Montoya moves on from Indy loss

Juan Pablo Montoya said he quickly left his frustration behind last weekend after dominating the Brickyard 400 before a strategy decision on his final pitstop put him out of contention for victory.

For the second year in a row the Colombian led the most laps at Indianapolis and seemed on the verge of making history as the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400.

After a speeding penalty cost him the win in 2009, this year his team's strategy on the final stop did not turn out as expected, while his team-mate Jamie McMurray went on take victory for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, earning his team owner Chip Ganassi America's triple crown following this year's Daytona 500 and Indy 500 wins.

Montoya left Indy without speaking to the media, but at Pocono he showed he had kept some momentum as he qualified second for Sunday's race. The 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner said it took him "about 15 minutes" to get over the disappointment of losing a race that looked to be his for most of the distance and praised his team for putting him in such a strong position at Indy.

"As a team we win together, we lose together and actually in a crazy way with myself hitting the fence helped [McMurray] win the race," said Montoya. "It's one of those deals where you never really know who you're working for. It benefited the team.

"It's one of those deals where I think if I would have taken two tyres, everybody else would have taken four and we probably would have got beaten anyway. I don't know... I'd rather have 20 of those than run 15th every weekend and have good finishes."

Montoya's crew chief Brian Pattie was devastated following last Sunday's race and took the blame for the decision that probably cost his team the race. Pattie called for a full set of Goodyears to be bolted onto Montoya's Chevrolet for the final 20 laps of the race but McMurray took only two tyres as did other five cars, placing Montoya back in seventh for the restart with 18 laps remaining.

Once in dirty air, Montoya struggled with the handling and ended up crashing out a few laps later. He said that despite his own frustration at losing the race, he tried to bring some consolation to the man calling the shots for his team from the pits.

"I sent him a text, and said 'Dude, we're in this together. You gave me an awesome car. If it wasn't for you guys we wouldn't be in this position so don't worry about it. We'll move on, there's another one next Sunday. One of these days that race will go into our hands,'" said Montoya.

"It sucks that we've been so fast three years in a row with one I blew, the other one was a call that wasn't ideal. You know last time I screwed up there Brian didn't say anything to me. He said, 'Don't worry about it.' At the same time, do I gain anything by getting mad? No.

"It sucks that in traffic we couldn't do anything and I was actually pretty loose getting into the corners by myself and when the #99 [Carl Edwards] dive-bumped me, I kind of turned right a little when I came back. As soon as I turned right, I knew I wasn't going to come out of that corner pointing the right way."

Montoya believes that now that he is out of contention for a Chase berth this season, his team can afford to take gambles and learn from those experiences. Despite not having won a race in an oval in more than three years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the Colombian is confident that his time will come.

"Something that is nice is by not being in a position of making the Chase, I think as a team we're going to try a lot of different things and make sure and use what happened last week as a learning experience," said Montoya.

"Like knowing when to take two tyres. Maybe not the right call, but it happens. At Phoenix for example, we were running top three all day, five guys took two tyres and neither of the three guys won. We were half a lap ahead of the field and somebody else won. You just have to learn when to take two tyres.

"But to win some, you have to give some away and I don't think we have given ourselves enough opportunity to win races. Some day it will come."

On Sunday Montoya will take the green flag from the front row at Pocono, beside former Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart.

Ganassi: Split strategy won BrickyardDiarra plans Mourinho talks

Gordon's crew chief extends deal

Jeff Gordon's crew chief Steve Letarte has signed a new multi-year deal with Hendrick Motorsports, the leading NASCAR Sprint Cup organisation announced on Friday.

Following the renewal in April of deals for Chad Knaus and Alan Gustafson, who currently serve as crew chiefs for reigning champion Jimmie Johnson and veteran Mark Martin, Hendrick Motorsports has also extended Letarte's contract, nearly five years after he first served as the leader of the #24 team.

After Gordon missed the Chase in 2005, Letarte was named as his new crew chief, replacing the departing Robbie Loomis. Since their first full year together in 2006, the four-time champion and Letarte have always been part of the championship play-off, taking runner up spot to Johnson in 2007.

This year Gordon has yet to win a race, but he is safely inside the top 12 in the points, currently running second in the standings.

"I'm extremely excited," said Letarte about his contract extension. "Hendrick Motorsports is the only company I've ever received a pay cheque from. I've worked here since I was a teenager, and they've provided wonderful opportunities for me. I owe a lot to them. I'm really excited to be extended here so I can go a few more years."

Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 1995, Letarte has worked his way up, starting as parts assistant while still attending school, then becoming a tyre specialist, a mechanic and later car chief for Gordon's car, being part of the championship winning team in 1997, 1998 and 2001.

Letarte has called the shots from the pits in 10 out of Gordon's 82 Cup wins.

Depor to land DesmaretsJohnson eager for road course win

Gordon critical of Edwards' antics

Jeff Gordon believes Carl Edwards went too far in crashing into Brad Keselowski to take victory in the Nationwide Series at Gateway last weekend, and says such an action would have been penalised by NASCAR in the past.

Last Saturday Edwards and Keselowski, who compete full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, were at the centre of controversy when an on-track exchange while fighting for victory on the last lap ended with a massive accident for the Penske driver.

Thus far NASCAR has yet to step in and take any action against either driver, having adopted a more relaxed approach towards on-track incidents for this year.

Earlier this season Edwards was placed on probation for three weeks after a similar incident with Keselowski in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta ended in the latter's car flipping over at high speed.

Gordon believes the Roush Fenway driver's antics were "out of line," and that a move such as Edwards' retaliatory contact with his rival out of the final corner of the race, would not have gone unpunished in the past.

"I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgement calls," Gordon said.

"Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point.

"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into [Turn] 1, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.

"Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion says NASCAR's judgement, or lack of it, on the incident, has left him wondering how far the sanctioning body will let the feud between Edwards and Keselowski escalate, as he believes it is not over yet.

He added that the current NASCAR cars are safe, but that such incidents could still have unwanted outcomes.

"I'm anxious to see how far it's going to be taken before [NASCAR] do step in or if they step in," said Gordon. "Those are some questions that I have for Robin [Pemberton, vice president of competition] and Mike [Helton, president] and [Sprint Cup series director, John] Darby and [Race Director David] Hoots.

"It's a question I think on a lot of people's minds that, This is great, but what's too much?

"The thing is, the drivers have always taken care of these things on track, whether you knew about them or not. They just weren't maybe as much out in the open because there would be a fine or there would be some kind of penalty handed down immediately.

"So you thought from an outsider's standpoint, that's over. But, trust me, as a driver, that was not over, that was not the end of it."

While both Keselowski and Edwards will meet again in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis this weekend, they are also set to compete in the short-track Nationwide series race on Saturday night at the nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Agent expects Maicon stayGordon critical of Edwards’ antics

Villeneuve struggles on Cup return

Jacques Villeneuve had a tough return to the Sprint Cup series at Indianapolis, finishing three laps down after struggling for most of the race.

The Canadian, who had not driven a Cup car in more than two years ahead of his return to the series, managed to make the field on speed during Saturday's qualifying, getting the final spot on the grid for what was only his third points' race ever at NASCAR's top level.

Villeneuve suffered with an overheating car, handling issues and contact with the wall, besides massive heat inside the #32 Braun Racing Toyota Camry due to faulty cooling. Besides being his maiden Brickyard 400, his team also had little experience to rely on, Sunday's being their first outing in the race.

The former Indianapolis 500 winner lamented all the issues that hampered him during the race, but said he enjoyed driving his car hard in the end, once some of the problems he had were sorted.

"It was tough," said Villeneuve. "The first time out with the car, we didn't have the cooling working, the helmet or back cooling. That didn't work in the car. And, my drink bottle wasn't working until the caution around lap 100 when we could replace it. That was rough. Then the engine overheated and that killed me.

