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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- In a rare outburst, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen on Friday criticized the team for not paying his salary this season and threatened to skip the final two races of the season in protest. Speaking after the second practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the former F1 champion said he had to be persuaded to race here and added that he is still upset about a tense exchange with a member of the technical staff at last weekends Indian GP. "Sometimes it is not very nice when you hear that you are not really a team player, and you dont have the interests of the team (at heart) -- but you have been paid zero euro(s) the whole year," said Raikkonen, who is usually reluctant to speak to media. Raikkonen, who is joining Ferrari next season, added that he would consider skipping the United States GP and Brazilian GP if he does not receive his money. "For sure. I enjoy racing, I enjoy driving, but a big part of it is business. Sometimes when that is not dealt with like it should we end up in an unfortunate situation," he said. "You have to put the line somewhere, and if it goes over that ... it is not really my fault." Raikkonens comments came just hours after Lotus chairman Gerard Lopez has played down the rift between Raikkonen and trackside operations director Alan Permane last Sunday. In blunt terms, Raikkonen was told over the race radio by Permane not to hold up teammate Romain Grosjean. Raikkonen skipped media duties on Thursday, which fueled speculation about growing unrest, and the 34-year-old Finnish driver confirmed that he came close not to racing in Abu Dhabi. "I came here only because hopefully we found an understanding on the certain issues we have been having," Raikkonen said. "Hopefully it will be fixed and we can finish the season as well as we can." Although the argument with Permane was not the main factor in his decision to speak out, Raikkonen said it did upset him. "It is a part of it. It is true those things should not happen but they have happened," Raikkonen said. "(But) that is not really the issue. It is all the other stuff." The 2007 champion is also annoyed that his loyalty to the team has been questioned despite him racing without pay. "It doesnt put you in the best place," he said. "That is how it goes and hopefully, like I said, we found an understanding on both sides on how we should deal with the situation right now." Only hours earlier, Lopez insisted all was fine. "Recently a lot was made about the comments between Alan Permane and Kimi during the course of a tense moment in a race, but this was just one exchange taking a matter of seconds in the course of a two-year relationship," Lopez said Friday. "It certainly wasnt the most beneficial few seconds, but you have to step back and accept that everyone is passionate about racing and sometimes these things do happen." Lopez did acknowledge, however, that the financial situation was poorly handled. "For a long time we had the opportunity to keep him in our hands, but we werent able to operate to the timeframe -- or make the offer -- that Ferrari were able to do," Lopez said. "For me this brought sadness, as its like a prodigal son leaving us." Lopez also praised the influence that Raikkonen has had on Grosjean -- the Frenchman who has hit form late into the season with three consecutive third-place finishes. "Had Romain been next to a more junior driver, or a less capable driver, we probably would still not know how good Romain is," Lopez said. "For Romain to be delivering the results he is doing so now, its really very much because he is driving next to probably one of the best Formula One drivers ever. Kimi has been a tremendous help." Lotus still has an outside shot at finishing second behind Red Bull in the constructors championship. Mercedes, with 313 points, and Ferrari, with 309, are in a stronger position while Lotus stands at 285. "The only reason were fighting for second is because of all the points that Kimi has scored," Lopez said. Raikkonen is third overall behind Fernando Alonso and recently-crowned world champion Sebastian Vettel. Rickey Jackson Jersey . Keenum will make his first appearance in a regular-season game against the rugged defence of the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, where the fans just set a Guinness record as the noisiest outdoor stadium in the world. Custom New Orleans Saints Jerseys . Lisicki beat South African Chanelle Scheepers by a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) margin. Next up for the Wimbledon runner-up will be Slovenian Polona Hercog, who outlasted Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Saints-Bobby-Hebert-Jersey/ . Yoenis Cespedes proved he can play through a hurting right heel, giving Scott Kazmir and the As a spark with a pair of RBIs that helped spoil the Minnesota Twins home opener with an 8-3 victory on Monday. Cameron Jordan Youth Jersey . Van Slyke drove in a career-high four runs with two homers off struggling left-hander Tony Cingrani, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, a rare comfortable win in their pitching-dominated series. Michael Thomas Jersey . Its the second of three meetings between these teams this season. Vancouver was a 2-1 winner on home ice December 22nd.CONCORD, N.C. -- While Clint Bowyers spin got all the attention at Richmond, a few questions from a puzzled Brian Vickers and the promise of a post-race kiss led to one hefty punishment from NASCAR. Ryan