IN SIGHT Edgar Torronteras sails way high at Barcelona. FOCUS: TOWNSEND BELL Pat Patrick couldn't bench Townsend Bell fast enough in 2002. Now as Patrick's own CART team searches for sponsorship, Bell is competing for a Formula One ride. My, how fortunes can change. Bell once dominated the now defunct Indy Lights series before struggling during his rookie campaign in CART. Bell was fined and put on probation for rough driving and eventually replaced by Oriol Servia in '02. (To Patrick's credit, Servia has been very good). Now, Bell is testing for the Jaguar Formula One team. Jaguar has an open seat alongside driver Mark Webber, but Bell likely is behind Justin Wilson and Alexander Wurz in the race for the seat. Both Bell and Austrian Christian Klien tested for the team this week. "The first impressions are that both guys are pretty good, both applied themselves in a good way," said Jaguar spokesperson Nav Sidhu. There are currently no American drivers in Formula One, but Bell, 28, believes that might help him. "Over in the U.S., drivers are lamenting that Canadians and Mexicans are pushed by teams and sponsors," Bell said. "But F1 racing wants to conquer the American market, and so I am on pole here." Bell has also tested with BAR, and it's safe to say he enjoyed himself. "(It) was amazing," Bell said. "It's the fastest car I've ever driven. I was too busy smiling to be too analytical on the first run, but it was great gradually working up to higher speeds." Bell may or may not be speeding his way to an F1 ride, but his career does appear to be back on track. PIT PASS Ricky Craven and Cal Wells are Beaming. Former No. 32 crew chief Mike Beam is back in the PPI Motorsports fold as competition director for its racing programs. Beam headed Craven's crew in 2001 and 2002, when Craven finished 21st and 15th, respectively. Beam saw mixed results this past season as crew chief of Richard Childress' No. 30 car. "I'm thrilled to be back at PPI Motorsports," said Beam, 47. "It's like coming home in a lot of ways. I'm really excited to be in a position where I can help set direction not only for the race team, but also for the whole company. PPI Motorsports is a quality operation, and I'm happy to be working with everyone here again." Craven was strong early on in 2003, notching six top-15s (including a win at Darlington) in the first 10 races to climb as high as seventh in points. But the team plummeted after that, accumulating 10 DNFs in the final 26 races as Craven ultimately finished 27th in points. Team president Wells believes Beam is the right person to right the ship. "Bringing Mike back on board is just what our company needs," Wells said. "We experienced a bit of a learning curve with the switch to Pontiac and our own engine program, and we're at the point now where we can really push our efforts to the next level. With his ability, experience and familiarity with how we operate, Mike is an ideal choice to help us do that." Former DEI engineering manager David Charpentier will serve as crew chief for the team next year. At Gas and Go, we are feeling the holiday spirit. There is much to be thankful for in the motorsports world, and in case you've forgotten that, we're here to remind you with a quick rundown. Thanks start at West McLaren Mercedes, where not only is rival Juan Pablo Montoya in the fold for '05 before '04 even begins but also the MP4-19 chassis is already on the track for testing in the capable hands of (lame duck) David Coulthard. No MP4-18 we never knew thee debacles on the horizon here. We're thankful that MotoGP champ Valentino Rossi is moving to Yamaha, not because we have anything against Honda but rather it's refreshing to see a champ who's not afraid to take on a new challenge. We're thankful that John Force is John Force. If there was an award for funniest champion in sports, who could possibly top Force? Reality TV should be following this man 24 hours a day. If not Force, then maybe the cameras should track Paul Tracy. The CART champ admitted on David Letterman's show he's driven 194 mph on empty stretches of highway in Las Vegas. Hmmm, wonder if any Las Vegas PD were watching that night? We're thankful to all our loyal readers who take the time to respond to us, but mainly to Private Johnson, whose RPMcommentsform e-mail just came to us a few moments ago simply saying, "You are the best!" Was Private Johnson trying to butter us up? The possibility does exist. But we like Private Johnson for it. We're thankful that Matt Kenseth, one of the humblest and cleanest drivers in NASCAR, is the final Winston Cup champ. We're thankful Alex Zanardi is racing again. We're thankful Kenny Brack is healing quickly. We'd be really thankful if the split in open wheel racing could be healed -- but that's like asking Santa Claus for a winning lottery ticket. It doesn't work, trust us. Finally, we're thankful that organizations like Speedway Children's Charities continue to brighten the holidays for so many. On Dec. 3 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the group started 19 years ago by Speedway Motorsports Inc. CEO Bruton Smith will distribute $683,425 to 71 local charitable organizations. "There is nothing that warms the heart more than helping children," Smith said. We couldn't agree more. Happy holidays -- and drive safely. EXHAUST FUMES Jason Keller"> Keller Jason Keller is going shopping. Keller's Albertson's Supermarkets sponsorship disappeared at the end of the 2003 Busch season. Now, ThatsRacin.com is reporting that a deal with a prospective sponsorship for 2004 has fallen apart -- meaning Keller could be without sponsorship and without a ride when Daytona rolls around. Amazing. "I'm left kind of clueless right now," Keller told ThatsRacin.com "I wish I had more options for myself." And really, he deserves to have options. Let's take a look at the stats. Keller, 33, won one race in 2003 and finished fifth in Busch points. In 2002, Keller scored four wins and was runner-up to series champ Greg Biffle. 2001? One win, third in points. A win and an overall runner-up finish (to Jeff Green) in 2000. Two wins, eighth in points in '99. Sixth in '96, fourth in '95. The guy can drive and seemingly shouldn't have trouble attracting a sponsor. But to take it a step further, it's hard to understand why Keller's name isn't on more short lists when Winston Cup owners are looking for drivers. Keller, who did make two Cup starts this year, could easily fit in the "inexperienced veteran" mold of the Jeff Greens and Greg Biffles of the world when they hit Winston Cup. But that can be a tough sell in an era where many owners would rather go with a safe veteran (such as free agent Johnny Benson) or a promising youngster (Brian Vickers, Scott Wimmer). MAILBAG

Why the big deal over Matt Kenseth's win total? How many did Dale Jr. and Jimmie Johnson have at second and third in points?! Kevin Harvick only had one and he is in the top five. Kenseth is the best driver, so be it. Dale Boschee Aberdeen, S.D. It is true that the top of the Winston Cup standings this season was filled with drivers who had three or fewer wins. Johnson (second) and Jeff Gordon (fourth) had three wins apiece while Earnhardt Jr. (third) had two. And yes, Harvick rounds out the top five with just one win. So you are correct, Dale, in that Kenseth's one win isn't at all far off from his closest competition. But in a sense this only accentuates the point made by those calling for changes to the points system. After all, Ryan Newman's eight wins didn't only top Kenseth's total. Rather, Newman had more than twice as many victories than each of the five drivers who finished in front of him in points. And there's the rub. 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 Dan Wheldon On the off-season: "I get bored. We seem to have been having a little bit more time off this winter than last winter. I'm always itching to get back in the car." Giancarlo Fisichella On his first test with Sauber: "For the first day with my new team I'm quite happy with the result. ... It's a very nice and familiar atmosphere at Sauber." Kurt Busch On the 2003 Cup season: "You have to take a lesson from every race, whether it's on the racetrack or off the racetrack, and it's made me a better person."