NASCAR's Jim Hunter dies at 71

NASCAR executive Jim Hunter passed away on Friday night in Daytona, following a year-long battle with cancer.

Hunter, one of the sport's 'old guard', spent more than four decades involved with NASCAR at different levels, working as a journalist, sports editor and public relations representative during his career.

Some of his positions included being president of Darlington Raceway, corporate vice-president of International Speedway Corporation, and he also spent two stints at NASCAR, first in 1983 as vice-president of administration and then from 2001 in the public relations department, where he was named vice-president for corporate communications.

"Jim Hunter was one of NASCAR's giants," said NASCAR's Brian France. "For more than 40 years Jim was part of NASCAR and its history. He loved the sport, but loved the people even more. It seems as if everyone in the sport called him a friend. Jim will forever be missed by the NASCAR community. Our sympathies go out to his entire family."

While working in the public relations area he worked with some IndyCar drivers before getting fully involved in NASCAR, with his efforts recognised through numerous awards.

"Jim was a uniquely talented man that cannot be replaced," said NASCAR president Mike Helton. "He was a great friend and mentor to so many in the sport. His influence will remain with and be carried on by so many of the people he touched. This is a sad day for Jim's family and his extended, NASCAR family."

Hunter is survived by his wife of 48 years, Ann Hunter; his children, Scott Hunter and Amy McKernan and his grandchildren Dakota Hunter, and Hunter and Luke McKernan.

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Gordon gets new main sponsor

Jeff Gordon will campaign the "Drive To End Hunger" as his main sponsor from 2011, as DuPont scales back on its backing of the four-time Sprint Cup Series champion.

The AARP Foundation and Hendrick Motorsports announced a three-year deal to have Gordon and his team as ambassadors for an initiative to end hunger in America, specially among 60-plus seniors.

The agreement will cover 22 races per year, with DuPont and Pepsi expected to remain involved, featuring as main sponsors in a small number of events.

"This is a truly unique opportunity to help people, and it's a completely new, cause-driven approach to sponsorship," said Gordon. "Every single day, millions of older Americans are forced to make a choice between food, medicine and utilities.

"It's going to be a team effort, and it's not going to be easy, but we can solve this problem."

The AARP Foundation, a non-lucrative entity, expects to raise more awareness about the cause they campaign by being involved with one of NASCAR's most popular drivers.

They ultimately expect the sponsorship helps raise far more funding that they will actually spend, estimates about the foundation's investment being between US $10 and $15 million per season.

"We expect to raise far more money than we're investing in this [sponsorship] if we're going to solve this issue of hunger in America," said AARP Foundations President Jo Ann Jenkins.

"...NASCAR fans are among the most charitable, community-minded sports fans in the country, and they have a track record of commitment.

"With the help of Jeff and the Hendrick team, we will make the most of this unprecedented opportunity to end the struggle that so many older Americans have with hunger."


Barca won’t pay £50m for CescDuPont extends Gordon’s relationship

DuPont extends Gordon's relationship

Despite scaling back on their sponsorship of Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports, DuPont announced on Thursday a new three-year deal with the four-time champion.

DuPont, one of the companies with the longest standing relationships with Hendrick Motorsports and also the longest association with a current Sprint Cup series driver, will feature as the main sponsor of the #24 Chevrolet in 14 races per season for the next three years.

On Wednesday the team announced a three-year deal with the AARP Foundation and its "Drive To End Hunger" campaign, which will feature as the main sponsor of Gordon's car in the majority of events starting next year. Pepsi will take the main role in two races from next year.

"I can't remember what it was like to race without DuPont on board," said Gordon. "We've had such an incredible ride together, and I've learned so much about how DuPont applies science and innovation to make a positive difference in the world. It means a lot to me to keep it going for at least another three seasons.

"DuPont has supported me throughout my Cup career, and I feel like we have more wins and championships ahead."

On November 2012 season DuPont and Gordon will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first races together, which marked the debut for both at NASCAR's top level at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"They took a leap of faith by sponsoring Jeff and the No. 24 team back in 1992, and the relationship has been unbelievable ever since," said Rick Hendrick. "They are terrific people, and it's extremely gratifying to continue into our 19th full season together [in 2011]."

Gordon has won four championships carrying the company's logos, which will still feature on his car in every race for the next three years, even when AARP is the main sponsor.

DuPont, a science-based products and services company, has one of the most unique marketing strategies in the sport given its business-to-business model.

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Red Bull yet to confirm 2011 line-up

Red Bull Racing officials have yet to finalise the NASCAR team's driver line-up for next season, as they continue to monitor Brian Vickers' recovery from illness.

Following Kasey Kahne's early arrival at the team after being released by Richard Petty Motorsports this week, Red Bull Racing team general manager Jay Frye has stated that the outfit has yet to decide on who will partner Kahne next season.

Vickers, who has been with the team since its debut season in 2007, is currently recovering from treatment after being diagnosed with blood clots in May which forced him to stop racing immediately.

Although Vickers' condition has evolved positively and he expects to be ready to race in time for the start of the 2011 season, Frye says they are still keeping a close eye on his recovery.

"We're still monitoring Brian's health and his situation," said Frye. "So far everything seems really good. Our plan is to have two cars. Obviously in that situation, we have too many drivers. Then we have to figure out what to do.

"We continue to monitor Scott [Speed] and his performance, so we'll know more on that soon. A lot of it is dependent on Brian and his health."

Despite denying that any final decision has been made on Speed's future with the team, Frye said that there are performance clauses in the Californian's contract which could allow the team to release him at the end of the season.

Speed is currently 28th in the Sprint Cup standings, his best results being 10th places at Atlanta and Daytona.

"We've said this for some time now that there's performance clauses within his contract and again, we don't really get into contract discussions," Frye said. "We're going to end up having, at this point, two cars and possibly three drivers. At that point, decisions will have to be made. It's not necessarily the case that decisions have been made yet."

Frye also welcomed Kahne's early arrival, which he expects to help the team set a solid foundation for what will be its fifth full season at NASCAR's top level.

"Obviously, a lot of things happened this week and obviously we're very excited to get a head start on the 2011 season," said Frye. "This was something we obviously didn't anticipate happening but it did and we couldn't be more happy about it."

Kahne to finish 2010 with Red BullReal confirm Jo interest

Kahne: RPM exit by mutual consent

Kasey Kahne claims his sudden departure from Richard Petty Motorsports was a mutual agreement between the parties, and wished his former outfit well having moved to the Red Bull Racing Team for the remainder of the year.

The 30-year-old was released by RPM on Wednesday following friction between both sides at last weekend's race at Charlotte, where Kahne struggled with brake problems before crashing during the first half of the race.

Kahne was in his final races at the wheel of the #9 RPM Ford, as in August he announced he was switching to Red Bull in 2011, before entering a multi-year deal to drive for Hendrick Motorsports from '12.

His free agent status following Wednesday's announcement from RPM allowed him to make his move to Red Bull effective this weekend at Martinsville, where he is driving the #83 Toyota for the first time.

Speaking at the Virginia track, Kahne stated that the break up was by mutual consent, and believes it was positive for both him and RPM as they both can concentrate on getting a rolling start to 2011.

"It was a mutual release and for me, I think that's a good thing for both sides. They're happy about it and we're happy about it," said Kahne.

"Really, to me I was leaving. I was going on starting next year and it made sense for RPM to start working on their things for next year and for myself to get with the Red Bull guys at this point. It's kind of a jump-start on next year, is what I see it as. That's the biggest thing.

"It's been kind of a crazy week. There's been a lot of different things going on and maybe different opinions on what happened or what's going to happen and that kind of stuff. I'm looking forward to this weekend and I'm happy that I'm in the Red Bull car. Hopefully, I can work well with this group of guys and go pretty fast at times."

Kahne still lamented the technical issues that have hampered him this season with RPM, contributing to him not making the Chase after being a title contender last year. He is currently ranked 21st in the standings with no victories, this being his first winless season since 2007.

"Last weekend, Saturday night [at Charlotte], to have a problem like we had on lap 30, that just doesn't happen at a track that you don't use very much brake at," said Kahne. "And then to happen before. We'd had things go on throughout the season.

"At that point in time, it was difficult and I think the timing of all this made sense. It was nice for me when it happened and I think it's good for RPM when it happened."

Speculation has been mounting about RPM facing financial difficulties and that being a factor in Kahne's departure. Although he refused to comment on the team's finances, Kahne said the outfit has fulfilled its salary commitments with him to date.

