IN SIGHT Awesome, Bill. FOCUS: PETTER SOLBERG In Robert Bolt's "A Man for All Seasons," while not intending to indict Wales as a tourist destination, Sir Thomas More tells Richard Rich he morally bankrupted himself for, well, the wrong country. After being told Rich was given the position of Attorney General of Wales, More says, "Richard, it profits a man nothing to trade his soul for the whole world; but for Wales?" Now, there's a certain Norwegian champion who might not fully agree. Petter Solberg earned his first World Rally Championship race victory in Wales at the Rally of Great Britain in 2002. Last Sunday, Solberg topped that feat, winning the season-ender in Wales once again but this time taking the hotly-contested WRC season crown along with it. "I just can't believe this," said Solberg, who will turn 29 next week. "It's amazing, absolutely amazing. I haven't been thinking about the championship, just driving my stages and now we're here and we are the champions. "The rally has gone so well for us, it really has -- for the whole team this is a fantastic result." And while Citroen won the manufacturers' title, it's the famous blue Subaru that gets the publicity associated with Solberg's WRC title. Solberg's teammate, the retiring Tommi Makinen of Finland, concurred. "It's great for him and everyone here," Makinen said. And Solberg earned his title in style, blasting through the rainy Welsh forest with the fastest time in the final leg, showing he wasn't content to just sit back and let his early-stage lead carry him to the title. Hitting triple digits in the mud and fog takes a certain suspension of fear. But according to Solberg, a former disco champion, it's all in the seat of his pants. "I want to dance through the woods," Solberg tells the WRC.com Web site. "It's about flow and rhythm. But every time you go sideways, you're losing time. Judging speed and cornering is very much a physical thing. I feel it through my bum, mainly. That's the dancing element, I guess. I feel when I'm going too sideways rather than looking at an angle through the windscreen. That bit's physical." OK, the man is the champ. We'll take his word for it. But does this mean disco guru John Travolta should strap himself in and attempt the Scandinavian Flick? We're guessing not. PIT PASS Benson Johnny Benson's days in the No. 10 car are about to end. Scott Riggs will take over the MBV ride next season, meaning Benson will be out of a job after Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami. Benson got his only career Winston Cup victory -- and the only one for MBV Motorsports -- at Rockingham last season. He matched a career-best by finishing 11th in the final standings in 2001 but was just 29th in '02. "Things change in this sport pretty fast," said Benson, who is currently 25th in points and has just three top-10s this season. "Everyone is looking to the future now but I think we will always remember the things we have done in the past. Hey we went from this team being nearly bankrupt in 2000 to winning a race. All of the credit goes to the crew guys who have worked on this team." Aside from being Benson's final race in the 10 car, this weekend's Miami event also features both Winston and Pontiac making their NASCAR bows. GM will no longer field Pontiacs in NASCAR next season while Winston steps aside as the Nextel Cup era begins in '04. "You always want to do well, but when you know it will be the last time for everyone together on this team, the last time for Pontiac and the last time for Winston then this race is probably a little extra special," said Benson. "Winston and Pontiac leaving the sport just proves that nothing ever stays the same. Both have been great for the sport and helped get it to where it is these days. But I'll miss the people with Winston and Pontiac the most. We welcome the new folks coming in, but it's kind of hard to see the others leave." Benson is rumored to be a candidate to drive a second Cal Wells car if Wells is able to add to his stable and bring in a teammate for Ricky Craven. Rides with Richard Childress and Petty Enterprises might also be available, but in the meantime Benson just wants to finish the season strong. They say you are only as good as your last race. Well if you win Sunday in Miami you are going to be great all the way into February when we take the green flag at Daytona. Doing well Sunday can make the off season a whole lot of fun." EXHAUST FUMES Some of our devoted users have written in protesting the fact that Jeff Gordon was penalized for his retaliatory strike on Ryan Newman, yet Newman himself received no such punishment for taking out Ken Schrader in the latter stages of Sunday's Pop Secret 400 at