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While NASCAR has divested itself of a prickly image problem by swapping RJ Reynolds Tobacco for Nextel Communications as title sponsor of its top series next season, the second-year Grand Prix Americas has taken on an even more controversial partner.
In what is believed to be the first sponsorship of a North American sporting event by a wagering house, Sportsbook.com will serve as presenting sponsor for the Sept. 26-28 CART champ car and American Le Mans Series races in Miami.
GPA president and general manager Chuck M. Martinez said he considered the potential perception problem when finalizing the deal with the London-based online firm. The benefits were too great, he said.
"We did not go into that lightly," he said. "We had a lot of individuals that wanted to be involved and turned them down because they did not have the right mix and not the right branding for us.
"I think we get a little too hypocritical about things like (gambling) when you consider our newspapers are full of football lines so people can make picks. It's reality, part of the lifestyle."
Sportsbook.com offers wagering on NASCAR and Formula One racing.
Martinez would not discuss monetary terms of the deal but said similar sponsorships typically cost between $200,000 and $450,000. Cadillac sponsored the series last year.
ALMOST: A new type of Chevrolet engine got two-time defending Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. closer to victory Sunday than at any point this season. But Toyota was still a bit better in the Firestone 400.
Hornish, who won a record five IRL races last season but is winless this year, led 126 of 200 laps with a Gen IV Chevy Indy V-8, but was passed by Alex Barron on the final turn at Michigan International Speedway. Barron nosed Hornish by .0121 seconds for the victory.
"It felt pretty good to be out front," Hornish said. "It was a good test for our new engine."
The IRL allowed Chevrolet - winless on the circuit - to phase in the new engine to help competitive balance. Toyota and Honda drivers hold the top six slots in the point standings, with Hornish seventh. The next highest Chevy driver - 12th-place Buddy Rice - can employ the new engine on Aug. 10 at the Emerson 250 in St. Louis. All teams can use it in the Belterra Casino 300 on Aug. 17 at Kentucky Speedway.
LOCAL BOY: Zephyrhills resident David Reutimann got a big jump on what could be a career-making week when he finished second to Casey Mears in his first ARCA start in the Pennsylvania 200 Sunday.
Reutimann, who will attempt to qualify the No. 4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports Pontiac on Saturday for the Winston Cup Brickyard 400, finished about 2 lengths behind Mears.
Reutimann was able to pressure Mears to the finish because a caution with about 10 laps remaining erased a 10-length deficit. Reutimann stayed close on the final restart with five laps left, challenged on the final lap but was unable to pass.
Reutimann, 33, a regular on the NASCAR Southeast Tour, has two top-five finishes on the Busch circuit this season.
MR. STEADY: Matt Kenseth's 13th-place finish in the Pennsylvania 500 was exasperating for the Winston Cup points leader but hardly loosened his perch atop the standings.
Kenseth's lead dropped by just two points to 232 over the new second-place driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeff Gordon's 36th-place finish allowed Earnhardt, who finished third, to pass him in the standings.
Kenseth, driving the No. 17 Ford for Roush Racing, had seven top-seven finishes in the previous nine races.
BLOCKED OUT: CART took the provisional pole in the Vancouver Molson Indy from points leader Paul Tracy and penalized three other drivers for blocking faster cars. Tracy came came back the next day to win the pole position.