Kahne also wished the team well for the remainder of the season and hopes the organisation sees out the year, amid reports that it faces an uphill struggle to complete 2010.

"For me, I certainly hope that RPM keeps rolling," said Kahne. "I hope that they finish out this season and put together another great season next year. That's what I want them to do. I want that team to keep going.

"There's a lot of good people there that deserve to have jobs and deserve to be working on these race teams. For me, I hope they keep rolling for sure."

Kahne also confirmed that his RPM crew chief Kenny Francis will finish the year with the #9 RPM team, before rejoining him at Red Bull next year.

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Ambrose concerned about RPM

Marcos Ambrose hopes Richard Petty Motorsports can get through its financial woes within the next few weeks as he fears for the team's future, having signed a deal to drive for the team in 2011.

Speculation continues to mount regarding RPM, following the early release of Kasey Kahne from the team this week and a growing uncertainty about its funding for the rest of the season and next year.

RPM announced earlier this year that Marcos Ambrose will drive the outfit's #9 Ford in 2011, while AJ Allmendinger is signed to race the #43 car next year.

The Australian, who will start second in Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville, revealed he has gone through a week of uncertainty regarding his future following the news from RPM.

"My new team for 2011 is going through a rough patch," said Ambrose. "I'm fully committed to it. I hope they can get their problems fixed in the next couple of weeks, and put it all behind.

"It's just been a week of uncertainty really. It's not nice for anybody and I've got a great opportunity for 2011. I just want to make sure I get to do it."

RPM's director of competition Robbie Loomis said the team continues to look forward to 2011 despite some reports raising doubts about them seeing the season out.

"I think it's our full intention to go forward," Loomis said. "There's been a lot of speculation about a lot of things, there always has been in this sport, but what gives me confidence is that we've always had the ability to move forward. We do our best today.

"I was thinking riding up the road this morning with Dale [Inman] and I said, 'You can't look too far out in the future because today is all that we really have,' and many of you know that from being around this sport."

Loomis denied there have been any management changes in the last few weeks and said George Gillett continues to be the squad's majority owner, with Richard Petty, Boston Ventures and Ray Evernham all being minority shareholders.

Gillett has been at the centre of controversy recently after reluctantly having to sell the Liverpool Football Club, a transaction that has reportedly left losses for him and his business partner Tom Hicks.

New England Sports Venture (NESV), the new owner of the football team, also owns a stake of Roush Fenway, which has a technical partnership with RPM for chassis and engines.

The dispute between Gillett and NESV over the sale of Liverpool led to doubts about the continuity of the technical support for RPM from Roush, which led to suggestions that the team did not have cars for next weekend's race at Talladega.

However, Loomis said that RPM's cars will be at the Alabama circuit next weekend.

"The Gilletts, they've been through a lot obviously - everyone knows that," Loomis said. "They've worked really hard to be a four-car team last year and continue it this year, and now we've got to look at what our teams are going to look like going into next year."

"We'll be at Talladega. I hope we're all in Talladega. It's our full intention to keep rolling right along."

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Kahne released early from RPM

Kasey Kahne has been released from driving duties by Richard Petty Motorsports, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series outfit announced on Wednesday night.

The 30-year-old will depart his current team sooner than expected after a fallout with his squad after last Saturday's race at Charlotte. His #9 Ford was driven to the chequered flag by JJ Yeley following mid-race repairs after Kahne crashed against the wall and into Sam Hornish's Penske Dodge.

Kahne was reportedly unhappy during the event after suffering brake issues, which had already hampered him in previous races. The malfunction caused him to struggle and eventually crash on lap 125 of 334, and Kahne then felt too unwell to get back in the car according to reports from team officials during the race.

However Kahne later revealed that there had been some friction between him and the outfit, following the incident Saturday.

"I was told that I needed to start doing my part, is what one guy told me last night after the race," Kahne told reporters at Charlotte last Sunday. "I told him he needed to start doing his part."

Red Bull Racing Team announced in August that it had agreed for Kahne to drive for the team in 2011 before he takes over from veteran Mark Martin at Hendrick.

Kahne announced last April that he was leaving RPM at the end of the season after signing a multi-year deal to drive for Hendrick Motorsports from 2012.

Aric Almirola had been entered as the driver for the #83 Red Bull Toyota for this weekend's Chase round at Martinsville, but he is now expected to take over the #9 car at RPM, while Kahne could probably accelerate his arrival at Red Bull.

Kahne has not enjoyed a good 2010 season with no wins to his name despite three pole positions. He currently ranks 21st in the Sprint Cup standings behind RPM team-mate AJ Allmendinger.

Nadal set for Mallorca roleKahne to finish 2010 with Red Bull

Kahne to finish 2010 with Red Bull

Kasey Kahne will finish the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season with Red Bull, starting with Martinsville next weekend, the team has announced.

Kahne was released from his driving duties by Richard Petty Motorsports on Wednesday night after a fall-out between the two parties last Saturday during the fifth round of the Chase, where Kahne crashed following brake issues.

The 30-year-old had already signed a deal to race for Red Bull next year before moving to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012, and he will now get a head start on his 2011 campaign with the outfit. He will drive the #83 Red Bull Toyota in the five races remaining of the 2010 season, getting behind the wheel for the first time on Friday during official practice for Sunday's race at Martinsville.

"With our agreement only being for one year, there is a great sense of urgency to get started on 2011," said the Red Bull team's vice-president and general manager Jay Frye. "With Kasey coming earlier than planned, we are excited to have a five-race headstart."

Jimmy Elledge will be Kahne's crew chief from this weekend, but his RPM crew chief Kenny Francis is expected to move to Red Bull with him next year.

Aric Almirola will drive RPM's #9 car this weekend, but no firm plans have been revealed by the team for the next four races, which will be the last few for Budweiser as the car's sponsor before it moves on to Richard Childress Racing and Kevin Harvick's car.

Kahne will be the fifth driver at the wheel of the #83 Red Bull Toyota this year, as three others have shared the drive following Brian Vickers' diagnosis with blood clots in May.

The team still has to reveal its full driver line-up for 2011, with Vickers and Scott Speed as the leading candidates for a seat alongside Kahne.

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Patrick takes best NASCAR finish yet

Danica Patrick finished 21st on her ninth NASCAR Nationwide Series outing at Charlotte, taking her best career finish in the the series thus far.

The JR Motorsports driver had an uneventful race starting from 18th on the grid, struggling with grip and high water temperatures from the very first stint, dropping down in the order and a lap down just past the first 50 laps of the scheduled 200.

Set-up changes on her first stop did not work as expected and she was unable to make progress up the order, eventually dropping a second lap down before the deciding stages of the race.

A long green-flag stretch nearly halfway through did not help her cause either as she was in position to get back on the lead lap, had cautions fallen her way.

Despite not having enough pace to contend further up, she completed a trouble-free run and a good final stint on her way to a best Nationwide Series career finish.

Patrick feels the temperature issues in the early laps probably led to her losing pace, affecting not only power but also grip as her team had to clear the grill on the front of the car from tape in order to bring temperatures under control.

"It seems like every time we have the chance to have a great finish we crash and then every time we have a pretty average night I finish and finish in the 20s," said Patrick.

"It is what it is. We were running a little hot on the first run and nearly had to pit for heat. That's not good and then we took some tape off [the front of the car] and then I guess we had too much taken off. You loose the nose weight... and the car felt like it wasn't on the ground, it didn't feel like it was stuck as well.

"We tried to work with it and a couple of changes were good in the race but nothing overcame that feel of not being gripped up out there. We did out best. We had some highs this week and that hasn't happened a lot of other times I've been to a track for the first time.

"We'll take the high points and take a non-crashed car home and learn from this new car this time and move on."

Friday night's race was Patrick second outing in the new Nationwide Series car, which is being used in a limited number of races this year.

Her next NASCAR appearance takes place at Gateway, Illinois, a 1.25-mile oval which will be another new track in her stock car apprenticeship.

Nadal set for Mallorca rolePatrick has ‘humbling’ runs at Dover

Hamlin unflustered by Harvick feud

Denny Hamlin says he is not letting Kevin Harvick play mind games with him following their clash on Saturday during NASCAR Cup practice at Dover.

Hamlin and Harvick clashed on track then confronted each other in the garage on Friday, but Hamlin says the altercation was unnecessary for both as they ended up losing nearly half of the second practice session of the weekend while repairs were made to their cars.

