Auto Racing Capsules: NASCAR race at Charlotte postponed because of rain

CONCORD, N.C. - NASCAR's longest race of the season spilled into a second day Sunday night when the Coca-Cola 600 was postponed by rain for the first time in 50 years.

Light rain had delayed the scheduled 6:03 p.m. start at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but the track appeared dry and NASCAR called the cars out to pit road moments before a heavy shower soaked the surface again. The heavy rain lasted less than 15 minutes, but a persistent drizzle made it impossible to dry the track.

The race will run on Monday at noon. It's the first time it will be held on Memorial Day.

"We have a ton of family members and friends in town this weekend, and of course the big plan was for us all to be here tonight and playing around by the lake tomorrow," said Kurt Busch, who will start 17th.

"You just gotta feel for the fans, though. I'm sure a lot of them were counting on tomorrow for a travel day. The weather has put a kink in a lot of plans."

The only other time the Coca-Cola 600 was postponed was the 1960 inaugural race, when it was pushed from its Memorial Day weekend date to June 19 because three consecutive March snowstorms slowed construction on the speedway.

The weather has been good to NASCAR since the season-opening Daytona 500 was shortened 48 laps because of rain. Since then, every Sprint Cup Series event has been rain-free.

The Truck Series had two postponements this season - at Martinsville and Kansas, where the races were held on days other than their scheduled start.

Elton Sawyer, competition director for Red Bull Racing, said the holdover isn't a huge financial burden to race teams because the majority are based in the area and don't have lodging costs. But teams will have to adjust to different track conditions: Sunday night's race begins in daylight and ends in the dark, but Monday's event will now be run during the hottest part of the day.

"Obviously we'll be dealing with the heat, so you won't have as much grip," Sawyer said. "The characteristics of the handling is definitely going to be different. It's the same for everybody, but it will be different."

Defending race winner Kasey Kahne said it will take teams time to adjust.

"I think it changes the way all of the drivers think," Kahne said. "Switching from a night race to a day race will be the biggest challenge. We all set our cars up for a night race, so it will definitely be a different Coke 600 than we've seen in the past."

NASCAR drug tests 10 crew members during delay

CONCORD, N.C. - NASCAR randomly drug-tested 10 crew members from 10 teams during the rain delay at the Coca-Cola 600, an apparent tweak to the first three months of in-season testing.

Prior to Sunday night, crew chiefs said NASCAR typically informed them when the garage opened if a team member had been selected to give a sample. The individual had four hours to report to testing. Drivers can be tested on any day of the race weekend.

But at Lowe's Motor Speedway, NASCAR waited until after the scheduled start of the Coca-Cola 600 to inform teams and ordered individuals to report for testing at the end of the race. Because rain delayed the start, crew members were seen entering the infield care center, where the tests were conducted during intermittent showers. The race was later postponed until Monday.

NASCAR toughened its testing policy this season, in part because former Truck Series driver Aaron Fike admitted to using heroin, even on days he raced. It led the sanctioning body to implement mandatory preseason testing for all drivers and crews, as well random testing throughout the season.

Previously, NASCAR tested only on reasonable suspicion. Now, at least four drivers, 10 crew members 2 NASCAR officials from all three national series are tested at every event.

But the system has been at the forefront since Jeremy Mayfield received an indefinite suspension May 9 for failing a random drug test. NASCAR and Mayfield have declined to name the substance found in both his "A" and backup "B" samples, and Mayfield has retained legal representation to presumably fight the suspension.

Mayfield has insisted that the mix of a prescription drug with over-the-counter allergy medication Claritin-D led to his positive result. But NASCAR program administrator Dr. David Black, CEO of Aegis Sciences Corp., has repeatedly rejected that explanation.

NASCAR chairman Brian France has described Mayfield's test as a "serious violation" of the substance-abuse policy, and he categorized that as use of a performance-enhancer or a recreational drug. A person familiar with the test results has told The Associated Press the positive test was not for performance-enhancers, meaning the positive test resulted from an illegal recreational drug.

