Stewart says there’s plenty of racing left

Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005 | 7:08 a.m.

Tony Stewart holds a 75-point lead over Ryan Newman after four races in NASCAR's 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup, but it's too soon to be talking about the points as far as Stewart is concerned.

"Everybody wants to talk points every week, but let me put it in perspective for you: We're not even halfway through the schedule these last 10 weeks, so it would be like talking about points after race 16 of a 36-race season," Stewart said. "There's a long way to go yet."

Stewart has three top-10 finishes (two seconds and a fourth) in the four Chase races, but the top six drivers in the Nextel Cup standings are separated by only 95 points. Nonetheless, Stewart said, he isn't looking over his shoulder as the series heads to Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., for Saturday night's UAW-GM Quality 500.

"If I spent that much time worrying about what everybody else was doing, I'm really not doing my job as a driver," Stewart said.

"We can't control what they do anyway, so why worry about what they're doing?"

NEW PACKAGE

Champ Car World Series officials this week announced a new engine and chassis package for 2007 that they say will be more economical for teams to race.

The series will pair the American-built Panoz DP01 chassis with a turbocharged Ford-Cosworth engine capable of producing 775 horsepower. The entire package will be 165 pounds lighter than the current Champ Car and will lend itself to better racing, according to series President Steve Johnson.

"The Panoz DP01 chassis will provide closer racing and more passing opportunities on our street tracks, and the next generation Ford-Cosworth engine will give our Champ Car drivers the power they need to make the pass," Johnson said.

Scot Elkins, director of technology for the Champ Car World Series, said the new car would be about 35 percent less expensive than the current car, and spare parts are expected to cost nearly 50 percent less.

The Champ Car World Series has raced at Las Vegas Motor Speedway each of the past two years.

ALSO NOTED:

* Xpress Motorsports and three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Jack Sprague have decided to part ways, effective immediately. Sprague is second on the series' all-time victory list with 25.

* Actor Patrick Dempsey will drive in the Grand-Am Cup road racing series next year for Atlanta-based Hyper Sport. Dempsey has raced in Miata Pro Series and Panoz Racing Series events as well as this year's Toyota Pro/ Celebrity race held prior to the Long Beach Grand Prix.

* The Indy Racing League IndyCar Series will conclude its 10th season Sunday with the Toyota Indy 400 at California Speedway in Fontana.

* Mesa Marin Raceway, the quaint half-mile paved oval in Bakersfield, Calif., that helped launched the careers of NASCAR stars Ron Hornaday Jr. and Kevin Harvick among others, has been sold to developers and is closing for good following Saturday's NASCAR Southwest Series and West Series races.

Brian Hilderbrand can be reached at 259-4089 or bh@lasvegassun.com.