He believes Harvick was reacting to what he said on Friday about the penalties given to his team-mate Clint Bowyer, but does not regret speaking his mind.

"I think it was a lot of frustrated team members and that's going to be part of it," said Hamlin "Of course it's unnecessary because it didn't help either one of the race teams - us having to work on race cars or anything like that.

"I spoke my mind yesterday and I felt like I said a lot of truth. A lot of times that's not popular with the teams that are involved. It's something that I've always done, to speak my mind, and it's not always in my best interest to do that.

"The thing is now that we just move on. We get our car fixed. We're getting some of our speed back and now the goal is to move on."

Hamlin said that before the practice session started he was warned by Harvick's crew, one member of the #29 team wishing him 'good luck' before he rolled out of the garage. But he didn't elaborate on what was said between Harvick, him and their teams' crew members.

"There was a lot of cursing," said Hamlin. "That's all that there really was being said. There was nothing really logical being said inside with the two teams. Nothing's ever going to come of it.

"I had a hint. Their crew guys, they stare and make a couple comments right before. He [Kevin Harvick] got into me on pit road even before we left the track so I knew we were going to have to deal with some issues.

"It's unnecessary that the team guys have to get involved in it, but we're just going to keep focused on winning a championship."

Hamlin was defiant ahead of Sunday's race, where he believes he has more speed that his Richard Childress Racing rivals. During the final practice session of the weekend, Hamlin was seventh fastest, with Harvick 15th, Bowyer second and their RCR team-mate Jeff Burton third.

Hamlin claims what happened on Saturday won't distract either him or his team from their focus on winning this year's Cup title, as he believes Harvick is simply trying to dent him mentally.

"Our job is still to win the championship and we look pretty good on speed, especially compared to those guys," said Hamlin. "I think we're going to be okay.

"We have to just stay focused. That's the biggest thing to me, those guys play those games and they've been in the sport a long time and they know how to play these games and get into someone's head that's beating you right now. I think that was just a small effort on their part."

While Hamlin will see the green flag wave from fourth on the grid on Sunday, Harvick will start the second race of the championship playoff back in 34th.

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Patrick has 'humbling' runs at Dover

Danica Patrick continued her steep learning curve in NASCAR taking a top 10 finish in the Pro Series East race and 35th in the Nationwide Series event at Dover this weekend.

The IndyCar star competed on Friday afternoon in the Pro race, starting 13th, leading the race for a few laps and finishing sixth after contact when she restarted from the front of the field dropped her down the order.

Patrick took the 155-lap race as a warm up for Saturday's Nationwide event, as both series use similar cars, although the Pro is a level down the NASCAR ranks.

She was happy following her first race of the weekend, although conditions inside the car were not ideal as she ran without the proper ventilation that she's used to in her Nationwide car.

"I know I learned a lot for [the Nationwide] race and that was the point," Patrick said after Friday's event. "I learned a lot, especially about restarts. I learned about closing rates.

"I learned how to set people up here and I learned about the timing of everything. I didn't have a back blower and the helmet blower seemed to be blowing hot air. I was pretty star-star-star hot."

In the Nationwide event Patrick didn't fare as well, struggling with a poor qualifying despite running well in practice. From 42nd on the grid she was unable to make much progress while fighting handling issues, dropping a lap down on the leaders as soon as lap 17.

On lap 70 of 200, and while running two laps down already, the right front tyre on her Chevrolet gave up and Patrick hit the wall hard, forcing her to drive to the garage for lengthy repairs. Though she came back on track nearly 100 laps later to finish 35th in her seventh Nationwide race.

Patrick admitted that she still has to learn more lessons on how to set up her car for a race before being able to move up to the next level. She says the fact that her apprenticeship is taking place in the public eye doesn't make things any easier.

"I don't know what I need out of the car to be good in the race," said Patrick. "I know what I need for one lap to feel good, but that doesn't mean it's going to be good for 70 or 80 laps. So, even on that last run out there which was 30 or so laps, we freed [the car] up and went out there and started feeling a little loose, and it kind of settled in and I was pushing by the end.

"How loose does it have to be when you start to have a good end? I don't know if that contributed to the right front blowing out in the first run or not, but it got to the point that there was so much push, it was shattering. I know now from experience that when you have a vibration and when the car doesn't want to turn it's probably losing pressure and you should back it on down.

"Lessons learned, and they're not fun lessons because everybody is watching so it makes it even harder but we'll get this car to the front by the end of the year. We'll figure it out."

Even before her weekend started, Patrick had already admitted how humbling her NASCAR transition has been as she has had to learn to cope with bellow-par results while she figures out the nuances of stock car racing.

"Mostly it's just been emotional because I've had to deal with not having as good results as I would have liked," said Patrick. "IndyCar has been a bit of a tough season. I've had probably some of my best races I've ever had, but I've also had some mediocre ones.

"NASCAR has been a humbling experience itself. For me, it's been more emotional than anything. I enjoy being busy, I like it. I'm lucky to be busy. Not every driver gets to be busy, and it's all for good reason. It's part of what I signed up for and I'm enjoying it."

Patrick will return to the Nationwide Series next month at Fontana, which will be the first venue she has competed at for a second time this year.

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Patrick enters first four 2011 rounds

Danica Patrick is set to enter the first four events of the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, including her first outing ever at Bristol.

The IndyCar star is set to continue exploring a future in NASCAR by entering a limited schedule again in 2011, which may include a similar number of events as this year although with a longer first stretch, before she starts her IndyCar Series season with Andretti Autosport at the end of March.

Patrick will again drive for JR Motorsports, a team co-owned by Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr, kicking off with season opener at Daytona, followed by what will be her home event at Phoenix, a second career start at Las Vegas and her debut at the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway.

The rest of her schedule will be set depending on her IndyCar commitments and also on where the series' season finale takes place, something that has yet to be determined.

"I know we're all anxious to get the whole schedule put in place, but I'm extremely excited to be able to confirm our participation in the first four races," Patrick said. "We'll have four extremely challenging and unique races to start our 2011 season, and I'm anxious to return to a lot of those tracks with at least a little bit of familiarity."

Patrick said that only at the end of next year will she be able to decide on whether she pursues a full-time NASCAR career or continues racing in IndyCar. No Sprint Cup outings are planned for her in 2011 for the time being, despite a possible move by JR Motorsports to NASCAR's top level being on the cards.

"At this point in time, the best thing I can do is focus on each individual day that I'm in the car and focus on that and make the most of that and do the best I can possibly do and give it my full attention," said Patrick. "Then when I've given it my all, I can pull back and look at it and see where my heart goes and where the opportunities are."

In 2011 Patrick may end up entering up to 30 races between her IndyCar and Nationwide Series schedules. This year she still has four events left in NASCAR's second-tier series following Friday's race at Charlotte, which is her ninth this year.

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NASCAR to use E15 fuel from 2011

NASCAR's green efforts have taken a big step after officials announced the use of E15 fuel from the start of the 2011 season.

Starting with next year's season-opening events at Daytona, all NASCAR national series will run on Sunoco Green E15, a 15 per cent ethanol blend, which has already been tested extensively by engine builders.

The sanctioning body only implemented unleaded fuel as recently as 2008, with Sunoco's 260 GTX 98-Octone gasoline, following a partnership between the US Environmental Protection Agency and the official fuel supplier.

This next step takes NASCAR further ahead in its environmental aims and also makes it more aligned with the trends of the auto industry.

"NASCAR is committed to being an environmental leader, and the sport has taken significant steps over the years toward conservation by introducing measurable, best-in-class initiatives in recycling, alternative energy, and carbon mitigation," said NASCAR's chairman and CEO Brian France.

"The transition to Sunoco Green E15 takes our long-term sustainability strategy to the next level. Sunoco Green E15 is good for racing, good for the environment and good for America. While fueling the same close, door-to-door racing that thrills our fans, American ethanol creates jobs in the United States, helps foster energy independence, and continues the greening of our sport."

The new biofuel will be blended at Sunoco's fuel facility in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, while the ethanol will come from a plant in Fulton, New York, which is owned by Sunoco. The biofuel will be pumped directly from tankers at the track, rather than the underground storage tanks currently used.

"We're proud to be part of NASCAR's dedication to conservation with Sunoco Green E15 - the ultimate high-test ethanol fuel blend," said Sunoco's senior vice president Bob Owens. "In our six years as official fuel partner, Sunoco has changed with the times by helping NASCAR transition to unleaded fuel, and now we are eager to produce for the sport a high-performance ethanol blend."