"Then it was a question of staying out there. Halfway through the race, the car was really difficult to drive with a broken splitter. I hit the wall a couple of times, so I backed it down because there was no point in trashing it.

"Then we came in the pit and fixed it and the car was very strong. I could run two-wide even against the quick guys and hold my own. Too bad we lost too much time when the splitter came up. The car was loose after that, but it was fun. I could drive it hard."

The 1997 Formula 1 world champion admitted he was worried by his lack of pace ahead of the race but seemed relieved he was able to find more speed once the racing unfolded.

"It was very stressful because we came here without any practice and the team not knowing the car or the track, and me not being in the Cup car for over two years," he said. "It was a big question mark. But, that's how I like it, when it's tough.

"We managed to get going. After practice yesterday, I was worried for the race because we were very slow. But, we fixed it overnight and we kept fixing it during the race and by the end, the car was running really strong."

It is uncertain yet when Villeneuve will be back behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup series car, his next NASCAR outing set already for next month in the Nationwide Series.


Ronaldo won’t returnVilleneuve struggles on Cup return

Roush recovering after surgery

NASCAR team owner Jack Roush has undergone surgery for facial injuries and continues to recover from a plane crash he suffered on Tuesday.

Roush, who survived a previous air incident in 2002, is still listed under serious but stable condition two days after the Hawker Beechcraft Premier jet he piloted crashed while trying to land during an air show at Wittman Air Field in OshKosh, Wisconsin.

On Wednesday, following surgery, Roush was transferred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he will continue to be treated for his injuries, which are not life threatening. His passenger Brenda Stricklin, who walked out of the wrecked aircraft, as did Roush, was treated and released from a Wisconsin hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

"On behalf of the NASCAR industry our hearts and prayers go out to Jack Roush, the Roush family and Roush Fenway Racing," said NASCAR chairman Brian France in a statement. "All of us are looking forward to a full and speedy recovery."

Roush Fenway Racing plans to run special decals on its cars this weekend at Pocono, wishing a quick return to the track to the man nicknamed as the 'Cat in the hat' among the NASCAR community.

Henrique returns to RacingRoush hurt in air show accident

Villeneuve adds Glen Nationwide race

Jacques Villeneuve will race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the second time this season next week, driving for Braun Racing at Watkins Glen.

The former Formula 1 world champion has added a second road course race to his limited schedule in NASCAR's second-tier series, following a successful first outing at Elkhart Lake, where he was a contender for victory until fuel pressure issues hampered him in the closing laps.

Villeneuve has had three Nationwide outings with Braun Racing over the past three years, leading laps in all of them and taking a fourth place last year in Montreal, where he is set to race next following his maiden Watkins Glen outing.

"I was very disappointed with our end result at Road America," said the Canadian. "We had such a great car and a fantastic team and to not get the win was frustrating. It was difficult to think we'd have to wait until our return to Montreal to try again.

"I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to race at Watkins Glen for my first time with this talented group. I think it will be a lot of fun and I hope to end this race in victory lane."

Last weekend the former Indianapolis 500 winner returned to the venue of one his most popular victories, competing in the Brickyard 400 and marking his return to the Sprint Cup series. Despite being more than two years since he last drove a Cup car, he was able to make the field, although he would later struggle during the race.

Braun Racing expects to make the most of Villeneuve's proven road course speed and experience, and hopes to pick up where they left off at Elkhart Lake last month.

"Jacques is the type of driver that any crew chief could hope to have behind the wheel, especially at a road course," said Villeneuve's crew chief, Trent Owens. "Not only is he a very talented driver, but his ability to feel and describe the car's balance is incredible. Jacques is a great asset to our team and its road course programme and we are very excited to have him drive our car at Watkins Glen."

Although Braun Racing has competed in five Sprint Cup races this season, the team does not plan to enter the series' Watkins Glen event.

Villeneuve targets top-three finishHenrique returns to Racing

Gordon critical of Edwards' antics

Jeff Gordon believes Carl Edwards went too far in crashing into Brad Keselowski to take victory in the Nationwide Series at Gateway last weekend, and says such an action would have been penalised by NASCAR in the past.

Last Saturday Edwards and Keselowski, who compete full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, were at the centre of controversy when an on-track exchange while fighting for victory on the last lap ended with a massive accident for the Penske driver.

Thus far NASCAR has yet to step in and take any action against either driver, having adopted a more relaxed approach towards on-track incidents for this year.

Earlier this season Edwards was placed on probation for three weeks after a similar incident with Keselowski in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta ended in the latter's car flipping over at high speed.

Gordon believes the Roush Fenway driver's antics were "out of line," and that a move such as Edwards' retaliatory contact with his rival out of the final corner of the race, would not have gone unpunished in the past.

"I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgement calls," Gordon said.

"Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point.

"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into [Turn] 1, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.

"Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion says NASCAR's judgement, or lack of it, on the incident, has left him wondering how far the sanctioning body will let the feud between Edwards and Keselowski escalate, as he believes it is not over yet.

He added that the current NASCAR cars are safe, but that such incidents could still have unwanted outcomes.

"I'm anxious to see how far it's going to be taken before [NASCAR] do step in or if they step in," said Gordon. "Those are some questions that I have for Robin [Pemberton, vice president of competition] and Mike [Helton, president] and [Sprint Cup series director, John] Darby and [Race Director David] Hoots.

"It's a question I think on a lot of people's minds that, This is great, but what's too much?

"The thing is, the drivers have always taken care of these things on track, whether you knew about them or not. They just weren't maybe as much out in the open because there would be a fine or there would be some kind of penalty handed down immediately.

"So you thought from an outsider's standpoint, that's over. But, trust me, as a driver, that was not over, that was not the end of it."

While both Keselowski and Edwards will meet again in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis this weekend, they are also set to compete in the short-track Nationwide series race on Saturday night at the nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Agent expects Maicon stayGordon critical of Edwards’ antics

Hamlin, Newman fined by NASCAR

Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman were fined for derogatory comments made against NASCAR, both drivers confirmed on Friday at Pocono.

Although NASCAR did not disclose any penalties to the media like it usually does with any rules violations, news surfaced during the week that two Sprint Cup drivers had been fined for making negative comments about the sanctioning body in public. NASCAR would only confirm that they had taken action against some drivers, but did not reveal any details.

At Pocono Raceway Newman confirmed on Friday that he was one of the drivers in question, but did not specify which comments were the subject of NASCAR's ruling. The Stewart-Haas driver was critical of restrictor-plate races when speaking to the media after an accident at Talladega last April and also following some hard crashes at the venue in previous races.

Meanwhile Hamlin said some comments he made on his Twitter feed following a Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland, were probably the cause for NASCAR's scrutiny. Before that he had publicly questioned the call for a caution period late during a Sprint Cup series race at Michigan while he was in the lead.

"We want the drivers to speak their minds and show emotion - if we blow a call or make a mistake we should be criticised for it and we often are," said NASCAR's managing director of communications Ramsey Poston about the fines imposed.

"That's fine. But over the years, we have seen comments by drivers do serious damage to the sport - that means damage to every track promoter trying to sell tickets, every sponsor trying to promote their drivers and products and, ultimately, the fan base.

"No business owner would permit employees, vendors or partners to damage their business – nor can we. It is the sanctioning body's obligation on behalf of the entire industry to protect the brand, just like every other major sport."

NASCAR has been subject of criticism by the media for keeping the fines private, but Poston says they did not want to bring more attention to the matter, and neither have they intended to harm the interests of the sponsors of those penalised.

"As to why the fines are unannounced, it is akin to a meeting with NASCAR in the hauler," said Poston. "It is something between the driver and NASCAR. It is not a good idea to further recite and replay derogatory remarks - nor do we intend to embarrass the drivers' sponsors or team."

One of the fines was reportedly as high as US $50,000, but neither driver nor NASCAR have confirmed that.

