MOTORSPORT: Timing hitch on IndyCar return?

Finding an agreeable date could be the impediment to a return of IndyCars to the Gold Coast.

The Queensland government has been looking at trying to bring the American open-wheelers back -- as early as next year -- as a way of breathing some life back into the annual street racing carnival on the streets of Surfers Paradise.

What has been the Gold Coast 600 with Supercars as the major act for the past decade has been an October fixture on the Australian motorsport calendar.

While the Queensland government and IndyCar are both keen on reviving the event as 'Indy', the American series organisers seem to want it in February -- before the start of their home races -- rather than October, which would be after their 'grand final'.

Late February-early March is the traditional time of the Adelaide 500 -- Supercars' glamour event other than the Bathurst 1000.

A February international open-wheeler race also would come close to clashing with Melbourne's Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, usually held in mid-March.

The IndyCars came to the Gold Coast for 18 years until 2008, with a recent news report claiming Queensland reaped $A750 million benefits for an outlay of about $A220 million.

Supercars has been agreeable to sharing the Gold Coast billing with IndyCar again and its chief executive, Sean Seamer, has been in the US for talks recently.

However, veteran American motorsport correspondent Marshall Pruett has reported on Racer.com that "finding a date that works with both championships (IndyCar and Supercars) could be the most challenging task to solve".

The hot topic of tobacco is back in the motorsport spotlight.

Barely a month out from the Australian Grand Prix, questions are being asked about the 'Mission Winnow' signage on the Formula 1 Ferraris.

Mission Winnow is an advertising campaign by Philip Morris, owner of the Marlboro cigarette brand that long sponsored Ferrari until outlawed a decade ago.

Philip Morris has remained a Ferrari sponsor since, despite not being allowed to display Marlboro's chevron logo on the cars any longer.

Opponents of tobacco sponsorship are claiming that an element of the Mission Winnow logo design resembles the Marlboro chevron.

While federal and state authorities are investigating the legality of the signage, Philip Morris says its campaign is promoting smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes that it is testing.

"The campaign does not advertise or promote any branded products," it says. "Rather it is designed to talk about our commitment to improving ourselves in everything we do.

“Mission Winnow is a window to the new Philip Morris International and our partners, to our commitment and the stimuli that drive us to improve and evolve. And to contribute to the progress of society."

Australian GT racing will have a McLaren 720S from the outset this season and another, as well as one of the latest Aston Martin Vantages, from mid-year.

Melbourne's Fraser Ross will debut the first of the 720Ss -- with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged alloy V8 -- in the GT support races at the Australian GP in Melbourne next month.

Chevrolet -- the bowtie brand that has been the dominant manufacturer in the history of NASCAR but without a championship since 2015 -- is the early pacesetter for this year's American stock car series.

The five fastest cars at Daytona International Speedway in Florida ahead of next weekend's Daytona 500 have been Chev Camaros -- the first four of them Hendrick Motorsports entries.

Youngsters William Byron, 21, and Alex Bowman, 25, have locked in front-row starts for the 500.

Byron's pole position is Chevrolet's 700th In NASCAR's Cup series. His crew chief is Chad Knaus, who previously partnered seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, who has been third fastest, with Chase Elliott fourth.

The order of the 38 cars starting the race behind the two on the front row will be decided in two mid-week sprint races.

Byron's average speed on his pole lap was 194.305mph (312.703km/h), pipping Bowman -- last year's pole man -- by 0.006 seconds.

Roger Penske's reigning series champion Joey Logano is sixth fastest so far in Ford's new Mustang, with 2017 champion Martin Truex Junior the top Toyota driver in seventh.

Brad Keselowski, another former series champion driving for Penske, has been ninth fastest in another Ford - the reigning champion manufacturer with 19 wins in 36 races last year after Toyota's 2016-17 titles.