There’s nothing usual about an industrial espionage case in F-1 that could affect team and driver standings before the year is out. L’affair Coughlin/Stepney continues to meander through the court system in Britain, Italy and the World Motor Sports Council with all indications that McLaren cannot get off without some sort of penalty. In a sport where teams constantly pinch and pilfer ideas from one another by indirect means, the revelation of documents referring to a 2007 Ferrari showing up at a copy shop in England constitutes a new dimension.

I know this case certainly holds my attention!

Meanwhile, Tony George is holding out versus Bernie Ecclestone’s increased sanctioning fee for the U.S.G.P., declining to renew for 2008. George by his own admission is looking for more consistent TV coverage in the U.S. (a package controlled by Ecclestone and more than somewhat lacking at present). Both can agree on landing a longterm sponsor, but there isn’t one at present. (They split any sponsor deal; whoever brings in the dance partner gets a larger cut.) Also, a return of the fall date when the championship is in full swing better suits Indy’s schedule, which now includes MotoGP. In other words, George has said to Ecclestone, the leader in a sport often driven by greed, there must be a way for all of us to make more money.

So whoever said Tony George was dull or weak?

In NASCAR, where the political circus rivals F-1 in terms of a a non-stop revolving door of drama and intrigue, ordinarily it would not be big news that Tony Stewart begins a championship charge in the dog days of summer. Sooner or later, “Smoke” is going to get hot behind the wheel as well as under the collar. Among drivers who have posted at least one win in each of their Cup seasons, Stewart leads the league with nine straight years after his victory at Chicagoland.

But that’s not the story. On a Joe Gibbs Racing team owned by a disciple of discipline, the barriers are being tested by both Stewart and teammate Denny Hamlin. At Milwaukee in June, a late-arriving Hamlin had understudy Aric Almirola removed in mid-race to reclaim his car. This was a case of driver running the team instead of vice-versa.

In Daytona last week, Stewart’s contretemps with Hamlin after their crash was business as usual for “Smoke.” But when Hamlin began retaliating in the media, Gibbs himself had to fly into Chicago for a closed door meeting to clear the air, if not smoke. In a stunning footnote, longtime development driver Almirola is abandoning ship for Ginn Racing next year to share a Chevy with Mark Martin.

Given that there’s little love lost at present between soon-to-be-departed Kyle Busch and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, that makes two of NASCAR’s most accomplished teams with walking tensioning rods in their midsts. (Or three if you count Roush Fenway Racing, where owner Jack Roush is constantly creating foment among his drivers and crew chiefs in a NASCAR imitation of Enzo Ferrari.)

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s scheduled departure from DEI, on the other hand, seems to have that team inspired.

In sports car racing, the Penske Porsches’ three-race winning streak is no longer politically correct going into this weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio. The rule makers at the American Le Mans Series have decreased the air restrictors for the Porsche and Acura prototypes just prior to the return to such high-speed tracks as Road America, Mosport, Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca, all expected to better suit the Audi R10 TDI diesel. Evidently, the ALMS cannot get along without victories by one of its major TV and print advertising sponsors.

The Penske team is still looking for its first win in the Nextel Cup with Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch, hobbled at present by the Dodge Charger/Avenger. The team has been trailing Andretti Green Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing in the IRL since Indy as well.

But Penske will continue to find its way in sports cars, NASCAR and IndyCars no matter what, considering a combined annual budget of $100 million.

Given last year’s shuffle in F-1 starting with The Schumacher’s retirement and Earnhardt Jr.’s saga earlier this year, there’s no way the silly season this summer could possibly have measured up. Unless, say, Penske had signed Danica Patrick to a NASCAR deal for next year. So other unpredictable politics will just have to do.

Jonathan Ingram can be reached at jingram666@cs.com