North Carolina Speedway. It's a fine line between a reckless or aggressive racing incident and throwing the second punch -- with apologies to Jimmy Spencer. Gordon thought Newman was trying to wreck him. Newman had a different take. "It was hard racing," said Newman. "I didn't spin him out, but he spun me out. It's not good, hard racing when somebody spins you out." Gordon's crew chief Robbie Loomis basically admitted that Gordon spinning Newman was indeed intentional. So, Gordon clearly intended to spin Newman. Whether or not he was justified -- and that point is debatable, but Newman was all over Gordon just before the spin -- NASCAR just doesn't tolerate retaliation. Or, obvious retaliation, to be more specific. That's why Gordon was forced to sit in the corner facing the wall while his buddies ran around the room one more time. Newman ruining Schrader's would-be top-10 finish, however, doesn't quite fall into the same ball park. At best, Newman got loose and ran into Schrader. At worst, Schrader had the spot and Newman just got greedy and reckless. Either way, it didn't appear to be premeditated. Bad driving, yes. But not on the same level as Gordon spinning the No. 12 car purposefully. Congratulations, Matt Kenseth. You may not have the most wins, but you are the biggest winner. Period. End of story. Did we write that already? Forgive us. But the story of the Tortoise and the Hare has captivated us. We'll try not to mention it again. (Fingers crossed). With only one race remaining in Winston Cup and the rest of the top-tier motorsports world now officially in the offseason, our job here is done. Good-bye. Hah! You can't get rid of us that easily. For it is time, loyal readers, to give you a completely subjective (what else could it be?), sure to make you laugh/cry/hate us/throw-your-mouse-and-monitor-out-the-window list of our favorite quotes this year in motorsports. "If Robby raced as fast under green as he did under caution that one time, he'd win a lot of these things. ... That's a bunch of crap right there. Anybody who races back under caution like that ... I don't know where his mind is." -- Jeff Gordon on Robby Gordon's pass of Kevin Harvick under yellow. "You really think I care what Jeff Gordon says, honestly? The guy has won enough races. I don't know why he's so sore about it. I guess he doesn't like it when someone comes in and rains on his parade a little bit." -- Robby Gordon's response to Jeff Gordon. "It was good hard racing except for that chicken move under yellow. ... I think Jeff said it best." -- Kevin Harvick on Robby Gordon's pass. "I wonder if Jeff Gordon is going to jump up and down about his own driver passing under yellow. Think about it." -- Robby Gordon, after the shoe was on the other foot. "Ron Fellows, that idiot, tried to do it to me several times. I had to pass guys under yellow just to keep him from passing me." -- Boris Said on Ron Fellows' alleged attempts to pass Said under yellow. "Sometimes when Bruton opens his mouth he sounds constipated." -- Bill France Jr. on colleague/rival Bruton Smith. "I want to be racing a long time, and I don't want to get wrecked on a non-points race that has turned out to be a hack-fest every year." -- Tony Stewart on The Winston. "There are a lot of politicians who drive Winston Cup cars. I'm not a politician." -- Tony Stewart. "It is impossible to have a dialogue if the response to a carefully considered set of proposals is a collection of vague claims and confused criticisms with no discernible attempt to address the arguments." -- FIA president Max Mosley on complaints over new F1 rules. "I'm about 65 kilos and Chip's probably ... He's probably 65 kilos too much to fit into the car!" -- Scott Dixon on whether car owner Chip Ganassi could fit into Dixon's race car. "I think you need to capitalize on media attention when it comes, especially something as unique and different as an FHM shoot. ... I'm still a girl -- getting my hair and makeup done is fun." -- Danica Patrick on her FHM photo shoot. "I've been the perfect crash-test dummy for the HANS ... one forward impact and one rear impact." -- Gil de Ferran. "If Whit wants an apology, I say 'Pull up a chair, Whit,' because there isn't one coming." -- Tony Pedregon on his feud with Whit Bazemore. "It's getting kind of old. I don't know what's wrong with the 24, but we need to find out. You've got to give and take in this league, and he has done a lot of taking." -- Sterling Marlin on being wrecked at Dover by Jeff Gordon. "It's just Mike Skinner, as usual. He causes about half the wrecks in Winston Cup. -- Greg Biffle on Mike Skinner allegedly causing a wreck at Pocono. "I'm pretty sure that Ralf is burning to piss on