Penalised Edwards not backing downGuardiola fined for ref rant

Villeneuve struggles on Cup return

Jacques Villeneuve had a tough return to the Sprint Cup series at Indianapolis, finishing three laps down after struggling for most of the race.

The Canadian, who had not driven a Cup car in more than two years ahead of his return to the series, managed to make the field on speed during Saturday's qualifying, getting the final spot on the grid for what was only his third points' race ever at NASCAR's top level.

Villeneuve suffered with an overheating car, handling issues and contact with the wall, besides massive heat inside the #32 Braun Racing Toyota Camry due to faulty cooling. Besides being his maiden Brickyard 400, his team also had little experience to rely on, Sunday's being their first outing in the race.

The former Indianapolis 500 winner lamented all the issues that hampered him during the race, but said he enjoyed driving his car hard in the end, once some of the problems he had were sorted.

"It was tough," said Villeneuve. "The first time out with the car, we didn't have the cooling working, the helmet or back cooling. That didn't work in the car. And, my drink bottle wasn't working until the caution around lap 100 when we could replace it. That was rough. Then the engine overheated and that killed me.

"Then it was a question of staying out there. Halfway through the race, the car was really difficult to drive with a broken splitter. I hit the wall a couple of times, so I backed it down because there was no point in trashing it.

"Then we came in the pit and fixed it and the car was very strong. I could run two-wide even against the quick guys and hold my own. Too bad we lost too much time when the splitter came up. The car was loose after that, but it was fun. I could drive it hard."

The 1997 Formula 1 world champion admitted he was worried by his lack of pace ahead of the race but seemed relieved he was able to find more speed once the racing unfolded.

"It was very stressful because we came here without any practice and the team not knowing the car or the track, and me not being in the Cup car for over two years," he said. "It was a big question mark. But, that's how I like it, when it's tough.

"We managed to get going. After practice yesterday, I was worried for the race because we were very slow. But, we fixed it overnight and we kept fixing it during the race and by the end, the car was running really strong."

It is uncertain yet when Villeneuve will be back behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup series car, his next NASCAR outing set already for next month in the Nationwide Series.


Villeneuve struggles on Cup returnRonaldo won’t return

Gordon critical of Edwards' antics

Jeff Gordon believes Carl Edwards went too far in crashing into Brad Keselowski to take victory in the Nationwide Series at Gateway last weekend, and says such an action would have been penalised by NASCAR in the past.

Last Saturday Edwards and Keselowski, who compete full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, were at the centre of controversy when an on-track exchange while fighting for victory on the last lap ended with a massive accident for the Penske driver.

Thus far NASCAR has yet to step in and take any action against either driver, having adopted a more relaxed approach towards on-track incidents for this year.

Earlier this season Edwards was placed on probation for three weeks after a similar incident with Keselowski in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta ended in the latter's car flipping over at high speed.

Gordon believes the Roush Fenway driver's antics were "out of line," and that a move such as Edwards' retaliatory contact with his rival out of the final corner of the race, would not have gone unpunished in the past.

"I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgement calls," Gordon said.

"Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point.

"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into [Turn] 1, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.

"Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion says NASCAR's judgement, or lack of it, on the incident, has left him wondering how far the sanctioning body will let the feud between Edwards and Keselowski escalate, as he believes it is not over yet.

He added that the current NASCAR cars are safe, but that such incidents could still have unwanted outcomes.

"I'm anxious to see how far it's going to be taken before [NASCAR] do step in or if they step in," said Gordon. "Those are some questions that I have for Robin [Pemberton, vice president of competition] and Mike [Helton, president] and [Sprint Cup series director, John] Darby and [Race Director David] Hoots.

"It's a question I think on a lot of people's minds that, This is great, but what's too much?

"The thing is, the drivers have always taken care of these things on track, whether you knew about them or not. They just weren't maybe as much out in the open because there would be a fine or there would be some kind of penalty handed down immediately.

"So you thought from an outsider's standpoint, that's over. But, trust me, as a driver, that was not over, that was not the end of it."

While both Keselowski and Edwards will meet again in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis this weekend, they are also set to compete in the short-track Nationwide series race on Saturday night at the nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Agent expects Maicon stayGordon critical of Edwards’ antics

Villeneuve struggles on Cup return

Jacques Villeneuve had a tough return to the Sprint Cup series at Indianapolis, finishing three laps down after struggling for most of the race.

The Canadian, who had not driven a Cup car in more than two years ahead of his return to the series, managed to make the field on speed during Saturday's qualifying, getting the final spot on the grid for what was only his third points' race ever at NASCAR's top level.

Villeneuve suffered with an overheating car, handling issues and contact with the wall, besides massive heat inside the #32 Braun Racing Toyota Camry due to faulty cooling. Besides being his maiden Brickyard 400, his team also had little experience to rely on, Sunday's being their first outing in the race.

The former Indianapolis 500 winner lamented all the issues that hampered him during the race, but said he enjoyed driving his car hard in the end, once some of the problems he had were sorted.

"It was tough," said Villeneuve. "The first time out with the car, we didn't have the cooling working, the helmet or back cooling. That didn't work in the car. And, my drink bottle wasn't working until the caution around lap 100 when we could replace it. That was rough. Then the engine overheated and that killed me.

"Then it was a question of staying out there. Halfway through the race, the car was really difficult to drive with a broken splitter. I hit the wall a couple of times, so I backed it down because there was no point in trashing it.

"Then we came in the pit and fixed it and the car was very strong. I could run two-wide even against the quick guys and hold my own. Too bad we lost too much time when the splitter came up. The car was loose after that, but it was fun. I could drive it hard."

The 1997 Formula 1 world champion admitted he was worried by his lack of pace ahead of the race but seemed relieved he was able to find more speed once the racing unfolded.

"It was very stressful because we came here without any practice and the team not knowing the car or the track, and me not being in the Cup car for over two years," he said. "It was a big question mark. But, that's how I like it, when it's tough.

"We managed to get going. After practice yesterday, I was worried for the race because we were very slow. But, we fixed it overnight and we kept fixing it during the race and by the end, the car was running really strong."

It is uncertain yet when Villeneuve will be back behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup series car, his next NASCAR outing set already for next month in the Nationwide Series.


Villeneuve struggles on Cup returnRonaldo won’t return

JTG Daugherty signs Bobby Labonte

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series Series champion Bobby Labonte will drive for JTG Daugherty in 2011, the team has announced.

On Tuesday the Toyota outfit and Australian Marcos Ambrose, who had driven for it for the past five years in Trucks, Nationwide and Cup, had announced they were parting ways at the end of the year.

Less than 24 hours later, Labonte was named as the driver of the #47 Toyota for the full 36-race 2011 Sprint Cup season.

Labonte's new deal brings him some stability following a tough 2010 for the Texas native, who has driven for a number of teams this year after TRG's NASCAR outfit, with which he was set to complete the season, started struggling financially. Since leaving TRG, Labonte has competed for Robby Gordon's team and for Phoenix Racing as well.

"JTG Daugherty Racing is a solid race team that has come close to winning races with Marcos Ambrose and I'm looking forward to developing our new partnership in 2011," Labonte said.

"The team is thriving and their technical alliance with MWR [Michael Waltrip Racing] is intact. It's great to have next year already set in stone so when this season ends we can begin focusing on next year right away. Everything is in place and we have all the right ingredients to win races together."

The 46-year old is expected to complete the rest of this season swapping between outfits before making his full-time move to his new team, where co-owner Brad Daugherty expects him to thrive next year.

"We are really happy Bobby has decided to join our team because I have known him for a long time and I have always admired him as a professional driver and as an individual," Daugherty said.

"He will do an outstanding job representing our products and team. He has got to a point in his career that he still has some things to accomplish. He is highly experienced with a championship on his resume and we know he is capable of winning."

JTG Daugherty is currently a single-car outfit which has a technical alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing, the team that fields Martin Truex Jr and David Reutimann.