-- Jenna Fryer

Bobby Allison no fan of NASCAR's new car

CONCORD, N.C. - Bobby Allison was not the only one of NASCAR's top drivers, but also a whiz in the garage. He was hardly bashful on Sunday in declaring he "started the aerodynamic revolution" when he designed Chevrolet's Monte Carlo in the late 1960s.

"That gave them a car that was truly a step into modern aerodynamics," Allison said. "Now that's gone too far."

Allison was at Lowe's Motor Speedway to serve as grand marshal for the Coca-Cola 600. Before it was postponed by rain until Monday, the three-time winner of NASCAR's longest race was bemoaning the slow switch of racing cars that closely resembled those in dealership showrooms to the space-age Car of Tomorrow.

"We need cars that the fans in the grandstand can really relate to," Allison said.

NASCAR shifted to the boxier, more aerodynamic car in hopes of creating competitive balance and reducing costs. But as he took part in the celebration of the 50th running of Charlotte's Memorial Day weekend race, Allison was pining for the return of cars with an identity.

"One had an advantage one place and another had an advantage somewhere else. It's still balanced out pretty good and racing was good," Allison said. "Racing is still really good because the competitors put that extra little piece in there, too. No matter what the rules are the competitors adjust and go on and compete.

"But if they were riding in something that was recognizable to the people buying that ticket in the grandstand I think it would be more attractive."

Allison just wasn't expecting NASCAR to heed his suggestions.

"They have always had my phone number, but the only time I can remember them using it was when they called me up to tell me I'd done something wrong," Allison said. "I may get a phone call about this comment right now."

DANICA'S FUTURE

Danica Patrick's contract is up at the end of this season and there's speculation the Indy Racing League star, who finished third Sunday at the Indianapolis 500, might jump to NASCAR.

There's little doubt she would be attractive to sponsors, fans and just about every team owner. But Bruton Smith, the outspoken chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., isn't sure it would be a smooth transition.

"She's small and does a good job where she is," Smith said. "But I think if you tried to bring her (to NASCAR), you've got a two-year tour of duty in the race car because she's not accustomed to what we're running. But I think it would be wonderful if we could find some women who could really offer the appeal that you're after and I'm after. It would be great."

Asked whether Patrick was too small in stature to handle the 800-horsepower stock cars, Smith suggested she would have her hands full.

"Maybe she is," he said. "But I do know it takes a lot of seat time. If you're coming from IndyCars into one of these cars, it takes a lot of seat time before she would be in a situation to win one of these events."

PENSKE CELEBRATES

Penske Racing's NASCAR division was watching intently Sunday afternoon when Helio Castroneves put the team into victory lane at the Indianapolis 500.

"I have to admit that I got teary-eyed," said Kurt Busch, who watched the end of the race from the infield at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "It was really emotional, but so cool, to see Helio win this one. He's such a great teammate."

Sam Hornish Jr., too, watched boss Roger Penske celebrate again at Indy.

"I'm thrilled for Roger," Hornish said. "To win the Indianapolis 500 for the 15th time is an incredible accomplishment."

BIRTHDAY BOY

One year ago this weekend, Joey Logano was presented with a huge cake and car owner Joe Gibbs sang happy birthday as the racing phenom turned 18.

On Sunday, Sprint Cup's youngest driver celebrated his 19th birthday and was to make his first start in the Coca-Cola 600 until the race was postponed a day by rain.

"I think even after the All-Star race I felt very confident about this place," said Logano, who finished eighth in that event a week ago. "I had a really good car there and I feel like I have a good car here, too."

Logano's first full season in the Sprint Cup started with a crash and a last-place finish at the Daytona 500. But the driver of the No. 20 Toyota has slowly improved. He had two top-10 finishes in the three points races before Charlotte.

"The more competitive I get, the more I want to win," Logano said.

LUG NUTS: Matt Kenseth has no problem with one race being a marathon 600 miles. It's some of the other races he'd change. "I think a lot of races could be shorter and you'd get the same results and they might even be more entertaining," Kenseth said. "Like Darlington, I'm not sure we have to race 4½ hours to have the same effect." ... The speedway hosted eight recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor given to an individual by the U.S. Armed Services. The men were given a standing ovation at the driver meeting. ... Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn was in the garage area Sunday.

