The Associated Press

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - On the brink of winning the Winston Cup championship, Tony Stewart ran into trouble in the garage area again Saturday, bumping a photographer aside with a forearm.

NASCAR said Stewart apologized for what the driver called an accident, and the apology was accepted by the photographer.

Stewart, who enters today's race leading Mark Martin by 89 points in their duel for the title, already is on probation for punching a photographer after an August race.

"With Tony's history, had that been any other driver, it would probably have not been an issue," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said.

Minutes after the final practice for today's season-ending Ford 400, Stewart was walking swiftly from the garage toward his Joe Gibbs Racing team's hauler. He was accused of bumping Rusty Jarrett, a photographer for Getty Images.

"He came out of the garage, raised his arm and put a body block on me," said Jarrett, who was not injured.

Stewart was put on probation after punching a photographer following the Brickyard 400 in August.

The garage collision notwithstanding, Stewart said of today's challenge: "I'm probably about as relaxed as I've ever been in this situation. I'm going out to try to win the race."

Martin lost 25 points this season after NASCAR discovered an unapproved spring on his car after a race this month. His team appealed, arguing the infraction was not intentional and did not affect the car's performance. A three-man appeal panel let the penalty stand.

Martin goes into today's race trailing Stewart by 89 points.

"If something was to happen tomorrow and we were to wind up within 24 points of Tony and we hadn't appealed, we could never forgive ourselves when we had such a great case," Martin said.

CART: Despite losing more teams and drivers, CART series officials promised exciting new drivers, closer races and at least one new team in 2003 as they prepared to close out the season today in Mexico City.

"You're going to see a whole different level of competition on the racetrack," CART president Chris Pook said during qualifying for the Mexico Grand Prix.

Bruno Junqueira claimed the pole position with the fastest time on both days of qualifying in his Lola-Toyota. Christian Fittipaldi will start beside him.

Dario Franchitti, the No.3 qualifier, complained that erratic red flag decisions by track officials robbed him of his fastest lap and contributed to his spin and crash later on an oily track. He said track officials had immediately waved a red flag after a relatively minor incident, interrupting a good lap, but delayed waving the track clear after Paul Tracy lost oil on the track - leading to a Franchitti crash that damaged his Lola-Honda.

"If these guys don't know the difference between a dangerous and a safe situation, they shouldn't be doing their jobs," he said.

This race is a bittersweet time for CART, which long dominated American open-wheel racing. It is inaugurating a major new race, expected to draw more than 100,000 spectators, in North America's largest city. But it is also the final CART event for some top drivers, teams and engine makers.

The losses include the year's driving champion, Cristiano daMatta (to Formula One), engine builders Toyota and Honda and longtime CART team leaders such as Barry Green. Missing from the track will be Michael Andretti and Fittipaldi.

Only a handful of the current 19 drivers are firmly committed to return to CART next year, but Pook promised talented new drivers "with fire in their blood."

"Just like in other major-league sports, drivers come and go, teams come and go," Pook said.

BUSCH SERIES: Scott Wimmer won for the fourth time in his last eight races when leader Jason Keller ran out of gas in the Ford 300 at Homestead, Fla., in the Busch Series season finale.

Wimmer was one of a handful of drivers to pit for gas in the waning laps of the race, making a stop with 12 to go. Keller gambled and tried to stretch his fuel but ran his tank dry with one lap to go.

"This car was unreal it was one of our best of the year," Wimmer said. "But I like chasing guys, I don't like being out in the lead. So I'm kind of glad we had to come in for fuel because it gave me a chance to chase some guys."

Said Keller: "We had to go for it. We did not come to Homestead to finish second and that was my only shot. We were just one lap short."