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CART: Red-Hot Andretti seeks continued success at Mid Ohio

10 August 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
DETROIT- The FedEx Championship Series season did not begin on a good note for Michael Andretti.

On second thought, perhaps it did if you consider the historical significance.

With finishes of 22nd at Homestead and 14th at Long Beach, Andretti (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola) went scoreless through the first two events of the campaign. Only once in 16 previous FedEx Championship Series seasons had he recorded back-to-back scoreless finishes to start the season.

Interestingly, the other instance occurred in 1991 when Andretti finished 14th at Australia and 16th at Long Beach, but then charged through the remaining 15 events of the campaign with eight wins en route to his only FedEx Championship Series championship. Now in his 17th season, Andretti finds himself positioned for a run at a second crown as the series prepares for Round 13, this weekend's Miller Lite 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (4 p.m. ET Sunday, tape delay, ABC-TV).

Andretti has parlayed victories at Japan and Toronto and points-paying results in nine of his past 10 starts, including seven top-four finishes, into a 120-98 championship lead over Roberto Moreno (Visteon Ford Reynard) of Patrick Racing through the season's first 12 rounds. This marks the latest point in the season that Andretti has held the championship lead since his 1991 title.

Andretti is also a two-time winner on the 2.258-mile permanent road course at Mid-Ohio, having scored back-to-back victories from the pole in 1990 and '91. He also owns podium finishes of third in 1989 and '96 and claimed consecutive pole positions from 1990-92.

Other previous Mid-Ohio winners in this weekend's field include defending FedEx Championship Series and reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Juan Montoya (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, the defending champ, and Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard) of Patrick Racing, who was victorious in 1998. Montoya and Fernandez are both among the top eight in the championship heading into the weekend. Montoya stands eighth with 77 points and Fernandez sixth with 79.

Following Andretti and Moreno in the points race through 12 rounds of the championship are Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penske, third with 89 points; Cristiano da Matta (Pioneer/MCI WorldCom Toyota Reynard) of PPI Motorsports, fourth with 82 and Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard) of Team KOOL Green, fifth with 80.

Fernandez stands sixth, followed by rookie Kenny Brack (Shell Ford Reynard) of Team Rahal, seventh with 78 points; Montoya; Jimmy Vasser (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, ninth with 68 and Patrick Carpentier (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard) of Player's Forsythe Racing, who rounds out the top 10 with 65.

Following the Miller Lite 200, the FedEx Championship Series travels to Elkhart Lake, Wis. for Round 14, the Motorola 220, on Sunday, Aug. 20, at Road America.

WHO'S HOT

* Michael Andretti (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola) of Newman/Haas Racing has vaulted to the top of the FedEx Championship Series points race by finishing fourth or better in six of his past seven starts, and seven of the last nine. The run consists of victories at Japan and Toronto, runner-up efforts at Milwaukee, Michigan and Chicago, and fourth-place performances at Portland and Cleveland. Andretti holds a 120-98 points lead over second-place Roberto Moreno (Visteon Ford Reynard) of Patrick Racing. Overall, Andretti has scored championship points in nine of 12 starts this season.

* Cristiano da Matta (Pioneer/MCI WorldCom Toyota Reynard) of PPI Motorsports has finished fifth or better in four of his past five FedEx Championship Series starts, highlighted by his first career victory July 30 at Chicago Motor Speedway. Also included are finishes of fifth at Portland, third at Cleveland and fourth at Toronto. Da Matta, the 1998 Dayton Indy Lights champion, has parlayed six top-five finishes into fourth place in the championship, with 82 points.

* Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard) of Patrick Racing has scored championship points in nine of his last 10 FedEx Championship Series starts, beginning with a victory at Rio de Janeiro. He also owns a podium finish of second at Toronto and has moved to sixth in the championship with 79 points.

* Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penske has scored championship points in nine of his 12 FedEx Championship Series starts this season and joins Michael Andretti and Juan Montoya (Target Toyota Lola) as two-time race winners, with victories at Nazareth and Portland. He is coming off a third-place result at Chicago. De Ferran also owns poles at Homestead and Long Beach and has qualified among the top 10 in 10 of 12 starts.

* Rookie Kenny Brack (Shell Ford Reynard) of Team Rahal has scored championship points in eight of his past 10 FedEx Championship Series starts, and has finished sixth or better in six of those. The run consists of two podium finishes - second at Cleveland and third at Nazareth - as well as finishes of fourth at Milwaukee and Chicago, fifth at Japan and sixth at Portland. He stands seventh in the championship with 78 points and owns a 78-40 lead over Alex Tagliani (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard) of Player's Forsythe Racing in the battle for the $50,000 Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year Award.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

* Michael Andretti owns a pair of victories at Mid-Ohio (1990, '91), both of which came from the pole. He also finished on the podium with third-place efforts in 1989 and '96 and is the only driver to win three consecutive pole positions at the venue (1990-92). He has scored championship points in seven of his past 10 appearances at Mid-Ohio.

* Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard) of Team KOOL Green owns four runner-up finishes in seven career starts at Mid-Ohio (1992, '94, '95 and '99). He also started on the outside pole from 1992-94. He has scored championship points in five of seven career appearances at the venue.

* Adrian Fernandez owns four top-six finishes in five career appearances at Mid-Ohio, including a victory in 1998. He also finished fourth in 1995 and sixth in 1994 and '96. Fernandez sat out last year's event at Mid-Ohio while recovering from a fractured radius bone in his right wrist sustained in a race practice accident at Detroit.

* Dario Franchitti (KOOL Honda Reynard) of Team KOOL Green has won back-to-back pole positions at Mid-Ohio and owns the track qualifying record of 124.394 miles per hour (1 minute, 5.347 seconds), established last year. His top finish in three appearances at the venue is third, also last year.

* Jimmy Vasser (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing has recorded five top-10 finishes in seven career appearances at Mid-Ohio, topped by a runner-up effort in 1996. He also finished 10th in 1993, ninth in '95, fifth in '97 and fourth last year. He has started on the outside pole twice, in 1996 and '98.

Text provided by T.E. McHale

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.