Ambrose to leave JTG DaughertyHenrique returns to Racing

Villeneuve struggles on Cup return

Jacques Villeneuve had a tough return to the Sprint Cup series at Indianapolis, finishing three laps down after struggling for most of the race.

The Canadian, who had not driven a Cup car in more than two years ahead of his return to the series, managed to make the field on speed during Saturday's qualifying, getting the final spot on the grid for what was only his third points' race ever at NASCAR's top level.

Villeneuve suffered with an overheating car, handling issues and contact with the wall, besides massive heat inside the #32 Braun Racing Toyota Camry due to faulty cooling. Besides being his maiden Brickyard 400, his team also had little experience to rely on, Sunday's being their first outing in the race.

The former Indianapolis 500 winner lamented all the issues that hampered him during the race, but said he enjoyed driving his car hard in the end, once some of the problems he had were sorted.

"It was tough," said Villeneuve. "The first time out with the car, we didn't have the cooling working, the helmet or back cooling. That didn't work in the car. And, my drink bottle wasn't working until the caution around lap 100 when we could replace it. That was rough. Then the engine overheated and that killed me.

"Then it was a question of staying out there. Halfway through the race, the car was really difficult to drive with a broken splitter. I hit the wall a couple of times, so I backed it down because there was no point in trashing it.

"Then we came in the pit and fixed it and the car was very strong. I could run two-wide even against the quick guys and hold my own. Too bad we lost too much time when the splitter came up. The car was loose after that, but it was fun. I could drive it hard."

The 1997 Formula 1 world champion admitted he was worried by his lack of pace ahead of the race but seemed relieved he was able to find more speed once the racing unfolded.

"It was very stressful because we came here without any practice and the team not knowing the car or the track, and me not being in the Cup car for over two years," he said. "It was a big question mark. But, that's how I like it, when it's tough.

"We managed to get going. After practice yesterday, I was worried for the race because we were very slow. But, we fixed it overnight and we kept fixing it during the race and by the end, the car was running really strong."

It is uncertain yet when Villeneuve will be back behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup series car, his next NASCAR outing set already for next month in the Nationwide Series.


Villeneuve struggles on Cup returnRonaldo won’t return

Gordon critical of Edwards' antics

Jeff Gordon believes Carl Edwards went too far in crashing into Brad Keselowski to take victory in the Nationwide Series at Gateway last weekend, and says such an action would have been penalised by NASCAR in the past.

Last Saturday Edwards and Keselowski, who compete full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, were at the centre of controversy when an on-track exchange while fighting for victory on the last lap ended with a massive accident for the Penske driver.

Thus far NASCAR has yet to step in and take any action against either driver, having adopted a more relaxed approach towards on-track incidents for this year.

Earlier this season Edwards was placed on probation for three weeks after a similar incident with Keselowski in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta ended in the latter's car flipping over at high speed.

Gordon believes the Roush Fenway driver's antics were "out of line," and that a move such as Edwards' retaliatory contact with his rival out of the final corner of the race, would not have gone unpunished in the past.

"I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgement calls," Gordon said.

"Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point.

"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into [Turn] 1, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.

"Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion says NASCAR's judgement, or lack of it, on the incident, has left him wondering how far the sanctioning body will let the feud between Edwards and Keselowski escalate, as he believes it is not over yet.

He added that the current NASCAR cars are safe, but that such incidents could still have unwanted outcomes.

"I'm anxious to see how far it's going to be taken before [NASCAR] do step in or if they step in," said Gordon. "Those are some questions that I have for Robin [Pemberton, vice president of competition] and Mike [Helton, president] and [Sprint Cup series director, John] Darby and [Race Director David] Hoots.

"It's a question I think on a lot of people's minds that, This is great, but what's too much?

"The thing is, the drivers have always taken care of these things on track, whether you knew about them or not. They just weren't maybe as much out in the open because there would be a fine or there would be some kind of penalty handed down immediately.

"So you thought from an outsider's standpoint, that's over. But, trust me, as a driver, that was not over, that was not the end of it."

While both Keselowski and Edwards will meet again in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis this weekend, they are also set to compete in the short-track Nationwide series race on Saturday night at the nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Agent expects Maicon stayGordon critical of Edwards’ antics

Roush hurt in air show accident

NASCAR team owner Jack Roush is in a serious but stable condition after a plane crash at an air show on Tuesday evening.

During the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture show at Wittman Air Field in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing had an accident while landing his Hawker Beechcraft Premier jet.

Video footage from the scene showed a bloodied Roush walking away from the crashed plane, which stayed upright but split in two, with assistance from the emergency services.

Both Roush and fellow occupant Brenda Strickland were taken to local hospitals, with Roush's condition listed as serious but stable, and Strickland having also sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Mata reveals English interestRoush: Simulations to blame for slump

Ambrose to leave JTG Daugherty

Marcos Ambrose will leave JTG Daugherty Racing at the end of the season, following five years of racing through the NASCAR ranks with the single-car outfit.

He is rumoured to be one of the candidates for a seat with Richard Petty Motorsports next year, where a void will be left by Kasey Kahne's departure to a Chevrolet team.

However, Ambrose says his future is not yet decided and that a return to Australia is still an option.

"It has been a great five-year journey for me and JTG Daugherty Racing," Ambrose said. "I am proud of being their driver and of what we have been able to accomplish together. I want to personally thank Tad, Jodi, Brad and the entire race team for everything they have done.

"Our plan is to complete the season with the same desire and commitment, and end our relationship the same way it started - with a positive attitude and the willingness to win. I will do everything I can to help JTG Daugherty transition into next year with their new driver.

"After five years, I personally felt it was time for a change. I have no firm plans of what will come next for me and my career. I would like to continue in NASCAR and finish off what I started, but I have not discounted returning to Australia. I'm grateful to JTG Daugherty Racing for giving me an opportunity to become a NASCAR driver and I wish them the best in the future."

Following a strong first full Cup season in 2009, where he ranked 18th in the final standings, his team targeted making the Chase this year - a goal that is now out of reach as he sits 27th in the points, with two top 10 finishes at Richmond and Sonoma his best results.

"Marcos is a friend and he is a great talent," said JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Tad Geschickter. "He will be an asset to his next team. While we hate to see him move on at the end of the season, we will remain focused on winning races with Marcos."

Ambrose narrowly missed out on his and JTG Daugherty's first Cup victory last month when his car stalled while saving fuel in the closing laps at Sears Point, where he had been dominant throughout the weekend.

He will start as one of the favourites to win at Watkins Glen in a fortnight - the scene of his two Nationwide wins and where he has finished third and second in the Cup events of the last two years.

He was also part of a Goodyear test at the venue, where he swapped cars with Hendrick Motorsports Jeff Gordon, impressing the four-time champion.

Ambrose eager for strong showingDiarra plans Mourinho talks

Gordon critical of Edwards' antics

Jeff Gordon believes Carl Edwards went too far in crashing into Brad Keselowski to take victory in the Nationwide Series at Gateway last weekend, and says such an action would have been penalised by NASCAR in the past.

Last Saturday Edwards and Keselowski, who compete full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, were at the centre of controversy when an on-track exchange while fighting for victory on the last lap ended with a massive accident for the Penske driver.

Thus far NASCAR has yet to step in and take any action against either driver, having adopted a more relaxed approach towards on-track incidents for this year.

Earlier this season Edwards was placed on probation for three weeks after a similar incident with Keselowski in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta ended in the latter's car flipping over at high speed.

Gordon believes the Roush Fenway driver's antics were "out of line," and that a move such as Edwards' retaliatory contact with his rival out of the final corner of the race, would not have gone unpunished in the past.

"I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgement calls," Gordon said.

"Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point.

"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into [Turn] 1, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.

"Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion says NASCAR's judgement, or lack of it, on the incident, has left him wondering how far the sanctioning body will let the feud between Edwards and Keselowski escalate, as he believes it is not over yet.