-- Mike Cranston

Button wins F1's Monaco GP to lead Brawn GP 

MONACO - Brawn GP's Jenson Button won the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, capturing his fifth victory in six races to extend his Formula One championship lead.

"We've got Monaco baby," Button said after crossing the finish line 7.6 seconds ahead of teammate Rubens Barrichello. Button's fourth start-to-finish victory of the season was the first for a British driver from pole at the famed street circuit race since Jackie Stewart 36 years ago.

Button leads with 51 points. Barrichello has 35 after his fourth runner-up finish here and Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, who crashed out after 16 laps, is third with 23 points.

"I think we've proven this weekend that our package has worked and we're looking very strong for the next couple of races," Button said. "This was a massive win."

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen earned Ferrari its first top-three finish of the season by taking third. Ferrari scored 11 points - the Italians best single race point haul this year - after Felipe Massa finished fourth ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber, who took his points tally to 19.5.

"I'm not happy with the third but for the team it's still a good result," Raikkonen said.

Brawn GP became the first team in its inaugural season to win in Monaco since Wolf's Jody Scheckter accomplished the feat 32 years ago.

Defending F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 Monaco winner, was 12th after starting last on the grid.

"It was an extremely tough race," said Hamilton, who sustained damage to a footplate on his front wing.

Button ran along the track to reach the podium ceremony, waving to fans in the stands and overlooking apartment balconies before accepting the trophy from Prince Albert.

Brawn GP leads the constructors' title with 86 points. Red Bull is next with 42.5 and Toyota has 26.5 after its two drivers finished near the end of the field.

Button easily held his pole position out of the start and slowly pulled away. The Briton, whose previous best result at Monaco was runner-up five years ago, maintained a double-digit advantage nearly to the end.

Barrichello breezed past the KERS-boosted Ferrari of Raikkonen to sit second after the first turn and eventually finished 5.8 seconds ahead of the Finn at the end.

"I had to start driving differently," Barrichello said. "(Still) I'm proud of what we achieved today."

Massa earned 11 points for Ferrari for its best single race total this season in what has been its worst start.

Vettel's championship hopes were hit by sliding into a corner and damaging his rear suspension, an identical accident to Hamilton's on Saturday that left the McLaren driver starting at the back of the grid.

"In Monaco, you make a little mistake and you pay the price," said Vettel, the only other race winner this season.

Vettel was involved in a battle with Massa and Nico Rosberg of Williams before his exit, as cars found space coming out of the Louis Tunnel II for rare overtaking maneuvers.

Rosberg finished sixth, Renault's Fernando Alonso was seventh and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais took the last point in eighth.

Robert Kubica's disappointing weekend for BMW Sauber ended ended with a brake problem after 16 laps, one of six drivers to retire. The Pole remains without a point this season.

Despite being near the Cannes Film Festival, few celebrities were spotted at the race. Star Wars director George Lucas and former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell were among the 100,000 fans.

-- Paul Logothetis

Mosley: Getting closer to budget cap deal

MONACO - FIA president Max Mosley says an agreement is near with Formula One teams over the disputed budget cap.

Mosley had wanted teams to agree to a $60 million cap from 2010, but that is expected to be pushed back a year after a weekend of negotiations with the Formula One Teams Association at the Monaco Grand Prix.

"I think we are going to get somewhere," Mosley said Sunday.

Five teams, including Ferrari, have threatened to quit motor racing's premier sport over the cap, which Mosley is pushing to cut costs.

"The cost is something all of the teams are fully committed to work on but, as we said before, the cost is something that is related to the business of the teams," Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said. "We know what we can invest, we know what we can do and we think this is something the teams have to discuss internally and decide on their own what they can afford. It's not something we feel that should be imposed by someone else."

Mosley still thinks F1 could lose several teams next year because of the perilous state of the auto industry rather than the cap. But he doesn't believe Ferrari will quit F1 after 60 years of racing.

Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso have all said they might leave the sport, while BMW Sauber said Saturday that it would evaluate its position after reviewing the final details.

Several teams reiterated Sunday that more "transparency" was needed from FIA over rules and regulations in the future.