Testing has already shown the expected cleaner burn with the new fuel, while dyno testing has also proved increased horsepower. Officials expect a seamless transition to the new fuel next year.

"The testing has been going on at the track and test facilities," said NASCAR's vice president for competition Robin Pemberton. "Teams have also been able to run [E15 fuel] at a few tyre tests so far this year with great results. All drivers like more power so they had smiles on their faces for that. We're pleased with everything and the dyno work will continue."

NASCAR's next technological step is expected to be the implementation of fuel injection, which has been in the works for some time already and could happen as early as next season.

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Hmiel undergoes successful surgery

Former NASCAR racer Shane Hmiel is recovering from surgery to heal injuries in his neck and back after his sprint car accident on Saturday night.

Hmiel was treated at Indianapolis' Methodist Hospital after he suffered a serious crash during qualifying for the Sumar Classic 100 USAC Silver Crown event at the Terre Haute Action Track near Indianapolis.

The 30-year-old, son of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing director of competition Steve Hmiel, has been trying to rebuild his driving career for the past few years after being banned from NASCAR due to repeatedly failing substance abuse tests.

Despite initial fears of head injuries due to the nature of Saturday's accident, a scan revealed there was no permanent damage to his brain, having crashed head-on against the barrier and damaging the roll bar structure of his car.

"To hear the doctors say they don't think there's going to be any paralysis with a broken neck and broken back, we just went through that a month and a half ago with a close friend, and with Shane we didn't want to see that happen again," said Sunday's Sprint Cup race winner Tony Stewart at Fontana, following his victory.

"That's why we mentioned it in victory lane. Definitely our thoughts are with him right now for sure."

On Sunday night a first surgery was performed to treat his neck injuries and proved successful, Hmiel reacting to stimulation and already moving his extremities. On Monday he underwent a more critical second procedure on his back, exams revealing spinal cord injuries, but according to his mother Lisa the surgery "exceeded expectations".

Further updates on Hmiel's condition can be found on the Shane Hmiel - Road to Recovery Facebook page, where his family has been posting news since Sunday.

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Furious Bowyer insists penalty unjust

Clint Bowyer insists his team did not cheat to claim victory in the Chase opener last week at Loudon as he made a furious statement in front of the media on Friday at Dover International Speedway.

The Richard Childress driver has dropped from second to 12th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series play-off after the car he drove to victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last Sunday was deemed illegal during a detailed inspection done by NASCAR this week.

Speaking for the first time since his penalties were issued, the former Nationwide Series champion claimed he "wouldn't cheat to win a race in this sport," as he lamented his win being tarnished by the controversy.

Although he led 177 of the race's 300 laps at Loudon last Sunday, Bowyer claimed victory by succeeding at stretching his fuel mileage enough following his final pitstop, while others such as Tony Stewart were unable to do so despite running the same fuel strategy.

Bowyer reiterated that his team had been warned before Loudon after the car he raced at Richmond a week earlier was found to be too close to the tolerances of the height of the quarter-panels on the rear end.

After that, he said RCR took notice of NASCAR's warning and made sure the issue was corrected on the car it would race in the Chase opener, which officials advised would be checked in detail at their R&D facility following the event.

"Who in the right mind, knowing that they're going to take that car, wouldn't have made triple sure that that thing was right before it went to the racetrack?" said Bowyer.

"I could've hit the wall doing a burnout and I could've done a lot of things that other drivers and other teams have done in the post-race celebration this year. We didn't want to push that in NASCAR's face.

"We appreciated them warning us on the fact that we tried to fix the situation. They told us about it Wednesday [before Loudon]. Wednesday the car leaves, so we had about two hours to jump on that car and make sure that that thing was right."

Bowyer questioned the process that NASCAR undertook to measure his Loudon winning car this week at its facility. He believes the magnitude of his penalty is being set as an example by the ruling body to rival teams that may be pushing the limits of the technical regulations.

He is adamant that once the rumours started about his car being outside the tolerances, NASCAR was pushed to penalise him.

"How can a car pass pre and post-race inspection and three days latter get such a huge fine?" said Bowyer. "They take the car apart, completely apart, to measure this thing and in my opinion that's not how the car that was raced on the racetrack.

"Once the rumours started it wasn't long before the penalty. I think NASCAR has a lot of problems with a lot of cars on the racetrack being out of the box and I think they needed to set an example with something.

"I think the penalty doesn't fit the crime. 60 thousandths of an inch folks! Grab a quarter out of your pocket and that's 65 thousandths of an inch thick. Less than the thickness of that quarter right there resulted in a 150-point fine. Before or after this, grab that and ask yourselves if that was a performance-enhancing thing right there!"

Bowyer insists that his car being pushed by a service truck following the race may have well caused it to drop outside NASCAR's box. His #33 Chevrolet ran out of fuel after a celebratory burnout and had to be towed to Victory Lane for the post-race celebrations.

The RCR driver reminded the press that his car passed the post-race inspection and claimed that while officials did not find anything irregular, Jimmie Johnson's and Denny Hamlin machines needed to go through the height-sticks twice at Loudon before being passed.

"Is it possible that a two-tonne wrecker [truck] can bend the quarter panel 60 thousandths of an inch? You have to ask yourselves that," said Bowyer. "I got hit during the race, turned around a couple of times; racing is tough.

"If this thing was knocked out half of an inch you could see something being made, but if it passed the height sticks [in the post-race inspection], the very height sticks that the #48 [Johnson] and the #11 [Hamlin] did not pass, then miraculously enough when that same crew pushed it back around after 20 it passed. That's pretty amazing.

"My dad owns a towing business, has done since I was born in 1979. I know a little something about wreckers. About 15 years ago they took their front bumpers off for this very reason.

"I remember back when people used to come on a snow storm [and say] 'please push me out of the snowbank'. You pushed them out and two days later they showed up with the bodyshop bill in their hand, wanting you to to pay for the damage you did to the back of their car. This could happen."

Richard Childress Racing is hoping to get the penalties handed to Bowyer and his team overturned through an appeal process, which has deferred the suspensions and fines imposed for now.

Zaragoza want Pennant stayChildress disputes NASCAR’s ruling

Hamlin aims to rebound at Fontana

Denny Hamlin is targeting victory at Fontana this weekend as he vows to stay in close contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title, having lost the Chase lead last week.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver held the lead of the standings entering the championship play-off and remained in front until last weekend at Kansas, where Jimmie Johnson's second place and Hamlin's 12th, vaulted the reigning champion ahead and to the top of the Chase.

Hamlin has been setting targets for finishing positions for the past three weeks but believes Fontana offers him a first chance of winning during the play-off and cutting down the eight-point gap to Johnson in the championship.

Despite poor results on his last two visits to Fontana, Hamlin has led laps in both outings having started from pole and fought for victory a year ago before crashing during a restart and blowing his title hopes.

"I don't think this is a race track where I feel like I don't want to lose a certain amount of points," said Hamlin. "I want to go out there and close back in on the lead. We feel like we can come to California and win. We've been in contention to win a couple of these races here. I come here to finish number one, nowhere else."

Out of the six tracks remaining this year, Hamlin has won at two of them, Martinsville and Texas. He believes he has already passed his worst tracks and is optimistic about coming races, where he expects to show his team's strength and contend for more victories.

"I think all of these tracks from here on out are good race tracks for us," said Hamlin. "There's really no weak spot, I feel like, in our programme for the next four to six weeks. I think that we made it past the big hurdles for us and we only lost 18 points to Jimmie over the last three races and now it's time to go out there and show why we are in this position."

Hamlin says it is still too early to start thinking about bonus points and team work, and reckons only in a couple of weeks will they know where they really are in terms of their championship hopes.

"I really don't watch Chase points right at this point," Hamlin said. "If we're, once we get down to three races to go, where we need five points then we're going to be calling on our team-mate if he's in front of us or things like that. We're not really going to chase those points until we really see where we stack up and that's going to be five or six races in."

Hamlin is currently enjoying his best shot at the Sprint Cup title and ties Chase leader Johnson for number of wins during the season with six apiece.

Hammers lead Barrera chaseHamlin: Johnson still the favourite

Stewart laments losing Loudon win

Tony Stewart lamented losing a likely win in the Chase opener at Loudon this weekend as he ran out of fuel right before taking the white flag.

The two-time Sprint Cup series champion took the lead early into Sunday's race and despite dropping in the order following his first pitstop, he was able to get back to the front and eventually lead the race again in the deciding stages.