He added that the current NASCAR cars are safe, but that such incidents could still have unwanted outcomes.

"I'm anxious to see how far it's going to be taken before [NASCAR] do step in or if they step in," said Gordon. "Those are some questions that I have for Robin [Pemberton, vice president of competition] and Mike [Helton, president] and [Sprint Cup series director, John] Darby and [Race Director David] Hoots.

"It's a question I think on a lot of people's minds that, This is great, but what's too much?

"The thing is, the drivers have always taken care of these things on track, whether you knew about them or not. They just weren't maybe as much out in the open because there would be a fine or there would be some kind of penalty handed down immediately.

"So you thought from an outsider's standpoint, that's over. But, trust me, as a driver, that was not over, that was not the end of it."

While both Keselowski and Edwards will meet again in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis this weekend, they are also set to compete in the short-track Nationwide series race on Saturday night at the nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Agent expects Maicon stayGordon critical of Edwards’ antics

Gordon critical of Edwards' antics

Jeff Gordon believes Carl Edwards went too far in crashing into Brad Keselowski to take victory in the Nationwide Series at Gateway last weekend, and says such an action would have been penalised by NASCAR in the past.

Last Saturday Edwards and Keselowski, who compete full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, were at the centre of controversy when an on-track exchange while fighting for victory on the last lap ended with a massive accident for the Penske driver.

Thus far NASCAR has yet to step in and take any action against either driver, having adopted a more relaxed approach towards on-track incidents for this year.

Earlier this season Edwards was placed on probation for three weeks after a similar incident with Keselowski in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta ended in the latter's car flipping over at high speed.

Gordon believes the Roush Fenway driver's antics were "out of line," and that a move such as Edwards' retaliatory contact with his rival out of the final corner of the race, would not have gone unpunished in the past.

"I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgement calls," Gordon said.

"Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point.

"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into [Turn] 1, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.

"Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion says NASCAR's judgement, or lack of it, on the incident, has left him wondering how far the sanctioning body will let the feud between Edwards and Keselowski escalate, as he believes it is not over yet.

He added that the current NASCAR cars are safe, but that such incidents could still have unwanted outcomes.

"I'm anxious to see how far it's going to be taken before [NASCAR] do step in or if they step in," said Gordon. "Those are some questions that I have for Robin [Pemberton, vice president of competition] and Mike [Helton, president] and [Sprint Cup series director, John] Darby and [Race Director David] Hoots.

"It's a question I think on a lot of people's minds that, This is great, but what's too much?

"The thing is, the drivers have always taken care of these things on track, whether you knew about them or not. They just weren't maybe as much out in the open because there would be a fine or there would be some kind of penalty handed down immediately.

"So you thought from an outsider's standpoint, that's over. But, trust me, as a driver, that was not over, that was not the end of it."

While both Keselowski and Edwards will meet again in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis this weekend, they are also set to compete in the short-track Nationwide series race on Saturday night at the nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Gordon critical of Edwards’ anticsAgent expects Maicon stay

Villeneuve struggles on Cup return

Jacques Villeneuve had a tough return to the Sprint Cup series at Indianapolis, finishing three laps down after struggling for most of the race.

The Canadian, who had not driven a Cup car in more than two years ahead of his return to the series, managed to make the field on speed during Saturday's qualifying, getting the final spot on the grid for what was only his third points' race ever at NASCAR's top level.

Villeneuve suffered with an overheating car, handling issues and contact with the wall, besides massive heat inside the #32 Braun Racing Toyota Camry due to faulty cooling. Besides being his maiden Brickyard 400, his team also had little experience to rely on, Sunday's being their first outing in the race.

The former Indianapolis 500 winner lamented all the issues that hampered him during the race, but said he enjoyed driving his car hard in the end, once some of the problems he had were sorted.

"It was tough," said Villeneuve. "The first time out with the car, we didn't have the cooling working, the helmet or back cooling. That didn't work in the car. And, my drink bottle wasn't working until the caution around lap 100 when we could replace it. That was rough. Then the engine overheated and that killed me.

"Then it was a question of staying out there. Halfway through the race, the car was really difficult to drive with a broken splitter. I hit the wall a couple of times, so I backed it down because there was no point in trashing it.

"Then we came in the pit and fixed it and the car was very strong. I could run two-wide even against the quick guys and hold my own. Too bad we lost too much time when the splitter came up. The car was loose after that, but it was fun. I could drive it hard."

The 1997 Formula 1 world champion admitted he was worried by his lack of pace ahead of the race but seemed relieved he was able to find more speed once the racing unfolded.

"It was very stressful because we came here without any practice and the team not knowing the car or the track, and me not being in the Cup car for over two years," he said. "It was a big question mark. But, that's how I like it, when it's tough.

"We managed to get going. After practice yesterday, I was worried for the race because we were very slow. But, we fixed it overnight and we kept fixing it during the race and by the end, the car was running really strong."

It is uncertain yet when Villeneuve will be back behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup series car, his next NASCAR outing set already for next month in the Nationwide Series.


Ronaldo won’t returnVilleneuve close to victory on return

Ganassi: Split strategy won Brickyard

Chip Ganassi believes different tyre strategies for his two cars at the final pitstop were key to his NASCAR team's maiden Brickyard 400 win.

Juan Pablo Montoya had shown the way from pole position for most of the race until the caution came out with 21 laps remaining, allowing many to go for aggressive strategies to gain track position. Eventually the Colombian got shuffled back to seventh as McMurray led the group of those taking two tyres for the final sprint.

Montoya was unable to make any progress and even struggled to maintain his position, ending up hitting the wall with 13 laps remaining. Meanwhile McMurray and Harvick, who both changed only two tyres, fought it out up front, the Earnhardt Ganassi driver eventually beating the points' leader to victory.

Chip Ganassi said his team opted for different tyre strategies for his two cars to cover all bases, putting them in the strongest position to win the race. While McMurray led the field on the final restart, Montoya was ahead of others taking four new tyres.

"All the crew chiefs talk about is, what do you do with 10 to go? Four tyres? They can point to the races where four tyres have won, you can point to the races where two tyres have won," said Ganassi.

"We were in the enviable position of running 1-2. A lot of times when you're running like that, you can do a split strategy so you have both angles covered.

"I was behind the pit stand. [Sponsor] Johnny Morris brought up to me, maybe we ought to think about two. The #42 was going for four. I looked at [McMurray's crew chief] Bono. I said, do you think we should do the split strategy here? He said, yeah, let's go for two. I said, okay.

"That was the call. The only reason we could do that is because we knew the #42 [Montoya] was going for four. As a team, we had both strategies covered. That's the great thing about having a team-mate."

McMurray's crew chief Kevin Manion said that despite him believing initially that a four-tyre change would be the way to win the race, his only opportunity to aim at victory was gaining track position in the end. Right before the caution came out, Montoya had opened up more than a three-second lead over his team-mate, showing he was going to be hard to beat on equal footing.

"We knew on that last stint there that people were going to take two [tyres]," said Manion. "It's a fact. It's written in stone that, you know, maybe fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, 10th, some of them guys are going to take two.

"If you are a leader and have a really good balanced car, it's hard not to take four tyres. Greg Biffle and Juan were running 1-2, they both took four. That was their opportunity they thought to win the race. Our opportunity to win this race was to take two.

"When [team-manager Tony Glover] asked me in the team meeting this morning, what's your plan today? Whatever it takes to win the race - that was our plan. Our car ran best in clean air. Traffic definitely played a major part in Juan or Biffle not winning."

McMurray showed sympathy for his team-mate, who suffered yet another heartbreak at Indy, leading the most laps for the second year in a row in the race but failing to translate that into his first oval win in the Cup series.

"I would guess they're not shocked by what's happened today because it seems like they've had a lot of bad luck," said McMurray about Montoya and his group. "I don't know what happened to him. Honestly, I didn't even know he was involved in a wreck until under that caution I saw him walking out of his car. I didn't want to ask what had happened because I was more concerned with what I was doing at the time.

