STEWART AN IRL TEAM OWNER?(Competition)

Tony Stewart says he has been approached about forming an IRL team, and will consider it if the right package of people and equipment can be assembled. Further, he would like to see joint NASCAR-IRL dates at Daytona and elsewhere.

Stewart said his biggest obstacle to starting an IRL team would be hiring a team manager and a good crew. "If we could do that, I would definitely entertain it,'' he said. In his spare time Stewart races sprint cars, and he will run three Grand-Am races this season. He could do more races if they were scheduled with Nextel Cup events.

Given the pressures on next year's IRL schedule, there appears little chance of that happening. The league plans to add from two to five road or street courses to its slate, with at least two next year. Top candidates include Watkins Glen, Sears Point and Portland. Road America and Mid-Ohio are also getting a thorough look, says IRL vice president Ken Ungar.

Next year's IRL schedule is also being squeezed by the addition of a second Nextel Cup date at Texas Motor Speedway, slotted close to the IRL season finale's date. TMS president Eddie Gossage would like to keep the IRL season finale but move it forward to make room for the Cup event, while the IRL looks to stretch its schedule to accommodate the road course dates. If a compromise cannot be reached, the IRL season finale could move to Fontana or Las Vegas next year. The Las Vegas facility is owned by Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports, which also owns TMS.

New car on track for France

The French Grand Prix on July 4 is a "sensible and realistic target'' for McLaren to introduce its new MP4-19B, says managing director Martin Whitmarsh.

Kimi Raikkonen has been testing the new chassis and the team thinks the car is good enough to help fix McLaren's worst start to any season since Ron Dennis took control 23 years ago.