forget that it wasn't that long ago when we were struggling to absolutely make races. ... Going out there and getting poles shows that you're doing what you're supposed to do, and I think about those times often."

Reutimann, 11th in season points, won his only other pole in last season's finale at Homestead. Waltrip will start 34th Sunday in the Samsung 500.

Carl Edwards, who won both Texas races last year to become the track's first three-time winner, qualified 13th.

Season points leader Jeff Gordon will start his Chevrolet on the outside of front row after a qualifying lap of 190.194 mph on a windy day. Texas is one of two active tracks where the four-time Cup champion with 81 race victories has never won.

Gordon was on the pole at Texas last fall and finished second. But he was last in the 43-car field last April, the second last-place finish in his 551 career races. The other also was Texas.

"We were pretty good here the last time, obviously, sitting on the pole. We were similar to that today," said Gordon, who has a record eight top 10s at the track despite the strange quirks in his record.

Matt Kenseth will start third, followed by David Ragan, Paul Menard and Kasey Kahne.

GM's troubles dominate NASCAR conversation

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR's biggest names aren't driving with blinders on. They realize President Barack Obama essentially put General Motors on watch this week.

That's a big deal in a sport synonymous with GM for decades. It's also a big deal when some of the drivers are Chevrolet men Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

The Obama administration's bailout of GM was the primary topic of conversation Friday, the first time most drivers faced reporters since the government asserted unprecedented control over the auto industry.

The answers struck a theme. The drivers are aware and concerned. Conversations about the troubles have been ongoing. They think GM will weather the difficulties.

"I'm definitely concerned about it," said Gordon, a four-time Sprint Cup champion. "I'm concerned for it more from the fact that I want to see them do well as much for General Motors as it is for all American car makers and looking at how many people they employ in our economy. I'm way more concerned from that aspect than I am from a racing standpoint."

But Gordon joined several other drivers in saying Chevy should stay in racing.

"I don't want to drive anything other than a Chevy," he said. "I've been doing this for a long time, and they've been so good to me and we've won a lot of races and championships with Chevrolet."

Earnhardt said he wasn't any more concerned now than a year ago when the automaker was struggling.

"People have such short-term memories on everything," Earnhardt said. "I feel like there's been a lot of positives in the last six months as well that are giving me a lot of inspiration and hope that the situation is going to get better, especially for Chevrolet."

Jeff Burton, the first two-time winner in Texas, said he thought GM officials and race team executives were already discussing "worst-case scenarios," although he didn't specify what those were.

"I think in the climate that we're in today, it would be poor business not to look at worst-case scenarios," Burton said. "My biggest issue about all of that is just getting the economy moving so that people can buy cars again."

Texas Motor Speedway chief executive Bruton Smith, who made part of his fortune through car dealerships, called Obama's plan "major pooh-pooh." He said he missed the president's announcement Monday that the government would give GM enough working capital for the next 60 days so the company can continue working on a restructuring plan.

"I think I was watching Oprah or something," Smith said.

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MOVING ON: Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin maintain their differing views of Johnson's late pass to win last week's race in Martinsville. Johnson says the opening was there; Hamlin says it was pretty aggressive driving.

Either way, both say they have moved on.

"He didn't take us out or anything like that," said Hamlin, who settled for second. "We still had a good finish. Definitely no hard feelings or anything like that."

Johnson said he left Hamlin a message, but they hadn't talked in Texas as of early Friday afternoon. Both figured their paths would cross sometime this weekend.

"He and I have a great deal of respect for one another," said Johnson, who also edged past Hamlin in the point standings, taking over fourth.

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COMING OF AGE: Texas Motor Speedway has come a long way from the days of a huge crash on the first turn of the first race. And the mysterious water leak under the track in the second year.

Burton, the winner in the track's disastrous debut in 1997, says the track has become what he believes was intended when it was built: one of the sport's crown jewels.

"Going from 'Shut up and drive' T-shirts to where we are today is a great big difference," said Burton, referring to shirts that surfaced after a loud chorus of driver complaints the first two years. "The first couple of years were a little touch and go. The track has truly become -- I don't want to call it an institution -- but it's become a huge part of what we do."

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THE POINT IS: David Reutimann has gradually climbed in the Sprint Cup standings over three seasons and finds himself in early contention for NASCAR's version of the playoffs.

But he says he finds himself worrying less about points now than he did in his first full season, when he "counted every single point" while trying to hang on to a guaranteed spot in the race every week.

"Now I just don't think it pays to pay attention to that," said Reutimann, who won the pole for Sunday's race. "I'm not smart enough to pay attention to that anyway. I just try to go in circles. I can't add too much more to my plate."