Newman replaced Martin Truex Jr. in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship on Monday night when NASCAR penalized Michael Waltrip Racing for manipulating the outcome of last weekends race. Michael Waltrip Racing was fined $300,000, and general manager Ty Norris received an indefinite suspension. Truex, Bowyer and Vickers were docked 50 points apiece -- but Bowyers deduction does not affect his position in the Chase, which begins Sunday at Chicago. "We penalize to not have this happen again," NASCAR President Mike Helton said. "Its a message from the league saying You cant do this." Newman was leading with seven laps remaining Saturday night at Richmond, where a victory would have given him the final spot in the 12-driver Chase field. But Bowyer spun to bring out a caution, setting in motion a chain of events that ultimately led to Newman losing the race and Bowyer teammate Truex earning the final Chase berth. While examining the situation, NASCAR reviewed communication between Bowyer and his Michael Waltrip Racing crew that seemed to indicate the spin was deliberate, as well as additional evidence that suggested MWR had Bowyer and Vickers take a dive over the final three laps so Joey Logano would knock Jeff Gordon out of Chase contention in yet another attempt to help Truex. NASCAR did not adjust the standings to put Gordon into the Chase -- he was in before Bowyers spin -- because Helton said it was impossible to address all the scenarios. "We know from experience, if you try to look at ripple effect, you cant cover all bases thats equitable and credible across board," said Helton, who also said NASCAR was unable to prove Bowyer spun intentionally. "Theres a lot of chatter, but we didnt see any conclusive evidence." The AP reviewed team communications for Bowyer and Vickers on Sunday, and Vickers was told by Norris to pit because "We need that one point." "Were probably going to pit here on green," Norris says. "Are you talking to me?" a surprised Vickers asks. Vickers continued to question the call, at one point asking, "I dont understand, pit right now?" "Youve got to pit this time. We need that one point," Norris replies. "10-4. Do I got a tire going down?" Vickers asked. Vickers then pitted as the field went green. When he asked after if his crew found anything with the tire, Norris replied, "Ill see you after the race, Brian, I owe you a kiss." Helton indicated Monday that conversation between Norris and Vickers, with Vickers confusion over the directives he was given, was the smoking gun against MWR. "Ty Norris confirmed the conversation most everyone has heard with the 55 driver," Helton said. Waltrip also mentioned the seqquence when he apologized in a statement on Monday night.dddddddddddd. "What occurred on the No. 55 radio at the end of Saturday nights race in Richmond was a split-second decision made by team spotter Ty Norris to bring the No. 55 to pit lane and help a teammate earn a place in the Chase," he said. "We regret the decision and its impact." Gordons reaction to NASCARs ruling focused on Truex, who did nothing to land in his teammates mess, and Bowyer, who escaped unscathed. "Feel bad for Truex. He got in under controversy now out due to it. But the guy who started all of this not effected at all??? Dont agree!" Gordon posted on Twitter. Bowyer denied Saturday night he intentionally spun and Truex was an unwitting participant. Waltrip said the team will learn from what happened and move on. "As general manager, Ty Norris has been an integral part of Michael Waltrip Racing since its founding and has my and (co-owner) Rob Kauffmans full support," Waltrip said. The controversy surrounding Saturdays race put a damper on Newmans Monday announcement that he had reached a deal with Richard Childress Racing to replace Jeff Burton next season in the No. 31 Chevrolet. "What happened to me Saturday night is the toughest thing that Ive ever gone through in any kind of racing in my 30 years of driving because of the way everything went down," Newman said. Now Newman gets the chance to compete for the title in his final races with Stewart-Haas Racing. He won the Brickyard this year and has 17 career victories overall. "Obviously, were very pleased with NASCARs decision to provide Ryan Newmans rightful place in this years Chase," SHR co-owner Tony Stewart said in a statement. "NASCAR was put in a very difficult position Saturday night at Richmond and we commend the sanctioning body for taking the time to do the necessary due diligence to ensure that the right call was made." MWR can appeal the penalties, which included placing crew chiefs Brian Pattie (Bowyer), Scott Miller (Vickers) and Chad Johnston (Truex) on probation through the end of the year. While Norris can work through the appeal process if MWR chooses to appeal, it wont change Truexs status in the Chase. In-car audio from Saturday nights race framed the situation as Bowyers crew goading him into spinning his car to bring out the yellow in an effort to prevent Newman from winning. Also, it became apparent early Sunday morning that Bowyer and Vickers further aided Truex by taking a dive over the final three laps. When the race resumed with three laps to go, Gordon was poised to claim the 10th spot in the Chase, and Logano was ahead of Truex in position to claim the second wild card. But Bowyer and Vickers both made pit stops in the final three laps that allowed Logano to improve his position and move ahead of Gordon. That bumped Gordon from contention and freed the wild card for Truex. Gordon was not eligible for the wild card. ' ' '