"Yeah, I mean, that's hard on anybody to lead that many laps. This is a special place to Juan from winning the Indy 500, being the guy that can be the only guy that's won both those races. So, yeah, that's really tough."

Montoya's crew chief Brian Pattie took blame for the decision that eventually placed his driver seventh for the final restart, putting him on dirty air after he had spent most of the race running without any traffic at all.

"Bad call," said a short-sentenced Pattie. "Crew chief error. We should have taken two tyres."

Maicon reassures Inter fansGanassi targets American triple crown

McLaren's Dennis in NASCAR visit

Former McLaren Formula 1 boss and McLaren Group co-owner Ron Dennis is in attendance at the Indianapolis NASCAR event this weekend supporting McLaren Electronics' bid to become an official supplier as the sanctioning body works on making the transition from carburetors to fuel injection.

MES is hoping to become the sole supplier of standard ECUs to all NASCAR teams, following similar deals the company has in other series. It is currently an official supplier both in Formula 1 and the IZOD IndyCar Series, and now hopes to get involved with America's biggest racing series.

NASCAR has yet to announce when it will apply electronics to its cars' fuel intake systems, but Dennis said his company would be ready to become a supplier as early as next season. He believes MES' experience in other forms of racing and some technological alliances his company has done in the US, makes its bid an ideal fit for NASCAR.

"I think when it comes to McLaren trying to differentiate from other possible suppliers, first, our electronics company has been around for 20 years, secondly, we've partnered with Freescale, who's the biggest American producer of semiconductors and we opened facilities in Charlotte two years ago," said Dennis.

"We're proud of the statistics. If you say give me some headlines, we've supplied every Formula 1 team for three years and not one team has had electrical faults at either practice or racing in three years. We've done the same in IRL [IndyCar] and we are a very cost-effective technology because we have bullet-proof reliability and for NASCAR one of the things that we can absolutely guarantee is tap-proof systems and the ability to very carefully monitor anything that even remotely looks like it's being interfered with."

Dennis stated his company has already been working for some time on its involvement with NASCAR and that series officials had underlined the importance of ensuring that the technology should not impact on the fans' perception of the series. He assured fans they would not be able to differentiate between a car running a carburetor and one using fuel injection but that they would appreciate the series getting in line with the auto industry in terms of green initiatives.

He also said he found his first ever NASCAR visit "fascinating" and admitted to being surprised by the level of sophistication he found in the garages, having been critical of the series in the past.

"It's more sophisticated than I anticipated it," said Dennis. "Cars are beautifully prepared, there's no question about that. Obviously there's some strong tradition in NASCAR racing, which you've got to respect and it's there for a reason.

"Clearly there's a tremendous desire to maintain equality and try to create interesting racing and clearly there's some big commitment from NASCAR officials to be even-handed. Processes are clearly very diligent and well considered and there's definitely a more relaxed atmosphere, but that I was expecting."

Dennis will be in attendance for the Brickyard 400 race, where his former McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya will start from pole position. The pair split right after the 2006 United States Grand Prix at the same venue, following the Colombian's announcement of his multi-year NASCAR deal. Dennis admitted to being "impressed" by Montoya's form in qualifying.

"He seems to be getting the job done," said Dennis. "I don't know if he made the supreme effort today to impress me, but he has. I somewhat doubt it."

Forlan eyes Prem returnVilleneuve targets top-three finish

Gordon critical of Edwards' antics

Jeff Gordon believes Carl Edwards went too far in crashing into Brad Keselowski to take victory in the Nationwide Series at Gateway last weekend, and says such an action would have been penalised by NASCAR in the past.

Last Saturday Edwards and Keselowski, who compete full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, were at the centre of controversy when an on-track exchange while fighting for victory on the last lap ended with a massive accident for the Penske driver.

Thus far NASCAR has yet to step in and take any action against either driver, having adopted a more relaxed approach towards on-track incidents for this year.

Earlier this season Edwards was placed on probation for three weeks after a similar incident with Keselowski in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta ended in the latter's car flipping over at high speed.

Gordon believes the Roush Fenway driver's antics were "out of line," and that a move such as Edwards' retaliatory contact with his rival out of the final corner of the race, would not have gone unpunished in the past.

"I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgement calls," Gordon said.

"Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point.

"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into [Turn] 1, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.

"Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion says NASCAR's judgement, or lack of it, on the incident, has left him wondering how far the sanctioning body will let the feud between Edwards and Keselowski escalate, as he believes it is not over yet.

He added that the current NASCAR cars are safe, but that such incidents could still have unwanted outcomes.

"I'm anxious to see how far it's going to be taken before [NASCAR] do step in or if they step in," said Gordon. "Those are some questions that I have for Robin [Pemberton, vice president of competition] and Mike [Helton, president] and [Sprint Cup series director, John] Darby and [Race Director David] Hoots.

"It's a question I think on a lot of people's minds that, This is great, but what's too much?

"The thing is, the drivers have always taken care of these things on track, whether you knew about them or not. They just weren't maybe as much out in the open because there would be a fine or there would be some kind of penalty handed down immediately.

"So you thought from an outsider's standpoint, that's over. But, trust me, as a driver, that was not over, that was not the end of it."

While both Keselowski and Edwards will meet again in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis this weekend, they are also set to compete in the short-track Nationwide series race on Saturday night at the nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Agent expects Maicon stayGordon critical of Edwards’ antics

Penalised Edwards not backing down

Carl Edwards accepted NASCAR penalties imposed on him after his incident with Brad Keselowski in a Nationwide Series event last weekend, but said he will not back down with rivals trying to race him as aggressively as the Penske driver.

Edwards was docked points, fined and placed on probation in all NASCAR series this week after he intentionally crashed into Keselowski on the last corner at Gateway International Raceway last Saturday, on the last lap of a race in the second-tier series.

Speaking at Indianapolis, where he is set to race Keselowski again in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide events, the Roush Fenway racer said the penalties were fair, and that he accepted it had been unfair to get other drivers caught up in his feud - as a number of cars collected Keselowski's Penske Dodge at high speed as it spun during the Gateway incident. Although no one was driver, many drivers ended up with badly damaged cars.

"Immediately after the race last week I felt like what I did was right and it was a fair outcome to the race, and I felt like it was within NASCAR's boundaries that they had set," Edwards said.

"I think NASCAR felt the same way right then, but then as the week went on, I had the chance to talk to [NASCAR president] Mike Helton and I understand and respect that those other teams that were caught up in that wreck that Brad and I had initiated... those guys are working hard.

"I've been in that position, working hard for sponsorship and working hard for finishes, and I feel that NASCAR's penalty is fair. I talked to Jack and Geoff Smith and I don't plan on appealing it. I think it's fair in that respect. I sincerely apologise to those guys that were caught up in that wreck."

However Edwards did not go as far as saying his feud with Keselowski was over and refused to say whether he would act differently if placed under the same circumstances by his rival again. He also said he considered the probation NASCAR imposed on Keselowski as an admission that he was not the only one at fault in their clash at Gateway.

"We'll see what the future holds," said Edwards. "I race hard and I'm not going to let somebody take advantage of me, that's for sure. I've proven that, and I've been consistent about it, and I've been honest about it, too, which, I don't think has helped me any, but I've been honest about it.

"There's nothing personal between Brad and I - from my side there's not. I have a lot of respect for him and what he does on the racetrack, but the problem is that he can't just run into me to get an advantage, especially for wins. That's happened way too much between us.

"I can accept my penalty, but I'm happy that NASCAR recognised that Brad needed to be penalised too."

Keselowski for his part said the probation placed on him did not come as a surprise and that the feedback he has received from fans makes him think that he did nothing wrong.