Rahal picks up where he left off at St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- There's something about the temporary street circuit in downtown St. Petersburg that brings out the best in Graham Rahal.

A year ago, making his IndyCar Series debut as a 19-year-old, the second-generation driver was the surprise winner of the Honda Grand Prix, holding off two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves in a dramatic finish to become the youngest winner in a major open-wheel event.

Driving for longtime Champ Car powerhouse Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, one of the teams transitioning to the newly unified IndyCar Series in 2008, Rahal then struggled most of the season. He crashed out of seven races and wound up 17th in the points.

Friday, the first day of practice for the season-opening St. Petersburg race, it was like turning back the clock. The youngster was back on top of the speed chart, leading the way with a lap of 1 minute, 3.407 seconds.

"Obviously, I love it,"' Rahal said of the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary downtown circuit. "I've always been the type of guy that I absolutely love street racing, even opposed to regular road courses. It's been that way since I drove go-karts.

"This is the toughest track I've been to. There's a lot of corners on this track where it's very easy to make a mistake. But, as far as what brings it out of me (here), I knew the whole offseason we really developed the cars. In preseason testing, we only did a couple of days on road courses, but I could already tell that the cars were better than they had been. And this just proves it."

The son of three-time series champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal doesn't make excuses for his performance last season.

"Last year, I made a lot of mistakes while learning the cars," he said. "It was nice to win here, but it almost made the start too sweet because then we expected the same at every other road course we went to and we were challenged at every place we went to."

With heavy rain in the morning, the first practice session was almost a waste of time. Former series champion Tony Kanaan didn't even bother going out.

"There was nothing we could learn in the rain on a dirty track," said the Andretti Green Racing driver, who wound up fifth in the afternoon session.

Justin Wilson, Rahal's former teammate who now drives for Dale Coyne Racing, was another surprise Friday as he turned the second best lap of the day at 1:03.588.

"I'm very pleased with the progress," Wilson said. "But I think this afternoon is not a true reflection of what we can do or what everyone else can do because it was pretty messy out there at the end. With 22 cars, everyone is eager to get the season started, so there were lots of little incidents going on out there.

"But I think we are in good shape and, hopefully, we can challenge for the pole position tomorrow."

The Brit was followed by Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indy winner and IndyCar champion, returning to the series after spending part of last season in NASCAR, and HVM Racing driver E.J. Viso.

Reigning champion and preseason favorite Scott Dixon was seventh overall, while fan favorite Danica Patrick, the only woman entered here, was 10th.

There were several spins Friday, but the most serious incident came on pit road during the afternoon practice when AGR's Hideki Mutoh, leaving his pit, slammed into the right rear of the car driven by Panther Racing's Dan Wheldon, sending the former series champion hard into the pit wall.

The collision ended Wheldon's session and prompted IndyCar officials to hit Mutoh with a penalty, keeping him in the pits for 10 minutes for avoidable contact.

NASCAR could take show from New York to Vegas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR's year-ending awards celebration appears headed to Las Vegas after nearly three decades in New York.

"Well, we sure hope so," said track owner Bruton Smith, who has long pushed for the move.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday that the city's Convention and Visitors Authority had reached an initial agreement to host the Sprint Cup awards banquet, beginning this year. Final details were still being discussed.

"Las Vegas presents some very interesting options, but nothing has been finalized," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

Smith owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Las Vegas and Texas, where the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series run this weekend. He said he has tried for three years to get the season-ending banquet moved to Las Vegas.

"I'm glad that NASCAR is making good decisions," Smith said. "The hotel rooms will be half or less than New York. It won't be snow and ice on the ground. ... Hopefully, they will get some production company that will put this thing together and do it, and do it right."

He mentioned the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino as possible locations.

"They seat 16,000. Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities," Smith said. "That's what I'd like to see."

Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton said he supports any move that adds more excitement and provides for more fan involvement in the year-end event that has been held in New York since 1981.

"At the end of the day, our banquet needs some life injected into it. ... We need something new and exciting," Burton said. "It needs something that's built around fun, built around excitement that embraces the fans more. Vegas may give us a better opportunity to do that."

Las Vegas-born Kyle Busch said it would be special to have the year-ending celebration in his hometown.

"It'd be pretty cool. I look forward to it if it happens," Busch said. "We always like going to New York. I know the girlfriends love going there for the shopping.

"Vegas will be a little bit different in that respect, but at least the weather might be a little warmer."

