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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the high-stakes world of Formula One, relationships between teammates are rare. The competition is simply too intense for drivers to socialize, and beating one another becomes the primary goal.

So Juan Pablo Montoya was more than a little surprised when he moved to NASCAR and was warmly welcomed by new teammate David Stremme.

“He became a good friend,” Montoya said. “He went out of his way to help me everywhere, at all the tracks. He’d get a car from NASCAR and take me on the track and show me where to go and where not to go.

“Things like that really, really helped me.”

But Stremme is apparently out at Chip Ganassi Racing, where the team has yet to pick up his option for next season. It’s believed that IndyCar series champion Dario Franchitti will replace Stremme next year in the No. 40 Dodge, as Ganassi has been unable to find sponsorship to keep Stremme in the car.

It has put Montoya — the clear star of the three-car Ganassi organization — smack in the middle.

“It’s a sad thing and it’s really hard to talk about it because I really like David,” the Colombian said. “But Chip is my boss, so what can I do?”

Split decision

Rick Hendrick can remember the last time two of his drivers raced down to the wire for a championship and the anguish it caused him.

Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon were locked in a tight battle in 1996, and Hendrick had to navigate the politics of supporting both without showing favoritism.

“I think it put me in a knot more than it did them,” the team owner said.

He better brace himself for a lot more angst.

Gordon and Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson open the Chase for the Championship on Sunday at New Hampshire as the favorites to win the Nextel Cup title. Johnson is seeded first and Gordon second in the standings after they dominated the regular season with a combined 10 victories in 26 races.

Although they raced each other for the championship in 2004 — both lost to Kurt Busch in the closest finish in NASCAR history — they didn’t have the same pressures that are following them this year. Because of their steady performances all season, Johnson, the defending series champion, and Gordon, a four-time champion, are expected to battle each other for the title.

Johnson hopes it happens.

“I think that would be good for the sport and I think it would be good for me and Jeff both,” he said.

Hendrick believes his star drivers are heading into an intense, 10-week battle.

“I think it’s going to be a war,” he said. “I just hope they will use good judgment and not do anything stupid that ruins things for both of them.”