INDY LIGHTS: Bell Finalist for Greg Moore Legacy Award
10 October 2000
DORRICOTT RACING'S TOWNSEND BELL AND CASEY MEARS
NAMED FINALISTS FOR GREG MOORE LEGACY AWARD
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (Oct. 9, 2000) - - Five finalists have been named
for the inaugural Greg Moore Legacy Award and two of those finalists drive
for Dorricott Racing. Townsend Bell, of Costa Mesa, Calif., and Casey
Mears, of Bakersfield, Calif., are among an elite group of nominees that
includes FedEx Championship Series stand-outs Helio Castroneves and Roberto
Moreno, and Andrew Bordin of the Toyota Atlantic Championship.
The award honors the Canadian star who lost his life in the 1999
season finale at California Speedway. It aims to recognize a current driver
who best exemplifies Moore's legacy of noteworthy ability on the track as
well as displaying dynamic interaction and relationships with fans, media,
and throughout the CART community. The winner will be announced at the CART
FedEx Championship Series Awards Banquet on Monday, Oct. 30, at the Century
Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
Bell, who is currently second place in the Dayton Indy Light
Championship, is only four points out of first place with one race
remaining, 134-130. Bell's eye-opening rookie season includes two wins and
two poles in 11 starts. He has only failed to finish in the points twice
this season.
The 25-year-old southern Californian laced together a mid-season
string of five consecutive top-four finishes dating back to round four at
Portland where he won the pole and finished second place. Portland was
followed by fourth place at Michigan, second place at Chicago, and a
memorable career-first Indy Lights victory at Mid-Ohio. Bell didn't slow
down at Vancouver either where he finished fourth place after starting
fifth in the DirecPC Lola.
Bell then propelled himself into the Indy Lights championship spot
light with a flag-to-flag victory at Gateway Internal Raceway in round 10
before clinching Indy Lights Rookie of the Year honors with his second
place finish at Houston in round 11 of the 12-race series.
"I never met Greg but I admired his driving style," said Bell. "
His 1998 Homestead qualifying performance really made an impression. I'm
honored to be considered for an award bearing his name."
Mears, the 22-year-old son of former Off-Road World champion Roger
Mears and nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rick Mears, is only
five points off the Indy Lights championship lead with 129 points. His
second career Indy Lights pole and subsequent first career Indy Lights
victory at Houston in round 11 has accentuated an already fruitful season.
Mears re-ignited his Indy Lights title hopes at Laguna Seca in
round nine when he won the pole and finished second place in the Dorricott
Racing/Sooner Trailer Lola. He repeated a podium visit for second place at
Gateway one race later. His eight top-five finishes this year include third
place at Detroit, second place at Michigan International Speedway, and a
triplet of fifth place finishes at Long Beach, Milwaukee, and Mid-Ohio.
Furthermore, Mears has finished more laps than any other Indy Lights driver
this season with 585 completed laps out of a possible 589 to date.
"I am extremely pleased that Casey and Townsend have both been
nominated for this prestigious award," said Dorricott Racing owner Bob
Dorricott. "Both of these young men exemplify the outstanding driving
talent and people skills that became a trademark of Greg. It has been a
pleasure to have both of these candidates on our team this year."
Five nominees are chosen from the CART FedEx Championship Series,
Dayton Indy Lights, and Toyota Atlantic. There is a minimum of one driver
from each series represented for the award.
The voting committee consists of the three series presidents, Bobby
Rahal of the FedEx Championship, Roger Bailey of Dayton Indy Lights, and
Vicki O'Connor of Toyota Atlantic; Player's Forsythe Racing owner Gerald
Forsythe; Bob Bexon, President and CEO of Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd.;
Championship Drivers Association President Mauricio Gugelmin; former CART
Chief Steward Wally Dallenbach; and two annually rotating members of the
media, one representing the print side and the other broadcast. This year's
media voters are Robin Miller, of the Indianapolis Star, and Paul Page, of
ABC-TV.
Moore, the 24-year-old from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada,
made his initial racing impact in Indy Lights where he re-wrote Indy Lights
records in capturing the 1995 Indy Lights championship. He registered a
record 10 victories, including five in a row, and seven poles in 12 events.
Moore spent three seasons in Indy Lights (1993-95) and left the series as
its career leader in wins with 13.
Moore joined the FedEx Championship ranks in 1996 with Player's
Forsythe Racing and recorded five wins and five poles in his four year
career. He became the youngest driver to win a Champ car event when he
scored his first career win at Milwaukee at age 22. He finished among the
top-10 in each of his four seasons including a career-best fifth place in
1998.
Moore's Champ Car No. 99 was retired by CART, Dayton Indy Lights,
and Toyota Atlantic in November 1999 to honor his memory.
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