NASCAR could take show from New York to Vegas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR's year-ending awards celebration appears headed to Las Vegas after nearly three decades in New York.

"Well, we sure hope so," said track owner Bruton Smith, who has long pushed for the move.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday that the city's Convention and Visitors Authority had reached an initial agreement to host the Sprint Cup awards banquet, beginning this year. Final details were still being discussed.

"Las Vegas presents some very interesting options, but nothing has been finalized," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

Smith owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Las Vegas and Texas, where the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series run this weekend. He said he has tried for three years to get the season-ending banquet moved to Las Vegas.

"I'm glad that NASCAR is making good decisions," Smith said. "The hotel rooms will be half or less than New York. It won't be snow and ice on the ground. ... Hopefully, they will get some production company that will put this thing together and do it, and do it right."

He mentioned the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino as possible locations.

"They seat 16,000. Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities," Smith said. "That's what I'd like to see."

Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton said he supports any move that adds more excitement and provides for more fan involvement in the year-end event that has been held in New York since 1981.

"At the end of the day, our banquet needs some life injected into it. ... We need something new and exciting," Burton said. "It needs something that's built around fun, built around excitement that embraces the fans more. Vegas may give us a better opportunity to do that."

Las Vegas-born Kyle Busch said it would be special to have the year-ending celebration in his hometown.

"It'd be pretty cool. I look forward to it if it happens," Busch said. "We always like going to New York. I know the girlfriends love going there for the shopping.

"Vegas will be a little bit different in that respect, but at least the weather might be a little warmer."

AP source: NASCAR's Petty will have Indy 500 entry

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Richard Petty will make his first foray into the Indianapolis 500 as an owner when he fields a car for John Andretti in next month's race. Petty will be joining fellow NASCAR team owners Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi at Indy.

A news conference is scheduled Monday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but details were confirmed Friday by a person familiar with the arrangement. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the deal has not been announced.

Andretti drove for the now-defunct family-owned Petty Enterprises team in NASCAR from 1998 through the middle of the 2003 season. He has driven in nine Indy 500s, including the last two -- finishing 16th last year driving for Marty Roth -- and 10 NASCAR races at the famed Brickyard.

His best finish in the 500 was fifth in 1991, while his top performance in the Cup event was seventh in his first year driving for Petty.

The 46-year-old racer, the nephew of longtime open-wheel star and Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti, has also driven sports cars and dragsters.

In 1994, he became the first driver to run both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR event in Charlotte on the same day, finishing 10th at Indianapolis and crashing and finishing 36th at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon have both since done the double, but the grueling feat is no longer possible since Indianpolis changed its starting time several years ago.

Petty is a partner in NASCAR with George Gillett in Richard Petty Motorsports, the team formerly known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Gillett is not expected to be part of the Indy deal.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, which runs the full IndyCar Series, will work with Petty at Indy, providing equipment and personnel.

The IndyCar Series is in St. Petersburg this week for the season-opening Honda Grand Prix.

NASCAR could take show from New York to Vegas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR's year-ending awards celebration appears headed to Las Vegas after nearly three decades in New York.

"Well, we sure hope so," said track owner Bruton Smith, who has long pushed for the move.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday that the city's Convention and Visitors Authority had reached an initial agreement to host the Sprint Cup awards banquet, beginning this year. Final details were still being discussed.

"Las Vegas presents some very interesting options, but nothing has been finalized," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

Smith owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Las Vegas and Texas, where the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series run this weekend. He said he has tried for three years to get the season-ending banquet moved to Las Vegas.

"I'm glad that NASCAR is making good decisions," Smith said. "The hotel rooms will be half or less than New York. It won't be snow and ice on the ground. ... Hopefully, they will get some production company that will put this thing together and do it, and do it right."

He mentioned the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino as possible locations.

"They seat 16,000. Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities," Smith said. "That's what I'd like to see."

Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton said he supports any move that adds more excitement and provides for more fan involvement in the year-end event that has been held in New York since 1981.

"At the end of the day, our banquet needs some life injected into it. ... We need something new and exciting," Burton said. "It needs something that's built around fun, built around excitement that embraces the fans more. Vegas may give us a better opportunity to do that."

Las Vegas-born Kyle Busch said it would be special to have the year-ending celebration in his hometown.

"It'd be pretty cool. I look forward to it if it happens," Busch said. "We always like going to New York. I know the girlfriends love going there for the shopping.

"Vegas will be a little bit different in that respect, but at least the weather might be a little warmer."

NASCAR could take show from New York to Vegas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR's year-ending awards celebration appears headed to Las Vegas after nearly three decades in New York.