After staying on the track when many pitted during the sixth of eight caution periods, Stewart briefly lost the lead to Earnhardt Ganassi's Jamie McMurray, re-passing him with 52 laps remaining, then pulling away while try to save enough fuel to make it to the finish.

But despite being on the same pit sequence as eventual winner Clint Bowyer, his car ran out of fuel on the penultimate lap at the exit of turn four, just a few seconds after Bowyer's RCR teammate Jeff Burton, also on the same strategy, suffered a similar blow.

"I'm not happy, that's for sure, but we went down swinging," said Stewart. "It's hard to lose one that way but at the same time it was fun racing Clint like that. He was definitely the fastest car and congratulations to those guys.

"It's a tough way to start the Chase but I'm proud of my guys. Darian [Grubb, crew chief] kept swinging at it all day and finally on that last set of tires we got it halfway decent."

Stewart said that had he known he was so marginal on his fuel mileage he would have accepted finishing second behind Bowyer, but unfortunately the numbers didn't meet the targets on his team's calculations, ending around a mile short of scoring his second win of the year.

"I would have settled for second," accepted Stewart. "If you knew exactly how much gas you have it would be different, but you never know. It's part of the sport, always has been. It's what makes it exciting when you never know until the last lap what's going to happen

"...[Clint Bowyer] had a great car all day. He did a good job of saving fuel and I didn't do a good job."

A victory on Sunday would have placed Stewart up in second place in the Chase standings, but his 24th place finish meant he dropped five places in the playoff down to eleventh, only ahead of Roush Fenway's Matt Kenseth.

But despite a 124-point deficit to leader Denny Hamlin, Stewart says it's still too early in the playoff to give up on his title hopes.

"There is so much that can happen in nine races," said Stewart. "I promise you this: This team is not going to give up. We'll do the best we can and give it our best shot."

Sunday's result has been Stewart's worst for a Chase opener since he missed the playoff in 2006.

Hammers lead Barrera chaseHamlin maintains Chase lead

Harvick: Title fight down to top five

Chase contender Kevin Harvick believes the battle for this year's NASCAR Sprint Cup title has narrowed down to the top five in the championship standings, heading into the fifth race of the play-off.

The Richard Childress racer currently ranks third in the Chase, trailing leader Jimmie Johnson by 54 points, second-placed Denny Hamlin by 18, while former champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart follow him in the top five.

Behind them Penske's Kurt Busch, who was involved in an incident late during last weekend's race at Fontana, is already 140 points adrift of Johnson, which according to Harvick is probably a big enough gap to already consider him a championship outsider.

Harvick continues to pin his title hopes on the consistency that earned him the lead in the points for most of this year's regular season.

"I think you look from fifth forward," said Harvick when asked who in his mind was still in the Chase. "I think that is it really unless somebody just goes on a tear, this is just kind of where it is at right now.

"Consistency has been our strong point, so there is no reason not to lean on that. If it is not good enough in the end, it's not good enough. But those are the things that we lean on to be the strong point and get the good finishes and just wear them down. That is really what our strong point is."

Busch, however, does not feel he is out of the Chase, although he admitted that for him to revive his title bid, he needs to count on the leaders hitting some sort of trouble in the coming six races.

"Anything can happen at any given moment," Busch said. "Whether it's an engine failure, another competitor running into someone on the track, points can swap so fast that anything can happen and it's anyone's game. There's no reason to panic. There's no reason to do anything out of the ordinary.

"If you're running around fifth or sixth in points and you win, you can't expect to vault into second place anymore, you have to work your way around those guys. But if the leader has problems then it opens the door for everybody."

Busch's sibling Kyle, who had a costly clash with David Reutimann at Kansas and then retired with an engine failure last week at Fontana, has already given up on this year's title as he now ranks seventh in the championship, 187 points behind Johnson.

"Realistically, you're not going to beat seven, eight guys - however many are in front of me, 187 points, the rest of the year, unless they all have trouble at least once or twice," said the younger of the Busch brothers. "The realisticness of that is why I said our championship hopes and dreams are lost.

"If I go out there and win the last six races and Jimmie Johnson finishes in the top 10 even in all those races, I won't beat him. There's not enough points there that I'm going to make up on him. It's going to be hard to do and it is very frustrating to that point, but that's racing sometimes I guess."

For the past two years Johnson has never surrendered the Chase lead once he has taken it, claiming consecutive titles in the process. This year he could make history as the first to win five Sprint Cup championships in a row.

Johnson has tough Chase startHammers lead Barrera chase

Hmiel 'critical' after sprint car crash

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Shane Hmiel has been placed in intensive care after he was critically injured in an accident during qualifying for a USAC Silver Crown race at Terre Haute, in Indiana on Saturday.

According to reports from USAC officials, Hmiel crashed during a qualifying run for the Sumar Classic 100 at the Terre Haute Action Track dirt oval in Indiana, 77 miles west of Indianapolis.

His car made contact with the barrier after rolling several times, suffering damage in the roll cage area.

Hmiel, son of Earnahard Ganassi Racing's Director of Competition Steve Hmiel, was transferred to the Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis with head injuries and is listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

The 30-year-old, who received a life-ban from NASCAR in 2006 after failing three separate substance abuse tests, was airlifted to Indianapolis Methodist Hospital where he was listed in critical condition with head injuries, according to USAC.

"We are very concerned about Shane and offer our resources and our support to his family during this time of healing," said USAC President/CEO Kevin Miller.

Hmiel has been rebuilding his career in sprint cars over the last three years following his sobriety and was voted USAC's most improved driver last season. He currently lies third in the Silver Crown standings behind Bud Kaeding and Levi Jones.

Shane is the son of Steve Hmiel, who is director of competition at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

Di Maria clinches Real dealMartin sent to rear of field

Patrick makes progress in Nationwide

Danica Patrick looked set for her best finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series until an incident with 10 laps to go put her out of the race on Saturday at Fontana.

On her second visit to Auto Club Speedway, where she raced in the second-tier series last February, the IndyCar star showed good improvement from qualifying where she managed 14th on the grid, her best starting position for a NASCAR event thus far.

Early in the race she was able to stay within the top 20, although before the first third of the distance was completed she had already dropped a lap down. However during the third caution period of the race and while running 18th, she was able to get back on the lead lap through the 'free-pass' rule that allows the first driver a lap down to be waved around by the pace car.

While she was battling to get closer to a top 10 spot with nine laps to go, she squeezed rookie James Buescher at the exit of Turn 2 and he retaliated, clipping the right rear of Patrick's car, sending it into a spin and against the wall.

Her car was massively damaged in the impact and she would eventually drive into the garage to retire from her eighth Nationwide Series outing. Despite being only classified 30th, Patrick took a lot of positives from this weekend's experience.

"There was a lot of positives really," said Patrick. "We had a decent car to start and we were able to sort of hold our ground. We lost a few spots but kind of started to settle in and we made some adjustments that helped the car turn a little bit better.

"The frustrating part is that I feel I had a really good car for those last few restarts and just pushing hard and using all the road I kind of got into the car that ended up turning me the lap before. I didn't mean to. That next time I got pretty close but I was giving him room. I came off [the corner] and gave him room and looking at the replay it looks like maybe it was avoidable."

Patrick said being at Fontana for the second time definitely made a difference in terms of knowing how to set up the car and get a good consistent balance throughout the race. She lamented that there will not be a second visit to another track this year as her coming NASCAR outings will be at ovals which will be new to her in a stock car. Her next race will be in a week's time at Charlotte.

"I was really happy that the car was good on the long run," said Patrick. "It was good at the beginning, settling in the middle and then I came on at the end. I've been really confused as to what it's going to take to be good from the beginning to the end and I think that we're getting closer, I really do.

"[Crew chief] Tony [Eury Jr] did a good job setting the car up today, made good changes, he set the car up for the start so that I had confidence and then we freed it up. A lot of things went really well today so I'm very pleased for that."

"We're having a lot of confidence going into Charlotte I think. It does make a difference to come back [to a track] for a second time. It's a bummer that there won't be any others."

Kyle Busch claimed a record 12th victory in Saturday's Nationwide Series event, where Kevin Harvick looked dominant but lost a possible win due to delayed pitstops in the closing stages.

Xavi makes Cesc appealPatrick makes progress at Chicago

Bowyer's Loudon appeal denied

Richard Childress Racing's attempt to get the penalties imposed on Clint Bowyer overturned have failed on a first instance, as their first appeal was denied on Wednesday.