"I don't know why, [the penalty] didn't seem to really bother me," he said. "There were some of my fans that got really upset about it. I did an autograph signing and they were pretty excited about it. I respect that. That's been the coolest part, to listen to your fan base. To get the emails or phone calls from the fans, even your friends and family to support you makes it a lot easier to deal with.

"I wouldn't say [I'm]surprised. To me, what that says is NASCAR doesn't want me to go out there and intentionally retaliate against Carl, which is great. I don't want to. I'm glad that they took that away. Now I don't have to worry about that."

The pair will race each other on Saturday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park, a race Edwards won last year and where Keselowski, who leads the Nationwide standings, finished fourth.

Gordon critical of Edwards’ anticsMaicon reassures Inter fans

Ganassi targets American triple crown

Chip Ganassi could become the first team owner to win the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same year this weekend, having won the first two events already this season.

Jamie McMurray won the Sprint Cup series season-opening Daytona 500 in his return with Chip Ganassi's squad in February, which was a first for both him and the team.

Then last May Dario Franchitti earned his second Indianapolis 500 win and Ganassi's fourth, while he became the first team owner to win both NASCAR's and IndyCar's premiere events in the same year.

While in the IZOD IndyCar Series Franchitti is in close contention for the title, in the Sprint Cup Series both McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya are well outside the top twelve in the standings with just seven races left before the championship playoff starts in September.

Ganassi is proud of his teams' achievements this year, but admits his NASCAR outfit to be falling short in lower profile events, which add up just as much as the big ones in the standings.

"At the big events our season has been pretty good," said Ganassi. "Obviously with the wins at Daytona and Indianapolis we have the big events covered, but it seems to be those damn little events in between that make up the series, that we seem a bit challenged by here from time to time. But if you're going to win some, we're winning the ones you want to win."

"...Our drivers get up for big events. They seem to like those places. Jamie and Juan in NASCAR both like Daytona. Dario and Scott [Dixon] both like Indianapolis. So our guys seem to be good at the places where the big races are. So many times you have drivers good at a particular type of track, and fortunately our guys are good at the tracks that have the big races. That's a big help."

Last year Montoya started from the front row in the Brickyard 400 and led for 116 of the race's 160 laps, but following his final pitstop he was penalised for exceeding the speed limit on pit road, losing a race that he admittedly had "in the bag".

Ganassi recognises that Montoya, the only driver to lead laps in the Indianapolis 500, the US GP and the Brickyard 400 at Indy, has a special liking for the legendary venue, which could prove vital in his hope of adding the second of NASCAR's big events to his team's resume.

"The thing I like about Juan is he races every lap," Ganassi said. "Having said that, there are certain tracks, certain things that guys like. Everybody's got something the like and for some reason Juan gets around Indianapolis well.

"... He proved it from the first day he saw the place - I was standing there, and he liked it. Believe me, I was as surprised as anybody. It was in an IndyCar and the pole speeds that year were in the 220's [mph] and in his very first run out of the box he did a high 216.

"We came in and asked 'What's the car doing?' He said 'The car is doing nothing, it's like a slot car'. I said 'What do we need to do to go faster?' He said 'I've got to hold my foot down further'. So it's not a complex thing."

In three races in the Sprint Cup series at Indianapolis, Montoya, who became a father for the third time this week, has twice started from the front row, finishing second on his first stock car race at the venue in 2007.

Meanwhile, McMurray finished third on his Brickyard debut in 2003 driving for Ganassi, and has two more top-ten finishes in seven races at the track.

Barca linked with Mata swoopMontoya: I can still make the Chase

Gordon critical of Edwards' antics

Jeff Gordon believes Carl Edwards went too far in crashing into Brad Keselowski to take victory in the Nationwide Series at Gateway last weekend, and says such an action would have been penalised by NASCAR in the past.

Last Saturday Edwards and Keselowski, who compete full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, were at the centre of controversy when an on-track exchange while fighting for victory on the last lap ended with a massive accident for the Penske driver.

Thus far NASCAR has yet to step in and take any action against either driver, having adopted a more relaxed approach towards on-track incidents for this year.

Earlier this season Edwards was placed on probation for three weeks after a similar incident with Keselowski in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta ended in the latter's car flipping over at high speed.

Gordon believes the Roush Fenway driver's antics were "out of line," and that a move such as Edwards' retaliatory contact with his rival out of the final corner of the race, would not have gone unpunished in the past.

"I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgement calls," Gordon said.

"Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point.

"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into [Turn] 1, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.

"Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion says NASCAR's judgement, or lack of it, on the incident, has left him wondering how far the sanctioning body will let the feud between Edwards and Keselowski escalate, as he believes it is not over yet.

He added that the current NASCAR cars are safe, but that such incidents could still have unwanted outcomes.

"I'm anxious to see how far it's going to be taken before [NASCAR] do step in or if they step in," said Gordon. "Those are some questions that I have for Robin [Pemberton, vice president of competition] and Mike [Helton, president] and [Sprint Cup series director, John] Darby and [Race Director David] Hoots.

"It's a question I think on a lot of people's minds that, This is great, but what's too much?

"The thing is, the drivers have always taken care of these things on track, whether you knew about them or not. They just weren't maybe as much out in the open because there would be a fine or there would be some kind of penalty handed down immediately.

"So you thought from an outsider's standpoint, that's over. But, trust me, as a driver, that was not over, that was not the end of it."

While both Keselowski and Edwards will meet again in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis this weekend, they are also set to compete in the short-track Nationwide series race on Saturday night at the nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Villeneuve close to victory on returnAgent expects Maicon stay

Villeneuve still serious about NASCAR

Jacques Villeneuve is still open to a future in NASCAR despite making a bid to enter a Formula 1 team in partnership with Durango.

The former Formula 1 world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner will try to qualify for what would be his third ever NASCAR Sprint Cup series event this weekend at the Brickyard, more than two years after he attempted to make the field for the 2008 Daytona 500.

The Canadian is currently trying to keep his career options open as he returns to NASCAR while working on his proposed F1 team.

Speaking at Indianapolis, Villeneuve remained tight-lipped about his F1 bid and said for the time being he does not have a preference on where to race next year.

"There's a lot going on and until you have something finalised you've got to look at every opportunity that's out there," said Villeneuve.

"I really enjoy driving the NASCAR and that's why I moved back on this side of the ocean in 2006, it was to work on this and it's taken a while to get going. Right now we got [the Nationwide series race at] Elkhart Lake going and now we've got the Brickyard so it's starting to open up a little bit and it would be great if we could carry on doing more ovals.

"Obviously there's been a lot of talks about Formula 1 and as long as this is an option, I have to keep it open. It's really hard to tell you what the preference would be. We have to wait until the real opportunity is there on the table. Until there's something full-time that we can get going, I just can't really focus on one."

Villeneuve indicated that he had options to race in IndyCar again but said his focus now is mainly on F1 and NASCAR, which he believes to be the "top-two forms of racing in the world."

Although he was evasive when asked about his F1 plan, he admitted the road for a start-up team would always be a bumpy one, as the current new outfits have proven thus far on their debut season.

While few details have leaked thus far as to how his team would be built up, there seems to be little indication that it may involve an organisation with F1 experience.

"If you look at the new teams this year, they got going very late and obviously with not enough budget," he said. "So there's very little that can be accomplished in the first year. And the problem is when they start like that they can't build on the following year and so on, so it's a vicious circle."

The 39-year-old said this weekend's result in the Brickyard 400 could prove pivotal to his NASCAR future. His #32 Braun Racing Toyota is not guaranteed to start the race and he has to make the field on speed during Saturday's qualifying. He will quickly need to adapt to a car that he has not driven since his failed attempt to qualify for the Sprint Cup season opener in 2008.

"This is not a qualified car so that creates another level of pressure," said Villeneuve. "We have to spend the day just working on the qualifying set-up and getting used to the track to try to make the show. That's the main issue right now and hopefully it won't rain. We'll see how it goes after that. If we can have a good race then it will definitely be an important one for what happens in the future."

