IN SIGHT Villeneuve's new racing career? FOCUS: BRYAN HERTA Bryan Herta's nomadic '03 season will not repeat itself in '04. Thanks to Andretti Green Racing's announcement Tuesday that Herta will run a fourth Honda-powered car for the IRL team, the Michigan native won't have to wonder where his next paycheck will come from. Certainly, '03 was an odd season for the CART veteran, who competed in an ALMS sports car race at Sebring, a NASCAR stock car race at California Speedway and a CART Champ Car race at Laguna Seca. Herta, however, spent most of his time last year in the AGR car of Dario Franchitti, who was out with a back injury. And he did enough to impress Michael Andretti, who is counting on Herta to help the four-driver team challenge for the IRL title. "We know it won't be an easy thing to do, but being able to run four cars and keep Bryan Herta in our lineup should give us a great shot to contend for the 2004 championship," Andretti said. "We would like nothing better than to be able to deliver that to Honda and all of our partners in 2004." In 2004, Herta will compete alongside AGR teammates Franchitti, who hails from Scotland, Brazilian Tony Kanaan and Englishman Dan Wheldon. The former Barber Saab and Indy Lights champ, who won last year's Kansas Indy 300, was delighted to have a stable ride. "I couldn't be happier to be back with Andretti Green and Honda," said Herta. "Last year was a great opportunity and it is awesome to be able to continue with the team and expand on what we achieved in 2003." EXHAUST FUMES Martin A user writes in to comment on how Jack Roush bought his championship. This user also comments that Mark Martin is over the hill. Another user writes in to stand up for Martin. We agree that Martin's still got it, but we also write that it will be difficult for him to compete for the championship in 2004. Now, Martin's fans are really steamed. Some examples: "Regarding Mark Martin being 'over the hill. In 2002 he was the second best driver," writes Ed Gerstner. " In 2003 he was off his game (mainly due to a consistent barrage of bad luck). A true sign that he is washed up." "You said that Mark Martin couldn't compete for the title because he is too old. Just last year he was up there (in second)," wrote Tony Hill. "Age doesn't have that much to with it. ... How old was John Elway when he was a Super Bowl champion? Old enough to retire." Just to be clear, we never said that Martin couldn't win a championship. We just asserted that it will be difficult. Martin's a tremendous driver who still has something left in the tank. But so do 15-20 other guys, if not more. Winning a championship isn't easy for anyone. And while Martin absolutely does have a shot, so do Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Newman, Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, etc. And those drivers have equipment as good as Martin's. That doesn't make the veteran's task any easier. Still, Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott -- as we wrote last week -- proved that the veterans can still get the job done. But in today's NASCAR, it does seem, for better or for worse, that it's the veterans and not the younger drivers that have something to prove. The book on Champ Cars -- which now includes a Chapter 11 -- is not closed. No, the series is still kicking. Or at least the OWRS version of it. After initial merger plans fell through, CART filed for bankruptcy protection and allowed OWRS to acquire some of the league's assets, essentially allowing OWRS to take over operation of the series, which will be run in 2004. And so it continues, the great divide of open wheel racing in America. Those pining for the glory days of one series, hoping for some resolution to the CART-IRL rift, surely are disappointed that the Champ Cars are still on track. Well, at least the IRL fans are. But what about the CART contingent? Yes, Champ Car fanatics would certainly cringe at the thought of their beloved series folding, only to see IndyCars racing at Long Beach or Elkhart Lake or wherever else they might go. And if CART had folded, would the IRL have looked just like it? Instead of an all-American, all-oval series (hello, Honda, Toyota and Japan), the league could become a mix of ovals and road/street courses with more foreign drivers than Americans. It might anyway. Conversely, what if the IRL somehow collapsed and CART/OWRS/Champ Cars picked up those pieces (namely, the Indy 500)? Certainly, neither scenario is ideal. After all, there's more than driver and fan passion -- which should not be taken lightly, by the way -- at stake. There are also people's livelihoods. And the collapse of a series would prove damaging, both emotionally and economically. Still, that brings us back to the end game: one North American open wheel racing series. Not everyone wants it, but it seems a majority of players do. And we've all seen the ratings drop since the split. Yes, Indy is still Indy -- and ovals often are more exciting than street courses. Plus, some of the top drivers and technology are now tied to IndyCars. But the street events get outstanding crowds