"Well, we sure hope so," said track owner Bruton Smith, who has long pushed for the move.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday that the city's Convention and Visitors Authority had reached an initial agreement to host the Sprint Cup awards banquet, beginning this year. Final details were still being discussed.

"Las Vegas presents some very interesting options, but nothing has been finalized," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

Smith owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Las Vegas and Texas, where the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series run this weekend. He said he has tried for three years to get the season-ending banquet moved to Las Vegas.

"I'm glad that NASCAR is making good decisions," Smith said. "The hotel rooms will be half or less than New York. It won't be snow and ice on the ground. ... Hopefully, they will get some production company that will put this thing together and do it, and do it right."

He mentioned the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino as possible locations.

"They seat 16,000. Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities," Smith said. "That's what I'd like to see."

Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton said he supports any move that adds more excitement and provides for more fan involvement in the year-end event that has been held in New York since 1981.

"At the end of the day, our banquet needs some life injected into it. ... We need something new and exciting," Burton said. "It needs something that's built around fun, built around excitement that embraces the fans more. Vegas may give us a better opportunity to do that."

Las Vegas-born Kyle Busch said it would be special to have the year-ending celebration in his hometown.

"It'd be pretty cool. I look forward to it if it happens," Busch said. "We always like going to New York. I know the girlfriends love going there for the shopping.

"Vegas will be a little bit different in that respect, but at least the weather might be a little warmer."

NASCAR could take show from New York to Vegas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR's year-ending awards celebration appears headed to Las Vegas after nearly three decades in New York.

"Well, we sure hope so," said track owner Bruton Smith, who has long pushed for the move.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday that the city's Convention and Visitors Authority had reached an initial agreement to host the Sprint Cup awards banquet, beginning this year. Final details were still being discussed.

"Las Vegas presents some very interesting options, but nothing has been finalized," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

Smith owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Las Vegas and Texas, where the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series run this weekend. He said he has tried for three years to get the season-ending banquet moved to Las Vegas.

"I'm glad that NASCAR is making good decisions," Smith said. "The hotel rooms will be half or less than New York. It won't be snow and ice on the ground. ... Hopefully, they will get some production company that will put this thing together and do it, and do it right."

He mentioned the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino as possible locations.

"They seat 16,000. Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities," Smith said. "That's what I'd like to see."

Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton said he supports any move that adds more excitement and provides for more fan involvement in the year-end event that has been held in New York since 1981.

"At the end of the day, our banquet needs some life injected into it. ... We need something new and exciting," Burton said. "It needs something that's built around fun, built around excitement that embraces the fans more. Vegas may give us a better opportunity to do that."

Las Vegas-born Kyle Busch said it would be special to have the year-ending celebration in his hometown.

"It'd be pretty cool. I look forward to it if it happens," Busch said. "We always like going to New York. I know the girlfriends love going there for the shopping.

"Vegas will be a little bit different in that respect, but at least the weather might be a little warmer."

NASCAR could take show from New York to Vegas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR's year-ending awards celebration appears headed to Las Vegas after nearly three decades in New York.

"Well, we sure hope so," said track owner Bruton Smith, who has long pushed for the move.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday that the city's Convention and Visitors Authority had reached an initial agreement to host the Sprint Cup awards banquet, beginning this year. Final details were still being discussed.

"Las Vegas presents some very interesting options, but nothing has been finalized," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

Smith owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Las Vegas and Texas, where the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series run this weekend. He said he has tried for three years to get the season-ending banquet moved to Las Vegas.

"I'm glad that NASCAR is making good decisions," Smith said. "The hotel rooms will be half or less than New York. It won't be snow and ice on the ground. ... Hopefully, they will get some production company that will put this thing together and do it, and do it right."

He mentioned the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino as possible locations.

"They seat 16,000. Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities," Smith said. "That's what I'd like to see."

Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton said he supports any move that adds more excitement and provides for more fan involvement in the year-end event that has been held in New York since 1981.

"At the end of the day, our banquet needs some life injected into it. ... We need something new and exciting," Burton said. "It needs something that's built around fun, built around excitement that embraces the fans more. Vegas may give us a better opportunity to do that."

Las Vegas-born Kyle Busch said it would be special to have the year-ending celebration in his hometown.

"It'd be pretty cool. I look forward to it if it happens," Busch said. "We always like going to New York. I know the girlfriends love going there for the shopping.

"Vegas will be a little bit different in that respect, but at least the weather might be a little warmer."

NASCAR could take show from New York to Vegas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- NASCAR's year-ending awards celebration appears headed to Las Vegas after nearly three decades in New York.

