Carpentier has good run

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Patrick Carpentier was supposed to be moving to Las Vegas on Sunday. Instead, he moved up on the Nextel Cup radar.

The former Champ Car driver, who made a sensational NASCAR debut in his native Montreal two weeks ago, finishing second to Kevin Harvick in a Busch Series race, was a respectable 22nd in his first Cup race and led seven laps early in the Centurion Boats at The Glen.

"I loved it," said Carpentier, who started 40th in the 43-car field in the No. 10 Dodge in place of Scott Riggs. "I finished the race. That's what I wanted. I got off the track a few times and got punted off by a couple of guys, then punted them back when we came back."

Carpentier was third when the leaders pitted under caution on lap 24 and took the lead when Jamie McMurray relinquished the top spot to pit. Carpentier stayed there until he had to make a stop.

"I thought he adapted pretty quick," winner Tony Stewart said. "He was putting down some good laps. I was pretty impressed. ..."

CAR OF TOMORROW: NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow made its debut at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, and without much practice on the high-speed road course there were plenty of altercations.

There were eight cautions and a red flag in the Centurion Boats at The Glen amidst a flurry of unforced errors. Jeff Gordon lost the race when he spun out on his own while leading with two laps left. Winner Tony Stewart had done the same thing on the same turn midway through the race, but had enough time to atone for his mistake.

"It [the Car of Tomorrow] probably does put more cars up front and capable of running for the win," said Jimmie Johnson, who finished third. "But you've got a lot of good drivers and a lot of good teams. We're all running the same speed, so when you see a small bobble you've got to make a bansai move. I think that's just because the level of competition is getting closer and closer between the top 10."

ROAD WARRIORS: Jeff Gordon said he thought the Car of Tomorrow would give road race aces Boris Said and Ron Fellows a good shot at winning Sunday's Centurion Boats at The Glen.

Neither made that breakthrough victory, but they were solid.

Despite a speeding penalty on pit road that dropped him from 10th to 39th midway through the 90-lap race, Fellows was fourth after starting 26th in place of Tony Raines in the No. 96 Chevy. Said, who was given a ride in the Wood Brothers Ford when Bill Elliott generously stepped aside, was 14th after starting 39th.