Bowyer was handed a 150-point punishment plus a fine and suspensions to his team after the car he drove to victory in the Chase opener at Loudon failed a throughout inspection carried out at NASCAR's Research and Development facility.

Childress argued that Bowyer's car being pushed by a service vehicle following the race after he ran out of fuel, caused enough damage to the rear end of the #33 Chevy to make it fail measurements, despite the car passing the post-race inspection at the track.

The team exposed its case to the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel with support from Dr. Charles Manning, an accident reconstruction expert, who tried to prove to the panel that the left rear of Bowyer's car was modified after being towed to Victory Lane, moving it 130 thousandths of an inch too high and 60 thousandths beyond the mandated tolerance.

However, following around five hours of deliberation at NASCAR's R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, the panel formed by former IndyCar racer Lyn St. James, former NASCAR crew chief Waddell Wilson and retired USAC chairman Johnny Capels ruled unanimously against RCR's appeal, dismissing the arguments presented and upholding the penalties assessed.

"Claims that the wrecker caused the infraction were negated by the telemetry from the car which did not show a sharp impact spike," read a statement from the appeals panel.

"[Also] by the fact that the rear template still fit snugly across the entire rear of the car; by a visual inspection of the rear of the car which showed nothing of note in the way of damage; and a visual review of the videotape of post race assistance tendered by the wrecker which appeared as relatively gentle pushing."

Childress will now take the case to National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook, who retired as a General Motors Executive in 2008, following 49 years working for the car manufacturer. This will be the final instance RCR can take the case to.

Following his points penalty, Bowyer went from second to last in the Sprint Cup series playoff, plus last weekend at Dover the RCR driver finished down in 25th place, dropping further away from title contention, as he now sits 235 points off from Chase leader Denny Hamlin.

Childress disputes NASCAR’s rulingGuardiola fined for ref rant

Harvick and Hamlin feud at Dover

Animosity continues to grow between Richard Childress Racing and Denny Hamlin as Kevin Harvick and the Joe Gibbs driver clashed in the opening minutes of NASCAR Sprint Cup practice at Dover on Saturday.

Harvick's #29 Chevrolet and Hamlin's #11 Toyota made contact on the track as the second practice session of the weekend kicked off at Dover, both ending up with bodywork damage on their cars and driving into the garage immediately.

Once they pulled into their adjacent garages both had a face-to-face outburst, with members of both teams also getting involved until NASCAR officials headed by Sprint Cup Series director John Darby intervened on the scene.

Both Hamlin and Harvick lost plenty of practice time while their cars were repaired, the former's apparently getting the most damage as both the right front and right rear of his Toyota were hit by the RCR's Chevy.

On Friday, Clint Bowyer made a spirited defense of his outfit's case after being penalised for irregularities found on the car he drove to victory at Loudon last week but also raised doubts about the legality of Hamlin's and Jimmie Johnson's cars from Loudon.

Later on the same day, Hamlin, who finished second at Loudon, hit out at Bowyer and dismissed his arguments - claiming that his rival's cars had been suspected to be illegal for a long time already.

"This is something that's been going on for months," claimed Hamlin on Friday. "They've been warned for a long time, way before Richmond. This is not something that, 'Oh man, they just told us halfway after Richmond and going into Loudon that our car's wrong.' They knew it was wrong way before that and I felt like they just, they wanted to get everything they could."

Bowyer's team boss Richard Childress hit back at Hamlin following Saturday's clash with Harvick and suggested the Chase leader should back off from the attack on his outfit and the team's general manager Mike Dillon, who was part of the exchange with Hamlin in the garage.

"You're not going to win a p*****g contest with a skunk, and you don't throw rocks if you live in a glass house," said Childress. "I wouldn't even think of going after Mike Dillon because I can tell you what, you're getting a bull if you go after him.

"We're all a good, tight-knit group. We're here to win races. That's all we're here for."

No penalties are expected for either the drivers or team personnel involved, according to NASCAR officials.

The appeal hearing for RCR and Bowyer's penalties from Loudon has been scheduled for next Wednesday.

Bowyer resigned to appeal outcomeMessi eyes Cesc return

Bowyer resigned to appeal outcome

Clint Bowyer has conceded that his NASCAR Sprint Cup championship hopes are gone after two Chase races despite a final appeal pending on his penalties from Loudon.

The Richard Childress racer heads into his home race at Kansas this weekend already 235 points off Chase leader Denny Hamlin, following a 150-point penalty after his winning car from the play-off opener was deemed illegal in a thorough inspection carried out by NASCAR.

Last Wednesday his team appealed the penalties handed to Bowyer but the panel that heard RCR's defence dismissed their arguments, upholding the initial penalties.

Bowyer says he was not expecting a positive outcome from the appeal and now vows to put the issue behind him. He admits that the controversy got to him last week at Dover, where he had an erratic outing that ended with just a 25th place finish.

"I'm very disappointed, not surprised at all," said Bowyer about the negative outcome of his case's appeal. "I'll just leave it at that. I'm looking forward to getting that behind me. This is an important weekend.

"I made some mistakes on the track last week that were uncharacteristic of myself, we made some mistakes as a team that were uncharacteristic and our heads weren't 100 per cent in the game. I don't want this mess to bother us anymore.

"I'm at my home track, I'm having fun and that's what I aim to do."

Bowyer is not holding out any hope for a final appeal that will be heard next Tuesday by National Stock Car Racing chief appellate officer John Middlebrook. He believes his focus now has to shift to helping his RCR team-mates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, who both have better chances of contending for the title.

"I think the championship hopes are done for myself," Bowyer said. "The thing that I have to do is be the best team-mate I can be. We have to bring a championship home.

"We still have two shots at that, but for myself and our race team, I've never finished out of the top-five in the Chase and I want to continue that streak and want to continue that consistency in the Chase and I think that's an attainable goal."

Harvick and Hamlin rank fifth and seventh in the Chase standings after two races, both less than 80 points behind leader Hamlin.

NASCAR penalises Bowyer and RCRHammers lead Barrera chase

Kyle Busch critical of Reutimann

Kyle Busch has hit back at David Reutimann after a clash between the two at Kansas ended up being costly for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The current Nationwide Series champion slipped from third to seventh in the championship play-off last weekend at Kansas Speedway after an incident on lap 50 of the third Chase race, in which he made contact with Reutimann, caused the Michael Waltrip Racing driver to retaliate nearly 100 laps later, doing enough damage to the #18 Toyota to put it out of contention for a good finish.

Speaking at Fontana on Friday, Busch insisted that Reutimann, who won at Chicago earlier this year but did not make the Chase, raced him excessively hard and without any consideration for him being a championship contender.

He said there was no point in settling things between the two, but admitted that he, not Reutimann, was at fault for their first contact.

"I race guys how they race me and I've always got raced really, really hard against [by] David Reutimann and I've got no room, no slack, no nothing," said Busch. "I had the opportunity to pass him at lap 30 in the race and he raced me so hard it lost me two spots and I just backed off. I said, 'You know what, not the time in the race to do this, no big deal, I'll get him back later.'

"The next time I got back to him was lap 50 and I didn't cut him any slack. I got into him, which was my fault not meaning to. But why would I apologise to a guy that races me like an ***hole every week? No point."

Busch has said following the clash that NASCAR should act to prevent such actions against a title contender happening. However, one of the series' policies for this year has been letting drivers police themselves, even if sometimes intentional contact is involved.

A much more dangerous payback incident than Busch's with Reutimann took place earlier this season at Atlanta between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski but no penalties were issued, a probation for the Roush Fenway racer being the only word from NASCAR. A second clash between the two in a Nationwide Series event at Gateway led to a points penalty, a fine and a second probation for Edwards, while the Penske racer was also placed under observation.

"I think in the instance in which everybody knew payback was coming, I think that's kind of dumb to let it happen," said Busch. "Before he [Reutimann] ran into me off Turn 2, he brake-checked me 30-miles per hour getting into Turn 1 and so I had an idea of what was coming, but thought that this would be really dumb if this did happen. It did, so it just makes us look like idiots."

The 25-year-old believes his poor finish at Kansas has placed him in catch-up mode for coming races, as he now trails Chase leader Jimmie Johnson by 80 points after three of the play-off's 10 events.

"We've got way too much catching up to do versus where we could have been," Busch said. "If I gave myself a fifth-place finish, which we could have either been better than that or maybe a couple spots worse than that, we'd be - I think - second or third in points right now, 20 points out of the lead.