"Well, we sure hope so," said track owner Bruton Smith, who has long pushed for the move.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday that the city's Convention and Visitors Authority had reached an initial agreement to host the Sprint Cup awards banquet, beginning this year. Final details were still being discussed.

"Las Vegas presents some very interesting options, but nothing has been finalized," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.

Smith owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Las Vegas and Texas, where the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series run this weekend. He said he has tried for three years to get the season-ending banquet moved to Las Vegas.

"I'm glad that NASCAR is making good decisions," Smith said. "The hotel rooms will be half or less than New York. It won't be snow and ice on the ground. ... Hopefully, they will get some production company that will put this thing together and do it, and do it right."

He mentioned the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino as possible locations.

"They seat 16,000. Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities," Smith said. "That's what I'd like to see."

Sprint Cup driver Jeff Burton said he supports any move that adds more excitement and provides for more fan involvement in the year-end event that has been held in New York since 1981.

"At the end of the day, our banquet needs some life injected into it. ... We need something new and exciting," Burton said. "It needs something that's built around fun, built around excitement that embraces the fans more. Vegas may give us a better opportunity to do that."

Las Vegas-born Kyle Busch said it would be special to have the year-ending celebration in his hometown.

"It'd be pretty cool. I look forward to it if it happens," Busch said. "We always like going to New York. I know the girlfriends love going there for the shopping.

"Vegas will be a little bit different in that respect, but at least the weather might be a little warmer."

A glance at the drivers in IRL's IndyCar Series

A glance at the drivers competing in the IRL's IndyCar Series in 2009, listed by car number:

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Will Power, No. 3, Team Penske

Born: March 1, 1981

Hometown: Toowoomba, Australia

Outlook: Power has moved from KV Racing Technology to Roger Penske's team, filling in at Team Penske until it is determined if and when 2008 series runner-up Helio Castroneves, currently being tried on federal tax charges, can return to racing. The Aussie, a three-time winner in the defunct Champ Car series, had two top-fives and five top-10s in 16 races last season as an IndyCar rookie.

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Dan Wheldon, No. 4, Panther Racing

Born: June 22, 1978

Hometown: Emberton, England

Outlook: The 2005 IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner returns to his roots, moving to Panther Racing, with whom he made his series debut in 2002. Last year he drove for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, winning two races on the way to a fourth-place finish in the points. Wheldon has 15 career victories but joins a team that has not won since 2005.

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Mario Moraes, No. 5, KV Racing Technology

Born: Dec. 20, 1988

Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil

Outlook: Entering his second year in IndyCar, the 20-year-old former karting star moves from Dale Coyne Racing. Moraes had three top-10 finishes, including a season-best seventh at Watkins Glen, in his rookie year.

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Ryan Briscoe, No. 6, Team Penske

Born: Sept. 24, 1981

Hometown: Sydney, Australia

Outlook: Finished fifth in the standings in first season with Penske. Established himself as a contender for 2009 with two points victories and a win in a nonpoints event in his native Australia. Led eight of 17 races and has five top-fives and 11 top-10s last year.

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Danica Patrick, No. 7, Andretti Green Racing

Born: March 25, 1982

Hometown: Roscoe, Ill.

Outlook: First career victory came in Japan last spring and raised expectations for one of the most recognizable female athletes in the world. Patrick finished a career-best sixth in the points, continuing the trend of improving on her standing in each of her five seasons in IndyCar. Starting third season with Andretti Green Racing and will have team co-owner and former driving champion Michael Andretti calling her races for the first time in 2009.

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Scott Dixon, No. 9, Target Chip Ganassi Racing

Born: July 22, 1980

Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand

Outlook: Goes into 2009 as favorite to win second straight IndyCar title and third of his career. Won a record-tying six races in 2008, giving him 16 for his career. Had 14 top-five finishes in 17 starts in 2008, leading 11 races. Could join Sam Hornish Jr., now driving in NASCAR, as only drivers to win consecutive titles in IndyCar Series. Victory at Nazareth in 2002 at age 22 made him the then-youngest winner of a major open-wheel event. Went on to win the 2003 series title.

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Dario Franchitti, No. 10, Target Chip Ganassi Racing

Born: May 19, 1973

Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland

Outlook: Returns to IndyCar Series after move to NASCAR last season was cut short by lack of sponsorship. Longtime open-wheel star won the series championship and the Indy 500 in 2007 while driving for Andretti Green Racing. Has 13 career wins, including four in 2007 when he beat current Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon for the title by just 13 points. Dixon ran out of fuel on the last lap of the last race, allowing Franchitti to win the race and the championship.

