Speedway Wants CART Payment

California Speedway officials took issue Friday with a CART announcement that the Fontana track would be on the open-wheel racing organization’s 2004 schedule.

The Fontana speedway claims that $2.5 million is due back from CART for rights paid earlier for the scheduled Nov. 2 race that was postponed and then canceled because of nearby wildfires.

“Until this matter is resolved, we are unwilling to participate in discussions concerning future relationships,” said Bill Miller, speedway president.

-- Shav Glick

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Defending Oval Nationals Champion Bud Kaeding won the second night of the eighth annual Budweiser Oval Nationals for non-winged sprint cars at the Perris Auto Speedway.

Kaeding also received the Dean Thompson Award for earning the most combined points during the two preliminary nights of racing, which all leads up to tonight’s 50-lap finale.

USAC sprint car champion J.J. Yeley of Phoenix pressured Kaeding on the closing laps but had to settle for second place.

-- Robert Mayson

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Controversy clouded the finish of the closest championship in the history of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, with Travis Kvapil winning the title and Ted Musgrave finishing third Friday in the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Musgrave and Kvapil -- racing for seventh place with Dennis Setzer, the third title contender -- were tied for the points lead with the tiebreaker going to Musgrave approaching a restart with two laps to go.

As the trucks neared the flagstand, Musgrave darted out of line and pulled alongside Setzer before they reached the starting line. NASCAR rules prohibit passing on the left before the line and Musgrave was immediately black-flagged, costing him any chance to beat Kvapil for the title.

Bobby Hamilton’s Dodge held off the Ford of Rick Crawford by 0.186 of a second -- about four truck-lengths -- for his second win of the season.

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Jamie McMurray won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. McMurray had a lap of 181.111 mph in his Dodge on the 1 1/2-mile oval.