Motorsports

Speed reading

By BRANT JAMES
Published September 24, 2005

TESTY AFTER TEST: Four drivers - including Nextel Cup points leader Tony Stewart - wrecked cars during a six-hour test session at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Tuesday and many remained critical of the track's newly ground surface. Stewart, in fact, smashed another car in the test session. "It's pretty messed up," said Mark Martin, of the racing surface. "This is the world's greatest racetrack and it was awesome the way it was. It's messed up now." The track was re-ground, or levigated, in Turns 1 and 2 after 22 cautions consumed 103 of 400 laps in the May race. Should be an interesting Chase race on Oct. 15.

DOUBLY SWEET: Dan Wheldon is the first driver to win an Indy Racing League championship and the Indianapolis 500 in the same season. In the 10-year history of the series, the highest the season champion had finished at Indy was second (by Buddy Lazier in 2000 and Tony Kanaan in 2004); the highest the Indy 500 winner had finished in points was also second (Kenny Brack in 1999, Helio Castroneves in 2002 and Gil de Ferran in 2003).

A CUTTING-EDGE ROLE: Greg Biffle will appear as a lawnmower racer on the Oct. 5 episode of the CBS comedy Yes, Dear.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The Army spends roughly $16-million - about 6 percent of its annual advertising budget - sponsoring Joe Nemechek's No. 01 Chevrolet, and generally assumes it gets its money's worth as a recruiting tool. Putting that amount in perspective, $16-million would purchase about 10,667 body armor vests.

[Last modified September 24, 2005, 01:00:22]