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Tony Kanaan, No. 11, Andretti Green Racing

Born: Dec. 31, 1974

Hometown: Salvador Bahia, Brazil

Outlook: Perennial contender Kanaan finished third last season and is the team leader at AGR, showing the way for teammates Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick and Hideki Mutoh with his 13 career victories. Consistent Kanaan had 11 top-fives and 15 top-10s last season. The 2004 series champion has won at least one race in each of his seven IndyCar seasons. Has been with AGR his entire IndyCar career and renewed his contract late last season. In 2004, became first driver in a major auto racing series to complete every lap of every race for an entire season.

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Raphael Matos, No. 12, Luczo Dragon Racing

Born: Aug. 28, 1981

Hometown: Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Outlook: Matos moves up to IndyCar after winning consecutive championships in second-tier series, Formula Atlantic in 2007 and Indy Lights in 2008. Joins the Luczo Dragon team, co-owned by Stephen J. Luczo and Jay Penske, son of famed car owner Roger Penske. Team ran just six races last season with Tomas Scheckter at the wheel, but plans to race the full schedule with Matos in 2009.

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E.J. Viso, No. 13, HVM Racing

Born: March 19, 1985

Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela

Outlook: Aggressive driving style gained attention for the IndyCar rookie in 2008 and raised expectations for the former Formula One test driver this season. Viso recorded five top-10 finishes on the way to finishing 18th in the season points for HVM, one of the teams transitioning from Champ Car to the unified IndyCar Series.

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Vitor Meira, No. 14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises

Born: March 27, 1977

Hometown: Brasilia, Brazil

Outlook: Entering eighth season in IndyCar and first with Foyt team after racing with Panther last three years. With 93 starts, still considered the best driver in series without a race win. Had two top-fives and seven top-10s last season while finishing 13th in the points.

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Justin Wilson, No. 18, Dale Coyne Racing

Born: July 31, 1978

Hometown: Sheffield, England

Outlook: Wilson had consecutive runner-up finishes in the Champ Car series with the now-defunct RuSport team before moving to IndyCar last year with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. Made solid transition to new series with two top-fives, including a win at Detroit, and seven top-10s. Finished 11th in the 2008 points. At 6-foot-3, Wilson is one of the tallest drivers in open-wheel racing. Won 2001 F3000 championship and had 16 Formula One starts in 2003 with Minardi and Jaguar before moving to Champ Car the next season. Won four times in Champ Car.

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Ed Carpenter, No. 20, Vision Racing

Born: March 3, 1981

Hometown: Indianapolis

Outlook: The stepson of Indy Racing League founder Tony George is starting his sixth full season in the IndyCar Series and fourth with his stepfather's Vision Racing. Coming off second straight 15th-place finish in standings, but had a career best two top-fives, including a fifth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500. Won inaugural Indy Pro Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2003, the first automobile race conducted in conjunction with the Indy 500.

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Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 21, Vision Racing

Born: Dec. 17, 1980

Hometown: Boca Raton, Fla.

Outlook: Spent last two seasons with Rahal Letterman Racing, winning rookie of the year honors in 2007 and finishing eighth last season after winning his first IndyCar race at Watkins Glen. Was also top rookie in Indianapolis 500 last year, finishing sixth. Lost his ride with Rahal Letterman when team lost sponsorship. Drove three years in Champ Car, winning two of 45 starts, before moving to IndyCar.

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Darren Manning, No. 23, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Born: April 30, 1975

Hometown: North Yorkshire, England

Outlook: Strong road racer was last-minute addition to the lineup, joining rookie teammate Mike Conway. Manning has a total of 58 IndyCar race starts with seven top-five and 25 top-10 finishes. Spent the last two seasons with A.J. Foyt Enterprises. Finished career-best 11th in points for Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2004, his rookie season in IndyCar.

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Mike Conway, No. 24, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Born: Aug. 19, 1983

Hometown: Bromley, Kent, England

Outlook: Former karting star won titles in 2004 British Formula Renault and 2006 British F3 International Series. Also won the 2006 Macau Grand Prix. Impressed with a fast IndyCar test last year at Infineon Raceway and will start his first race in America in the season-opener at St. Petersburg, Fla., on Sunday.

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Marco Andretti, No. 26, Andretti Green Racing

Born: March 13, 1987

Hometown: Nazareth, Pa.

