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Racing driver Lewis Hamilton's given his stamp of approval to a giant portrait of himself - one that was appropriately created using remote controlled cars instead of paint brushes.

HAMPTON, Ga. — Carl Edwards did his seventh celebratory backflip and headed to Victory Lane confident he'd closed in on Jimmie Johnson's bumper in the race for the Sprint Cup title.

As the champagne flowed, his spirits were dashed.

Even with his win Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Edwards didn't dent Johnson's lead in the championship standings.

With a masterful final drive to the checkered flag, the two-time defending champion rallied from a rare penalty to finish second and stretch his points lead to a commanding 183 points over Edwards with three races remaining in the Chase for the championship.

"Are you kidding me?" a deflated Edwards asked when told Johnson had finished second. "You've rained on my parade. I could have done without that one. That's unbelievable, he does a great job."

Carl Edwards wins, Jimmie Johnson finishes second to widen lead....

By MIKE HARRIS

Camping World will replace Craftsman as the title sponsor for NASCAR's truck series in 2009.

The seven-year deal, thought to be worth between $5 million and $7 million annually, was announced Thursday by NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France and Camping World chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis.

Camping World has been active in NASCAR for several years. In its first year as the title sponsor for NASCAR's developmental East and West series, it also has been the title sponsor for several Sprint Cup races. It has sponsorship deals with Kevin Harvick Inc. in trucks and NASCAR's Nationwide Series.

Lemonis said the company's sponsorships of the East and West series and KHI's No. 33 truck, driven by Ron Hornaday Jr., will continue through 2009.

The new sponsor is stepping into a series that is very competitive but facing a considerable challenge with both Dodge and Ford announcing within the past two months that their financial support of truck teams would end this season.

"First of all, the series is very healthy," France said.

Camping World to sponsor NASCAR trucks....

SHANGHAI (AFP) — Britain's Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday but was denied the world championship by title rival Felipe Massa, who finished second.

McLaren's Hamilton led throughout for a straightforward win but he remains just seven points ahead of Massa, taking the championship to a dramatic final race in Brazil next month.

Ferrari's outgoing champion Kimi Raikkonen was third after conceding second place to Massa late on. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso of Renault was fourth.

Hamilton wins Chinese Grand Prix....

Oyama, Japan (Sports Network) - Renault's Fernando Alonso recorded his second- consecutive victory Sunday by taking the Japanese Grand Prix. The Spaniard crossed the finish line 5.2 seconds ahead of Robert Kubica.

The victory was Alonso's 21st career in Formula One competition.

Alonso picks up second-straight F1 win....

CONCORD, N.C. — Jeff Burton failed to win a championship when he was anointed NASCAR's next big star, the guy everyone thought would challenge for multiple titles.

He couldn't win one years later, when, after years of mediocrity, he suddenly found himself back in the mix.

A win Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway rocketed Burton onto Jimmie Johnson's bumper with five races to go to decide the championship, and Burton is convinced he's as capable of winning a title now as he was when he was a young hotshot.

"No one's ever proven to me why you can't do at 41 what you could do at 23," Burton said. "We're lucky to be in a sport that you can be successful in your 40s. You can convince yourself you're too old to do it. Trust me, a lot of people will try to convince you you're too old to do it.

"But with age comes a lot of advantages, too. And we'll try to take those advantages every chance we get."

Jeff Burton uses win at Lowe's Motor Speedway to get back in title hunt....

KFFL's Keith Hernandez goes over the best and worst drivers for this week's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

By Noah Joseph

Everyone's surprised as the FIA has announced it is canceling the Canadian Grand Prix. Those in the world of F1 racing have come to know the event as a staple of the F1 calendar. Racing fans in Montreal, this writer's home town that has hosted the race for the past three decades, are shocked to lose the event. And that includes the race organizers, who apparently learned of the news the same way the rest of us have.

Au revoir, Montréal: FIA cancels Canadian GP for 2009....

Talladega, AL (Sports Network) - Todd Bodine passed Kyle Busch for the lead coming out of the final turn of the last lap and then held off Ron Hornaday, Jr. to win Saturday's Mountain Dew 250 Craftsman Truck Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway.

The victory was Bodine's second of the season and the 14th of his Truck Series career. It was also his third consecutive superspeedway win. Bodine won in February at Daytona and last year's race at Talladega.

"Going down the back straightaway, I was thinking I'll just finish second here," Bodine said. "I pushed Kyle Busch down there, tried to get him to win. We came off of turn four and I hit him, got him sideways and I had to go down the side, and then I had a buddy behind me, Ron Hornaday. He was back there, and he came back and pushed me and here we are."

Bodine wins thrilling truck race at Talladega....

By CURT ANDERSON – 19 hours ago

MIAMI (AP) — Race car driver and "Dancing With The Stars" winner Helio Castroneves pleaded not guilty Friday to federal tax evasion charges and declared outside the courtroom that he would treat the case like a race against the Internal Revenue Service.

"I'm a race car driver," the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner told reporters. "This is a very difficult situation. I'll be strong and I'll win this race."

Castroneves, 33, spoke after his release on $10 million bail following a court appearance in which he was shackled in handcuffs and leg chains and was visibly weeping into a wad of white tissue. Outside, Castroneves acknowledged he was overwhelmed by the weight of the moment.

"It's been a long day. It's been an emotional day, obviously," he said. "I am not guilty."

Driver Castroneves pleads not guilty in tax case....

By CURT ANDERSON

MIAMI (AP) — Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and TV "Dancing With The Stars" champion Helio Castroneves was indicted Thursday on tax evasion and tax fraud charges, accused of using offshore accounts to hide millions of dollars in income from the Internal Revenue Service.

Castroneves, 33, is charged with conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion for purportedly failing to report to the IRS about $5.5 million in income between 1999 and 2004, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.

Also facing charges are Katiucia Castroneves, 35, the race car driver's sister and business manager, and attorney Alan R. Miller, 71, of Birmingham, Mich. All three are scheduled to make court appearances Friday and it wasn't immediately clear if they had hired defense lawyers. None were under arrest Thursday.

"This case sends a clear message that the IRS is committed to vigorously enforcing the tax laws and stopping offshore tax evasion," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.

Race driver Castroneves charged in US tax case....