his brother, apologies to the ladies." -- Williams boss Frank Williams on Ralf Schumacher's desire to show he can race his brother Michael hard. "I am not sure what strategy Player's is running, but they are out there blocking everyone. It is frustrating. It isn't like this is a new thing with them." -- Michel Jourdain Jr. on Cleveland Champ Car qualifying. "I don't know if they've ever encouraged me to be myself, judging by some of the fines I've received I would say no. But that's who I am and I don't try to be someone I'm not." -- Paul Tracy when asked if CART has encouraged him to be himself. "Amid all the media rumors about me losing my job ... our contract's up at the end of the year. I guarantee you I plan being in that car until the end of the year. ... I'm resilient. I'm like an old pair of shoes. You can keep tossing me to the side, but I just fit good." -- Steve Park after winning the pole at Fontana. He was released by DEI less than two weeks later. "If I tell you I never saw him, would you believe it? It's the second time that I win with someone on the race track. They're going to say he's Brazilian for sure." -- Rubens Barrichello after winning the British GP, a race memorable for the appearance of the kilted man on the racetrack. "We were so damn conservative on our pit calls. We were basing everything on the race going green the rest of the way and we wouldn't have enough fuel. ... I love my guys, but when I've got to hit pit road, it scares me." -- Rusty Wallace on his team's pit woes. "I appreciate that NASCAR has recognized that Jimmy's assault went beyond the level of a 'racing incident.'" -- Kurt Busch on NASCAR fining and suspending Jimmy Spencer for punching him in the face at Michigan. So what has changed for me now that I'm out of the car? Well, I've had wine with dinner twice this week, something I've never done in May in 13 years. When I'm hungry now, I enjoy a donut. I never would have eaten one before. -- Eddie Cheever Jr. in an ESPN.com diary. "The most important thing in the world is supposed to be your wedding. It's kind of weird if you ask me." -- Wayne Estes, VP of communications for Bristol Motor Speedway, on 23 couples tying the knot at the start-finish line before the Sharpie 500. "He's an idiot." -- Kevin Harvick on why Kurt Busch is unloved. "I saw a bunch of RCR guys jumping up and down on the hood of our race car." -- Ricky Rudd on the pit road mayhem at Richmond. "If he can do that with his foot, then he's a magician -- and I'll kiss his butt if he's doing it with his foot." -- Kevin Harvick on Ryan Newman's controversial fuel mileage wins. "The drivers are a little bit nervous or on edge ... when things don't go right, you get all mad ... you don't have anybody to talk to; you come up with crazy ideas and things that you say that you don't mean." -- Michael Waltrip on racing at 'Dega. Ahhh, so true Michael, so true. The above statement could apply to all of racing, not just Talladega. And we're thankful for it. MAILBAG

With CART about to disappear, where will Paul Tracy go? F1 would seem a better fit for him, since he didn't do well on speedways or short tracks this year. How about the rest of the CART teams? Christopher Stephans Alexandria, Va. Don't tell Tracy or the rest of the drivers and teams that CART is about to disappear. The newly-crowned Champ Car champ discussed the future of the series in an ESPN.com chat last week and seemed very optimistic. As for CART alternatives, he correctly assessed that he's too old to get a shot in Formula One -- which is too bad, considering drivers like Tracy and Gil de Ferran could probably find some success there -- and it's pretty clear he has no interest in stock cars. Most likely scenario? Tracy sticks with CART (or whatever it will be called). If the series survives, great. If not, at that time the IRL would likely absorb many of the road courses and if he so desired, Tracy would probably drive IndyCars. And there's plenty of room in the current IRL field for more teams and drivers. But that discussion is moot as long as CART exists, and the current teams and drivers are confident it will survive. Paul Tracy chat wrap 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 Bernstein On finishing his second farewell tour with a win. "It's just been a great day. I was very fortunate to get a second chance. They don't come along very often." Paul Tracy On whether IRL teams have contacted him. "No, no contact from the IRL. I don't think they like me over there." Matt Kenseth After clinching the Cup title. "I feel a lot lighter today. I feel like the world has lifted off my shoulders somewhat."

RPM.ESPN.com's Gas and Go appears each and every Tuesday on ESPN.com.