"I feel like that's legitimately where we could be and instead of trying to come from behind, which is where we are, we could just keep running our own deal and doing what we need to do, finishing fifth, finishing fourth, finishing sixth, but right now we have to step it up and we have to win or finish second or third. We've got a lot more to pick up on."

Busch laments Burton incidentBarca won’t force Fab issue

Stewart signs new primary sponsor

Stewart Haas Racing announced Wednesday the signing of ExxonMobil with their brand Mobil 1 as a co-primary sponsor of Tony Stewart's car from 2011.

The Sprint Cup series team had been in the hunt for new sponsors for 2011 as the deal with Old Spice, which shares as main sponsor with Office Depot and Burger King on Stewart's car, is due at the end of the season.

The two-time champion, who won last Sunday in the fourth Chase event at Fontana, will now sport the logos of Mobil 1 on his car, featuring as the main sponsor in in 2011.

Mobil 1 is also NASCAR's official motor oil and switches to Stewart's team following many years with Penske Racing. The brand's logos currently feature on the #77 car of Sam Hornish, but the IndyCar and NASCAR squad announced earlier this year the signing of a major deal with Shell Pennzoil.

Stewart says the multi-year deal with ExxonMobil allows his team to complete the bulk of the budget of his two-car outfit for next year.

"We're in good shape on the #14 car now," said Stewart. "This has fulfilled what we're looking for to fill the void for Old Spice next year. It allows us to now put that project behind us. We're still always looking for new partners. You never stop in that category.

"...So the search [for sponsors] necessarily, isn't over. But this does fill the void from the Old Spice brand leaving at the end of the year. On Ryan [Newman's] car, we're still looking for some associate sponsorship also, but we're very happy that Tornados and U.S. Army are coming back again.

"Exciting to have new partners that have come into the sport that are excited and happy with what we're doing and that want to return."

Stewart's deal with ExxonMobil also includes his teams in USAC midgets and World of Outlaws, as well as the Eldora Speedway in Ohio, which he owns.


Dos Santos signs Barca dealKahne set for Hendrick move

NASCAR penalises Bowyer and RCR

Clint Bowyer's title chances have taken a major blow after NASCAR penalised him for irregularities found on his winning car from Sunday's race at Loudon.

The Richard Childress driver has been docked 150 points in the standings, after his #33 Chevrolet failed to pass a detailed inspection at NASCAR's Research and Development facility in Concord, North Carolina, where the car was taken following the initial post-race inspection at the track.

Officials found discrepancies in the "car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis", citing that these "did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications." The NASCAR rulebook states how the bodywork must be placed in reference to the chassis and in the rear of Bowyer's car measurements were found not to comply.

Last week after the final race of the regular season at Richmond, Bowyer's team had already been warned about issues that arose during inspection of the car he ran at the event where he secured his place in the championship play-off. Officials found the Richmond car, which was selected randomly for inspection at the track, was too close to the mandated tolerances.

"Details regarding the #33 car surround the car from a post-race inspection after the Richmond race," said NASCAR's vice president of competition Robin Pemberton.

"We reinforced the fact that they had come exceedingly close to the measurements that we allow for post-race [inspection]. The #33 car that was raced in New Hampshire was brought back to the R&D centre after the race and that car did not meet specifications, as a result these penalties have been issued."

The points penalty has dropped Bowyer from second place in the Chase down to 12th and last among the title contenders, placing him exactly where he was before taking his first win of the season last Sunday, although with a larger gap to leader Denny Hamlin.

While Richard Childress was also docked 150 points in the owners' standings, crew chief Shane Wilson and car chief Chad Haney have been suspended for the next six races, Wilson additionally being fined $150.000.

There was no word from NASCAR regarding the cars run at Loudon by Bowyer's team-mates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, which both passed inspection following Sunday's Chase opener.

Scott Miller, current director of competition at RCR and former crew chief for Bowyer's team-mate Burton, is expected to replace Wilson in his role while he serves his suspension.

The team has announced that it will appeal against the penalties.

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Bowyer's points penalty upheld

The 150-point penalty imposed on Clint Bowyer's team has been upheld by NASCAR's final appealing instance, although fines and suspensions have been reduced following a hearing on Tuesday.

After an unsuccessful first appeal by Richard Childress Racing against penalties imposed to its #33 team when its race-winning car from Loudon was deemed illegal, John Middlebrook, NASCAR's chief appellate officer, heard the outfit's and NASCAR officials' arguments yesterday.

Middlebrook supported the initial ruling on the team breaking the rules and confirmed the points penalty, although the severity of the punishments imposed to Bowyer's team members was lowered.

The fine to his crew chief Shane Wilson was reduced from $150,000 to $100,000, while suspensions handed to him and car chief Chad Haney were also reduced from six to four weeks.

"After reviewing all the data, presentation and factors involved, I am ruling NASCAR was correct in its decision to levy penalties," said Middlebrook, a former GM executive who was hearing his first case in the role. "I believe that the revisions that have been made to the penalties are consistent and fair to both parties involved."

Wilson and Haney will have to serve their suspensions from this weekend's race at Fontana and they will only be able to return next month at Texas. Scott Miller, RCR's director of competition, is expected to fill in Wilson's role as interim crew chief for Bowyer.

Richard Childress accepted the final ruling as Middlebrook's was the final instance they could take the case to, meaning Bowyer's championship hopes are all but over after three of the play-off's 10 races.

"I'm disappointed that the results are not what we wanted, but I feel we received a fair hearing today," Childress said in a statement. "The final step in the appeals process is very good, and I can assure you we would not have taken our case to the chief appellate officer if the first step in the process had been as fair as today's.

"I want to thank all of the fans for their support. I'm proud to be a part of this sport and proud to represent RCR's partners. We all need to put this behind us and get back to racing. There are seven races remaining in the Chase, and Richard Childress Racing will continue our focus on winning the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship."

NASCAR's John Darby said the final ruling proves its procedures to measure cars are accurate and consistent, and guarantee that all drivers and teams compete on equal footing every weekend.

"I believe what has been shown is the way we inspect the cars is consistent, the procedures we apply to the cars are well-known amongst the garage and the way we generally do business from the inspection side of the sport is okay," Darby said.

While Bowyer is out of contention for the title, his RCR team-mates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton currently rank third and ninth in the standings respectively. RCR is the only Sprint Cup team that has all its driver in the Chase for the championship.

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Ekstrom's NASCAR future unclear

Audi is not keen on Mattias Ekstrom competing in any more NASCAR races this year, this week's AUTOSPORT magazine reveals, despite Red Bull's desire to give the Swede more oval outings.

Ekstrom impressed the Red Bull team on his oval racing debut at Richmond earlier this month, when he finished 31st.

Both team and driver stated their desire to link up again in the future after the race, but Audi has played down the possibility of Ekstrom returning to America.

"For me, this issue is finished," head of Audi Sport Wolfgang Ullrich told AUTOSPORT.

"Mattias did not ask me for another [NASCAR] race - we never talked about it. I think he gave a clear statement that for him the NASCAR experience is done.

"If he does ask to go back, then we will see what it is and what it means."

AUTOSPORT understands that Red Bull has targeted recruiting Ekstrom for multiple races between now and the end of the season.

For more on Ekstrom's NASCAR position, read this week's AUTOSPORT magazine, available in digital form here.

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Martin sent to rear of field

Mark Martin will drop to the rear of the field for Sunday's Sprint Cup series race at Dover after issues were found with a rear shock absorber on his car during post-qualifying inspection.

The NASCAR veteran had qualified third on Friday afternoon but officials found the gas pressure on the right rear damper of his #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy exceeded the maximum allowed by the rules.

As a consequence, the starting order changes, Martin Truex Jr moving into third, with everyone behind Truex also moving up one spot except 43rd-placed Michael McDowell, while Martin will see the green flag wave from 42nd on the starting grid.

After being the runner-up in the championship last year, Martin missed this year's playoff and is currently 17th in the drivers' standings.

No additional penalties will be handed to Martin and his team for the rules infringement.

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Ekstrom expects NASCAR return soon

Two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom expects to return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup series soon after making his oval debut at Richmond last weekend with Red Bull Racing Team.

The Swede had a respectable run on Saturday night at the 0.75-mile Richmond International Raceway, finishing 31st but running close to a top-20 position in the first half of the race, eventually crossing the finish line ahead of series' regulars Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

While others trying the transition from different series into NASCAR have taken a more gradual approach in the past, the Red Bull driver ventured into racing on a short oval track at Cup level for his second stock car outing, but still managed to have a trouble-free run.

