CART: Junqueira puts Toyota in winner's circle at Road America

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

August 20, 2001

- Bruno Junqueira's win is the third of the season for a Toyota-powered car with Junqueira joining Cristiano da Matta (Mexico) and Scott Dixon (Nazareth) as Toyota winners this year. The win is the eighth victory for a Toyota-powered car over the past year and a half.

- Bruno Junqueira's victory today is the first of his career and the first of the season for Target Chip Ganassi Racing - and the team's fifth with Toyota power over the past two seasons by three different drivers.

- Three Toyota-powered cars finished in the first six today with Christian Fittipaldi clearly having the opportunity to possibly make it seven before he was knocked out of the race.

- Scott Dixon finished fourth today to earn his fifth top-five finish of the season. His Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year award lead is now 34 points over Bruno Junqueira. With his fourth-place finish today, he moves into fifth overall in the CART points championship - just 28 points out of the series lead. Dixon also had a career-best starting position of third.

- Scott Dixon has now registered eight top-10 finishes in his last 11 races. He continues to lead the series in laps completed - finishing 1,711 out of a possible 1,757.

- Cristiano da Matta's sixth-place finish today gives him 78 points for the season - good for seventh overall.

- Christian Fittipaldi appeared to have a great shot at the victory today only to be knocked out of the race after being hit by Michael Andretti in what appeared to be an optimistic passing attempt late in the race. Fittipaldi was running second at the time (behind Junqueira) and may not have had to stop as Junqueira and Andretti (the eventual second-place finisher) did.

Quotes:

Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: "It's great to be back in the victory circle. It's good to see Bruno win his first race and we're happy for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Hopefully, this will be an omen to finish up the season in the same fashion."

Bruno Junqueira, Target Toyota: "The Target Toyota was very good today. The Toyota engine also was very good and made a lot of power. I was pushing as hard as I could and as fast I could. We've had two or three chances this season to finish on top, but something has always went wrong. I'm really happy everything went just went right today."

NEXT RACE: Molson Indy Vancouver, Aug. 12, ESPN2, 6:00 p.m. ET (tape delay)

Text provided by John Prodica

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