Outlook: It's time for Andretti to make a statement as he returns to AGR, co-owned by his father, Michael Andretti, for fourth season. Third-generation open-wheel racing star made a successful leap to the IndyCar Series in 2006 after three seasons competing in various junior formula series and the Indy Pro Series. The grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti won rookie of the year honors after finishing seventh in the standings. Last two seasons have been disappointing, though, as he faded to 11th in 2007 and moved back up to seventh last season with six top-fives and eight top-10s.

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Hideki Mutoh, No. 27, Andretti Green Racing

Born: Oct. 6, 1982

Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

Outlook: Last year's rookie of the year returns for his second season with hopes of becoming a championship contender. Had one top-five last season, finishing second at Iowa, and seven top-10s. The graduate of Honda's driver development program scored two victories en route to a second-place finish in the Indy Pro Series in 2007.

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Alex Tagliani, No. 34, Conquest Racing

Born: Oct. 18, 1972

Hometown: Montreal

Outlook: Tagliani, a veteran of eight seasons in the Champ Car series, moves into a full-time ride with Conquest Racing after replacing injured Enrique Bernoldi for the final two points races of 2008. Tagliani, who also drove for Derrick Walker at Long Beach, finishing seventh last April in the final Champ Car event, finished 22nd and 12th for Conquest at Detroit and Chicago in his first two IndyCar events. He spent most of last season making the transition to stock cars in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. His only victory in 132 Champ Car starts came at Road America in 2004.

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Stanton Barrett, No. 98, Curb/Agajanian/Team 3G

Born: Dec. 1, 1972

Hometown: Bishop, Calif.

Outlook: Hollywood stuntman and journeyman driver has raced in a variety of series and will make his IndyCar debut at St. Petersburg driving for new team. Plans to also run select NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide races this season. Barrett has worked as a stuntman in nearly 150 motion pictures and TV series. His father, Stan Barrett, was also a Hollywood stuntman and ran 19 NASCAR Winston Cup events between 1980 and 1990, as well as becoming the first person to exceed the speed of sound in a car.

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Graham Rahal, No. 02, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing

Born: Jan. 4, 1989

Hometown: New Albany, Ohio

Outlook: Rahal, now 20, opens his second IndyCar season as the defending race winner at St. Petersburg. The son of longtime open-wheel star Bobby Rahal won that race in his IndyCar debut, becoming the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing. Transitioning from Champ Car to IndyCar in the series unification, Rahal had an up-and-down rookie season, finishing with four top-10s and winding up 12th in the points. With the departure of Justin Wilson, Rahal becomes the lead driver at Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.

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Robert Doornbos, No. 06, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing

Born: Sept. 23, 1981

Hometown: Rotterdam, Netherlands

Outlook: Former Formula One and Champ Car driver joins Graham Rahal at Newman/Haas/Lanigan. Doornbos drove for both Minardi and Red Bull, as well as testing for Jordan in F1 in 2005 and 2006. He moved to the Champ Car series with Minardi in 2007, winning two races and top rookie honors, finishing third in the series. After failing to find a competitive ride in IndyCar after the unification, he spent last season in Europe, driving in the Superleague Formula -- a new series for teams sponsored by soccer clubs. Doornbos drove for AC Milan, winning two races and finishing third in the points.

Dixon favored to repeat as IndyCar season starts

With CAR--IRL-Driver Capsules.

AP Auto Racing Writer

Everything seems to favor Scott Dixon in his bid to win a second straight IRL IndyCar Series championship.

Helio Castroneves, the 2008 runner-up who pushed Dixon to last season's final checkered flag, will miss at least the first few races of 2009 while defending himself against federal tax evasion charges.

And 2007 series champion Dario Franchitti, Dixon's new teammate at Target Chip Ganassi Racing and considered by many his major challenger, may take a while to shake off the rust after a failed bid to transition to NASCAR last year.

Dixon, meanwhile, heads into the season-opening race at St. Petersburg on Sunday with the same strong team that took him to his second series title last season.

But the New Zealander laughed when a reporter said it looks like he has an easier road this year to another IndyCar championship.

"Yeah, right," he said, shaking his head. "To try and repeat 2008 is going to be very tough. ... We definitely are going to have a target on our backs and it's going to be a hard season.

"It's a shame that Helio is having to go through this and will miss the start of the season, but there are plenty of drivers, including my teammate, that are going to make this one of the most competitive seasons ever in our series."

Castroneves, the personable Brazilian as well known for winning "Dancing with the Stars" as for his two Indianapolis 500 victories, is also at risk of having his racing career short.

Franchitti, whose NASCAR experiment ended abruptly last summer due to a lack of sponsorship, is confident he can get up to speed in an IndyCar fast enough to be a threat for a second championship.