The 32-year-old said his experience last Saturday went beyond what he anticipated and made him earn more respect for the series. Although he has returned to Europe to drive again for Audi in the DTM, Ekstrom expects to be back in the Sprint Cup soon.

"I have to say for the first race on an oval, I was expecting it to be long and hard, but didn't expect it to be so action packed," Ekstrom said. "As soon as I started after the first restart, it was wild. That is nothing like what I have even come close to.

"I respect these guys even more who are doing this all the time -- the way you have to drive, stay focused on every single lap, hit your marks all the time, and tune the car up. [Saturday's race] is something to build on. I had a great experience and great support from the team. I am really appreciative of this chance.

"A big thanks to Red Bull and hopefully I will be back in NASCAR again soon."

Reed Sorenson will return behind the wheel of the #83 Red Bull Toyota next weekend at Loudon, but with only four races left in the DTM schedule, which finishes in late November at Shanghai, Ekstrom is expected to drive again for the team this season.

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Johnson not obsessed with fifth title

Jimmie Johnson is refusing to get carried away with his chance of becoming a five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion heading into this year's Chase.

The reigning champion starts the 2010 play-off from second place in the standings thanks to his five wins during the regular season, a statistic only bettered by Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin.

However, before the points were reset for the start of the play-off, Johnson was sixth in the drivers' standings, which is the lowest he has been for the past five years after the first 26 races. Three crashes and one mechanical failure have caused him four non-finishes, the highest number of DNFs he has had before the Chase since his first title in 2006.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver heads into the Chase as the most recent winner at this weekend's venue Loudon, where he won for the fifth time this year. He claims that is still early to set a strategy aimed at winning a fifth title, as he tries to unload the pressure of defending his Sprint Cup series crown.

"I really don't think about that stuff," said Johnson about his chances of making further history this year as the first five-time consecutive champion in the series.

"As of right now I'm just trying to keep it as simple as possible, just going into this weekend, having a good race, and we ran so well here in the spring that I'm much more at ease than I've been in other years. This is one of the tracks we need we take advantage of and we're shooting at this weekend with winning that in mind.

"You really can't be too emotionally attached to things. You can only try as hard as you can and there's nothing more than you can do than 100 per cent. If we show up and stay focused on our team and our job this week, we give 100 per cent, we'll look around and kind of evaluate things with two or three races to go and then at that point you probably form a strategy.

"But until then you've just got to stay in your little bubble and worry about your team."

Despite being an obvious favourite to win another championship, Johnson reckons there are a number of drivers showing enough strength to really pose a real challenge for this year's title.

While he and Denny Hamlin have claimed the most wins thus far, he believes Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards should be considered as serious championship contenders.

Johnson says his previous titles do not necessarily make him the target for rivals and states that as long as him and his team give their best in the final 10 races of the season, he would not be disappointed if he was to see the end of his championship run this year.

"The world I live in has just collecting points," said Johnson. "Denny and I have been in the same situation and we've got pretty hot and cold. I still look at the #29 [Harvick] and say, regardless of track, they've been collecting a tonne of points.

"You look at the #99 [Edwards] and I think he's probably collected the most points lately. I want to have the target on the back, I want to be that guy but I've got to go out and kind of earn that.

"I'll be angry if we didn't do everything we could to win the championship. We have a gauge of the effort that's put in from the team, myself, how we perform on pitroad, how the cars drive, and if we just have a terrible Chase and we flop around and and don't perform, I'll be p****d.

"If we go out there and we race well and win races and run up front and get beaten, we get beaten. That I can live with."

Johnson currently leads all drivers in number of wins during Chase races with a total of 18, 12 more than his closest rivals, Roush Fenway's Edwards and Greg Biffle, both also in this year's play-off.

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Hamlin: Johnson still the favourite

Chase leader Denny Hamlin believes reigning champion Jimmie Johnson is still the favourite to win this year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won the final event heading into the championship play-off, which was his sixth victory of the year, and beat Johnson to the top spot of the standings for the deciding final 10 races.

Last year Hamlin was one of the strongest drivers in the Chase, taking top three finishes - including two wins - in six out of the 10 events. However two engine failures and a crash caused him three non-finishes that ruined his chances of contending for the title in the season finale.

Despite the likes of four-time champion Jeff Gordon picking the 29-year-old as favourite to beat Johnson, Hamlin does not think he is the target rivals will be aiming at from Sunday at Loudon.

"The #48 [Johnson] is definitely the favourite, with the #29 [Kevin Harvick] right behind him, in my eyes," said Hamlin. "One has shown the consistency to win the championship this year and the other has shown that when it comes to game time, he is ready to play. In my eyes, we haven't won one yet. We're 0-for-4, so it's time for us to step up."

However Hamlin does not deny that this season is probably his best chance ever to win his first NASCAR title. Besides Johnson, Hamlin is the only driver who has been in the Chase in every championship he has entered since the format was implemented.

"We set up our team at the beginning of the year to bring out our best race cars in September and late August and we've done that," said Hamlin. "The last three weeks, and including this week, our car has speed, and that goes a long way. It makes the drivers look good. It makes everything look good because you've executed a game plan and I feel like we've done that.

"The wins in the first part of the season, to me, were almost flukey in the sense that we didn't expect it and circumstances worked out and we won a bunch of races. But, we didn't have our best stuff at the race track.

"This is the point where we see where we stack up with our competition over the next few weeks and from what I've seen over the last couple of weeks, it looks like our stuff is going to be pretty competitive."

Hamlin, who was affected by an injured knee due to a torn ligament at the beginning of the year, has shown great speed at all kinds of tracks this season, taking wins on both short and intermediate ovals.

Two of his six wins this year came at Martinsville and Fontana, tracks that he will visit once again during the Chase. He also dominated at Atlanta two weeks ago until an engine failure put him out of the race.

"I think the biggest thing is we're competitive everywhere, competitive as in we can win races anywhere," Hamlin said. "We've shown we can win races and that means we've been up front a lot during the course of this season.

"For as many wins as we've had, we've had second and third-place finishes as well. That means we've been up front a lot during the season and that's what it's going to take to win the championship - a low average finish and making sure you have everything in line and prepared in case something does happen.

"Even if you have a bad race or two, if you consistently run in the top two to three positions every week and put yourself out there to possibly win a lot of races, I think you'll be a contender."

Hamlin's best finish in the Sprint Cup came in his rookie season, when he was third in the final standings.

Baggies snub Valero bidGordon: Wins vital to title challenge

Gordon: Wins vital to title challenge

Jeff Gordon believes winning for the first time this year will be vital to his chances of contending for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

The four-time champion, who is already safely in the championship play-off that starts next week, has been win-less for the past 54 races, dating back to April last year.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver sits currently second in the standings, but is expected to drop outside the top five once the points are reset next week when the Chase starts at Loudon.

The 12 drivers in the championship hunt will start the final 10 races with 5000 points plus 10 more for every win thus far, of which Gordon has none heading into Saturday's race at Richmond.

He believes that he will need to win for the first time soon as he reckons it is not realistic to aim at this year's title without a single victory.

"Maybe Jimmie [Johnson] or Denny [Hamlin] who have 50 points up on everybody else, I think it's possible for them not to win races because they already have a big head start, or at least a decent-sized one. But I think for us, I think we're going to have to win," Gordon said.

"I'm not giving up on it yet. We haven't won yet this year. It's not from a lack of effort... A few things go our way and what is it that makes that happen, other than putting fast race cars out there on the track and executing well?

"I still think we could have won three or four races up to this point, if not more already this season, and I can't see why we can't still win multiple races before this year is out."

Gordon has yet to win a title under the Chase format, having won for the last time in 2001 under the old cumulative points system. He still believes consistency to be key in the final 10 races, and reckons that is of his team's strengths, along with the improved communication he has within his group. However he insists that only a win will get his side of the garage to perform at championship level in the next 10 weeks.

"While we haven't won this year, and don't get me wrong, a win would really add so much to our Chase hopes and our championship hopes, just because it gets you to that next level," said Gordon.

"But we've got to live up to our strengths and our strengths are that we never give up... I think our communication, especially between [crew chief] Steve [Letarte] and myself is definitely improved and so that has a lot to do with why we're stronger and why we're better.

"And I think we're probably the most consistent team out there. That's always been one of our strengths and certainly always been one of mine and why the old points system was so good for me. I approach it the same way with 10 races to go."

Gordon has finished second twice this year, the last time at Richmond in May.

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