while road races allow for a combination of tight racing at high speeds without the circular concrete confines. Also, there's still plenty of talent on the Champ Car side. Race fans have different tastes. They also have different takes on which series is better. But seeing as how one series -- whether it be CART, OWRS, IRL or some future hybrid -- can include everything that people like about open wheel racing, moving toward a unification seems to make sense. But not everyone thinks it can happen without one series first collapsing, Adrian Fernandez among them. So if one series did collapse, would the ends justify the means? It's hard to say. While it might not leave a good taste in people's mouths -- and the fans and employees of one side (not to mention teams, drivers and manufacturers) wouldn't exactly be thrilled about seeing their league disappear -- it would stand to reason that we'd indeed be left with one open wheel series. Then everyone would be happy, right? Not so fast. Here's the catch: It's reasonable to ponder whether fans of one series would necessarily jump to the other if their series disappeared. Sure, it'd be hard not to follow your favorite drivers, but it's also not difficult to imagine erstwhile CART fans turning an eye toward an ALMS or Grand Am series. Meanwhile, the demise of the IRL could leave its fans moving toward World of Outlaws or, of course, NASCAR. Then again, the fans might just swallow that bad taste in their mouths and live with the fact that the times they are a changing, and still follow whatever is/will be the preeminent open wheel series. How can the goal of having one series -- which again, isn't necessarily everyone's goal -- be attained without the carnage of CART or the IRL? A merger, of course. Yes, there are obstacles. Which courses do they run on, what engines do they use, whose rules are adopted. But those obstacles can be overcome. Contracts expire, specs change. It happens. And if both sides really wanted a merger somewhere down the road (or street or oval), the primary players could begin to put the pieces in place right now. But it's not happening yet. For now, the two sides will keep running full-tilt against each other. Meanwhile, we all wait to see whether this town is indeed big enough for the two of them. MAILBAG

We shared our take on the proposed playoff system in NASCAR. Here are some user views: One wonders how the sponsors are going to react when they find that their car or driver is an " also ran " and is not included in the top 10. Are they all going to be overjoyed and still continue supporting the teams? Or are they going to cut back on their funding for the year? Ron Tucker Redding Calif. I love the idea and your article about the points system in NASCAR. I've been a fan for about 30 years, so I think it would be more interesting for the fans. It may even bring in new fans to the sport but I'd hate to be the driver in 11th place closing in on 10th place.It would pay to be the best for the first 26 races, so no sandbagging with the points lead will happen. Billy Funkhouser Stevensville, Md. With the consideration of the new championship format, is NASCAR likewise considering realigning the schedule so that the championship is decided on the best 10 tracks or the best cross section? I mean, start at New Hampshire? Give me a break. Daytona, Bristol, Richmond and road courses will have no participation in the 'playoff'? Doesn't seem like it would be a holistic championship does it? Tim Ritchotte Indianapolis NASCAR's playoff idea is idiotic. In the NFL and everywhere else, the non-playoff teams are eliminated from competing. Not so in NASCAR. Or, a guy wins 26 of 36 races and is punished with a 10th place finish. Possible in the new NASCAR. Those guys are idiots. Just make first and second place worth, say, 50 and 25 points more than the other finishers. And no points for 30 on down. Idiots. Mike Jones Indianapolis The 'NASCAR Playoff' idea is refreshing, yet daring! A solution to the even parity after 26 races is simple: Reset the top driver to 250 points, second to 225 points, third = 200, and so on to 10th at 25 points. This would be the 'seeding'; the top driver earned his spot while the 10th place guy has 10 races to make up the difference. This way there's no argument in fairness! Kevin Watson Murrayville, Ga. Got your own questions about what's happening in the pits? Ask away, and we'll answer a question or two in the next Gas&Go. Name: E-mail address: City, state: Your comment: OVERHEARD Kenny Brack On the IRL changing its IndyCar engines: "The IRL has a challenge. They accessed it and now they're taking action and I think it's great news." Scott Riggs On moving to Nextel Cup: "Anyone who goes Winston Cup racing just to make more money is not going to have a long career in racing. The money is short-lived. I want to go to be competitive." Ralf Schumacher On Bahrain's F1 circuit: "I think it is brilliant that Formula One is spreading its wings to different parts of the world. Everything I have heard leads me to believe that the Bahrain facilities will be fantastic when they are finished."