"Different rules, diffusers or not, KERS or not - there's a lot of confusion," Renault team principal Flavio Briatore said. "We need for people to know that this is Formula One, not (feeder series) GP2. This is like football, you can't have Real Madrid playing with 11 and the other team comes with 14."

Briatore pointed to last month's argument about double diffusers - a rear wing design that creates more downforce - that FIA finally allowed Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams to keep.

"To avoid these errors, we need the same conditions for everybody," Briatore said. "We don't want new teams with flexible rules, Formula One should stand alone."

There are 26 spots available on the grid. Two new teams have applied to compete next season - American entry USF1 and Spain's Campos Racing.

BMW Sauber team principal Mario Theissen said he is skeptical an agreement will be reached before Friday's entry deadline, which was moved from its usual November date.

"The points that we put on the table are pretty clear," Domenicali said. "I think for sure this will be a very important week. I'm expecting long days."

-- Paul Logothetis

Ferrari rebounds at Monaco to move closer to Brawn

MONACO - Ferrari rebounded from its worst start to a Formula One season at the Monaco Grand Prix. Now it may just be on the verge of overtaking Red Bull as Brawn GP's main challenger.

Kimi Raikkonen finished third on Sunday for the Italians' first podium of the season, while Felipe Massa was just one place behind to bring home 11 points - the scuderia's best single-race haul after six races.

"Maybe we had the car to win the race if we start on pole position," Massa, who set the 78-lap street race's fastest lap time, said. "We still need a couple of races to be sure we are the second strongest team."

Massa said the team's strategy was perfect on a track where it hasn't won since 2001. If the team can improve downforce for better tire grip in time for the Turkish GP, the Brazilian driver may just manage to win his fourth straight race at Istanbul.

"What we are doing is going in the right direction," team principal Stefano Domenicali said. "At least now we can see a little bit closer the cars that were in front of us. It's a good sign, for sure we have closed the gap."

Brawn GP's Jenson Button leads with 51 points, while Raikkonen has nine and Massa eight.

The team will be gunning for victories, not the championship with 12 races left.

"It's difficult for the moment to think about what can stop him," Massa said of Button. "He is in a comfortable position to think about points, maybe sometimes he doesn't even need to win just finish on the podium."

HAMILTON'S SLY MOMENT

Sylvester Stallone provided an unlikely inspiration for Lewis Hamilton at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Hamilton, who won a dramatic rain-soaked race in the rain last year on his way to becoming Formula One's youngest champion at 23, finished 12th after starting last on the grid on Sunday.

"I was thinking about one of the Rocky films - in the first film, Rocky says: "I just want to see the end of the fight" and I got to the flag, pushing as hard as I could throughout the race," Hamilton said Sunday.

The McLaren driver adopted a cautious attitude after a crash during the first qualifying session on Saturday left him out of the running and requiring an overnight gearbox change.

"All world champions go through tough times and that's what we're going through," said Hamilton, who started 19th after Timo Glock was forced to begin from pit lane for making modifications. "I was just stuck in traffic all race."

Hamilton trails F1 leader Jenson Button of Brawn GP by 42 points with 12 races to go.

"I'd definitely put my money on him," Hamilton said. "Bit by bit we get better but not at the same pace as the Brawns."

NOT A PRAYER

Renault never had a chance at the Monaco Grand Prix, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso said.

And it doesn't look like the French team's fortunes will improve much to the end of the season, either.

"Everything is the opposite of what it should be," Alonso said after finishing seventh at the street race he won in 2006 and '07. "Since the first race, we've seen surprising results and after six GPs it's pretty clear. I don't think much will change from now to the end of the year."

Alonso, who is in his second season driving a Renault car that is far behind the championship pace, said he knew from the first practice session on Thursday he was in for a long weekend. Only retirements by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren allowed him to slip into the points.

The two-time world champion has 11 points to trail overall leader Jenson Button of Brawn GP by 40 after six races.

Team principal Flavio Briatore said fans would see Alonso atop the podium this season and that the car was as good as Ferrari's.

Ferrari took third and fourth place on Sunday.

"I think that's overly optimistic," Alonso said. "We were never at their level this weekend."

-- Paul Logothetis