This weekend marks more than 15 years since Villeneuve's last race at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis oval, where he claimed Indy 500 victory following second place in his rookie year in 1994. He also raced on the venue's purpose-built F1 track five times, scoring a best finish of fourth in the first event held in 2000.

Villeneuve's most recent NASCAR outing was last month in a Nationwide Series race at Road America where he was competitive at the front, leading some laps and contending for victory before fuel pressure issues hampered him in the end.

Hleb waits on Barca futureVilleneuve enters Indy NASCAR race

Edwards/Keselowski feud punished

Carl Edwards and his Roush Fenway team have been handed penalties, while Penske's Brad Keselowski has been placed on probation, following their latest on-track incident which took place last weekend in a Nationwide Series event at Gateway.

After the pair had been briefed by NASCAR officials earlier this year following an on-track exchange in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta, the sanctioning body stepped in on Wednesday in another attempt to prevent their feud escalating any further.

Last Saturday Keselowski was hit violently by other cars after he got spun by Edwards in a retaliatory move, while fighting for victory out of the last corner of the race. No action was taken initially, but officials reviewed the facts and have hit Edwards and his team hard.

He has been docked 60 points in the Nationwide Series driver standings, his boss Jack Roush was deducted the same amount in the owner rankings, while Edwards was also fined US $25,000 and placed on probation for the rest of the season in all NASCAR series.

This is Edwards' second probation period this year, after he had been handed a three-race warning following the Atlanta incident.

Meanwhile Keselowski was similarly placed on probation, which NASCAR vice president Robin Pemberton says is a move to protect their fellow competitors in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series.

"Both of them are on probation through the end of the year," said Pemberton. "We needed to do that to help protect the garage area from being caught up in an incident not of their making.

"These two drivers have a history with each other. We had talked to both drivers after the Atlanta incident. And even though Carl was put on probation, we had conversations with Brad about their relationship and explained to them that there will be a boundary.

"You fast forward to Gateway and you look at what we feel like was Brad misjudging his corner on Carl and then you look at the retaliation by Carl coming off Turn 4, we felt this had escalated beyond what we should tolerate on the race track.

"The penalty is to put these guys on notice. They have affected many of the other teams in the garage area and we felt they stepped over the line with their aggressive driving. It was time to penalise."

Pemberton said the penalties announced do not go against the approach they have taken this year in the way they rule incidents, allowing drivers to police themselves more on the track and intervening less than they have done in the past.

He believes their new policy has enhanced the spectacle, but Saturday's actions from Edwards and Keselowski ended up ruining the finish for many others.

"We think the vast majority of competitors throughout all our series have handled themselves accordingly and measured their actions and reactions accordingly," said Pemberton. "We feel they've done an outstanding job. We're not changing the policy. We just have two competitors who have gone over the edge."

In a team statement Keselowski said he accepted NASCAR's ruling and expects to finally put his feud with Edwards to rest.

"The incident at the end of Saturday night's race at Gateway was unfortunate not just for Penske Racing and the #22 Discount Tire Dodge team, but for all of the teams that were caught up in the aftermath," said Keselowski.

"There was unnecessary damage done to a lot of race cars as a result of the incident, including one of our best cars. We support NASCAR's decision and we look forward to putting this behind us."

Roush Fenway officials said they will evaluate the penalties internally before deciding to either accept them or make an appeal. Edwards is still second in the Nationwide Series standings, but now 228 points behind Keselowski.

Gordon critical of Edwards’ anticsPellegrini salutes Ronaldo

Gordon critical of Edwards' antics

Jeff Gordon believes Carl Edwards went too far in crashing into Brad Keselowski to take victory in the Nationwide Series at Gateway last weekend, and says such an action would have been penalised by NASCAR in the past.

Last Saturday Edwards and Keselowski, who compete full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, were at the centre of controversy when an on-track exchange while fighting for victory on the last lap ended with a massive accident for the Penske driver.

Thus far NASCAR has yet to step in and take any action against either driver, having adopted a more relaxed approach towards on-track incidents for this year.

Earlier this season Edwards was placed on probation for three weeks after a similar incident with Keselowski in a Sprint Cup series race at Atlanta ended in the latter's car flipping over at high speed.

Gordon believes the Roush Fenway driver's antics were "out of line," and that a move such as Edwards' retaliatory contact with his rival out of the final corner of the race, would not have gone unpunished in the past.

"I think it's been well documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers' hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgement calls," Gordon said.

"Probably it's hard to really say just because there is a little bit of a past history with those two. You don't really know what all has gone on over the years with them that has brought it to this point.

"But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into [Turn] 1, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.

"Again, you don't know what kind of bad blood there is between the two. Whether or not NASCAR gets involved in it, I think two, three, four, five years ago, I would have thought absolutely they would have done something, maybe taken the win away or docked points or a fine or something like that. Today, it's letting the guys race."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion says NASCAR's judgement, or lack of it, on the incident, has left him wondering how far the sanctioning body will let the feud between Edwards and Keselowski escalate, as he believes it is not over yet.

He added that the current NASCAR cars are safe, but that such incidents could still have unwanted outcomes.

"I'm anxious to see how far it's going to be taken before [NASCAR] do step in or if they step in," said Gordon. "Those are some questions that I have for Robin [Pemberton, vice president of competition] and Mike [Helton, president] and [Sprint Cup series director, John] Darby and [Race Director David] Hoots.

"It's a question I think on a lot of people's minds that, This is great, but what's too much?

"The thing is, the drivers have always taken care of these things on track, whether you knew about them or not. They just weren't maybe as much out in the open because there would be a fine or there would be some kind of penalty handed down immediately.

"So you thought from an outsider's standpoint, that's over. But, trust me, as a driver, that was not over, that was not the end of it."

While both Keselowski and Edwards will meet again in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis this weekend, they are also set to compete in the short-track Nationwide series race on Saturday night at the nearby O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Gordon critical of Edwards’ anticsPellegrini salutes Ronaldo

Reutimann extends Waltrip deal

David Reutimann has signed a two-year extension of his contract with Michael Waltrip Racing, following their second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory together, the team has announced.

The 40-year-old, who is currently in his fourth full season at NASCAR's top level, will remain with the Toyota outfit until 2012 after the team announced that both him and his current sponsor have signed new deals.

Reutimann won for the first time in the Sprint Cup last year in a rain-shortened event at Charlotte and two weeks ago he claimed a categorical victory at Chicagoland Speedway, which has placed him closer to the top 12 in the drivers' standings, seven races before the series' playoff starts.

"I'm glad both Michael Waltrip Racing and [sponsor] Aaron's want to keep me around," Reutimann joked. "I've been asked about my contract for the last month and we've had a handshake agreement, but now it's done and I'm glad I can finally talk about it. I'm thrilled.

"This is where I want to be - at Michael Waltrip Racing driving the #00 with Aaron's on the hood.

"Michael and Darrell Waltrip have given me just about every chance I have ever had in NASCAR since 2004 and I don't want to go anywhere else. Good things are happening here and I plan to be a part of it."

Team owner Michael Waltrip, who gave Reutimann his first Cup chance in 2005 and ran him in the team's debut season in 2007 as a rookie, said the team and driver's mutual faith in each other made it an easy decision to carry on with their partnership.

"We never wavered on wanting to extend David and neither did [our sponsor]," said Waltrip. "[They] are like family to me. They've both been a large part of Michael Waltrip Racing since the very beginning and have stuck with us through thick and thin.

"In the beginning we all took a chance on each other. You might say it was a high-risk, high-reward proposition for everyone involved, but we all believed in each other and we are now starting to see those rewards a little more each day."

Reutimann currently ranks 15th in the Sprint Cup series standings, 98 points outside a possible Chase berth, and ahead of his younger and highly-rated team-mate Martin Truex Jr.

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