"I felt good at the (offseason) tests," he said. "It came back quickly and, being with this team, with all the resources that Chip gives them, is a big help, too."

Franchitti, who won his title with Andretti Green Racing, also expects a hard-fought championship battle from former AGR teammate Tony Kanaan, Team Penske drivers Ryan Briscoe and Will Power -- the at-least temporary replacement for Castroneves -- and possibly several others.

Unlike the chaotic start to last season, which began just six weeks after the unexpected unification of IndyCar and longtime rival Champ Car, the drivers and teams that made that transition now have all the latest equipment and a year's worth of experience with the cars and the tracks.

"I know some of the drivers and teams who made the transition last year from Champ Car had to figure everything out because it was so new, particularly the ovals," Franchitti said. "But they're very good and I won't be surprised if somebody like Newman/Haas/Lanigan (Racing), with (Graham Rahal) and (Robert) Doornbos, are very competitive."

"I think more than ever this year it will be about winning races," said Kanaan, last year's third-place finisher and the 2004 series champion. "(Last year) Helio showed how consistent you can be and still not win a championship, and Dixon showed that winning races is the best way. It's a combination, but winning races this year is going to be more important."

Dixon matched the season-record of six victories in 2008, but didn't wrap up the title until the final points race of the year as Castroneves applied the pressure. The Brazilian gave Dixon a scare with both of his season wins, four runner-up finishes and a third all coming in the final seven races of the season.

Lack of consistency was a problem for AGR last year, with its four drivers combining for just two wins, 21 top-five finishes and 40 top-10s in 68 starts.

But, for the first time since 2005, the team's lineup returns intact, led by Kanaan. He is joined by Danica Patrick, coming off a year in which racing's glamor girl finally got her long-awaited first victory and improved to sixth place in the points, 22-year-old Marco Andretti, son of team co-owner and longtime driving great Michael Andretti, and 2008 rookie of the year Hideki Mutoh.

"Continuity is definitely a nice thing," said Michael Andretti, whose team has won three titles in the last five seasons. "There's no adjusting going on. That's always good because you can hit it strong right away. Everybody knows everybody. That's definitely a positive for us."

Kanaan expects big improvement from everyone.

"Last year was a year we could say, 'Oh, they're young, they're learning,' but now it's time to do it," Kanaan said. "We did not deliver as much as we should have last year. I think we failed on the driver's side to get it done. We talked, and this year we're saying, 'No excuses.' "

To that end, AGR made some personnel changes, hiring longtime open-wheel engineer Peter Gibbons to work with the younger Andretti, moving Eddie Jones to the engineer's position for Patrick's car and having Michael Andretti move from overseeing his son's car to becoming race strategist for Patrick.

"Those are all positive moves and I think we've strengthened the team," the elder Andretti said.

Newman/Haas/Lanigan, long a power in Champ Car, which began as CART, has had a year to get its act together and the 20-year-old Rahal goes into St. Petersburg as the defending race winner -- his one victory in 2008.

"This team has proven in the past it knows how to win," Rahal said. "With a year under our belt in the IndyCar Series, we should be stronger and more consistent."

Although the battle up front may look familiar this season, the worldwide economic crisis has hit IndyCar as hard as any other business entity.

Teams below the top tier have struggled to find sponsors and several had to wait until the last minute to sign drivers. Only 22 cars are expected to be on track Friday for the opening practice, four fewer than at last year's St. Petersburg race -- although that number is likely to climb before the Indy 500 in May.

Drivers who raced at St. Pete last year who are not returning for 2009 include Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, Oriol Servia, Bruno Junqueira, A.J. Foot IV, Enrique Bernoldi, Darren Manning, Jay Howard, Franck Perera, Townsend Bell and Marty Roth.

The rookies who will race include Doornbos, a former Formula One and Champ Car driver from the Netherlands, Indy Lights champion Raphael Matos, Hollywood stuntman and NASCAR journeyman Stanton Barrett and British driver Mike Conway.

"When I made the move from Formula One to Champ Car in 2007, I had no knowledge of circuits, tires, drivers, engine, whatever of that series, and I had five podiums out of the first six races," said Doornbos, who finished third and won top rookie honors that year and is Rahal's new teammate. "I think my attitude is the same for the IndyCar Series.

"The team contacted me because they know what I can do, and I'm here to do the best job I can. Of course I have respect for the ovals, there's still a steep learning curve, but nothing to be worried about. I feel at home already."

It looks like nobody should be too comfortable heading into the new season. It's likely to be a very competitive year from top to bottom.