CART: Montoya ties CART rookie record for most wins in a season

16 August 1999

LEXINGTON, Ohio - Juan Montoya of Target/Chip Ganassi Racing tied the CART rookie record for most victories in a season Sunday by registering his FedEx Championship Series-leading fifth win in the Miller Lite 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Montoya (Target Honda Reynard), a 23-year-old from Bogota, Colombia, continued his assault on CART rookie records as his triumph allowed him to match the mark established by Nigel Mansell in 1993. He already owns the rookie mark for most laps led in a season (724) and is two shy of tying the record for pole positions, which is seven, with 14 of the 20 rounds complete in the FedEx Championship Series season.

Montoya, who relinquished the FedEx Championship Series points lead to Dario Franchitti last week after holding it for the previous nine events, inched closer to recapturing the top spot with his performance. He shaved the championship points deficit of six entering the weekend to one, 152-151, but was unable to overtake Franchitti, who notched a podium performance to keep Montoya at bay.

Franchitti kept the lead courtesy of a PPG Cup point for the pole Saturday, another for most laps led (54) and 14 for his third-place finish. The podium was his eighth in 14 starts, including five of the last seven on road or street courses.

Sandwiched between the duo was Franchitti's Team KOOL Green teammate, Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard). Tracy's runnerup finish - 10.927 seconds behind Montoya - was his fourth in seven career starts at Mid-Ohio as well as his fourth consecutive podium of the season. The effort moved him to two points of third-place Michael Andretti (Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Swift), who finished eighth to push his total to 124, in the championship battle.

Franchitti was dominant early, leading the first 54 laps of the 83-lap event on the 2.258-mile permanent road course, but a turn of misfortune proved costly. As the leaders were a few laps from making their second pit stops, a slowing Franchitti was forced to go in early on Lap 55 as his right rear tire was going down.

Tracy inherited the lead from his teammate and held it for a lap before Montoya made an impressive pass on the ensuing lap for the lead. Tracy and Montoya pitted on Lap 58 with the lead on the line. Montoya maintained the point and Tracy was able to stay ahead of Franchitti as a caution came out on Lap 59. Montoya held off Tracy on the restart and continually built on his advantage over the Team KOOL Green tandem en route to the win. He led the final 28 laps for his first win since Cleveland in Round 9.

Jimmy Vasser (Target Honda Reynard) finished fourth to give Honda a sweep of the top four positions, marking only the second time in the engine manufacturer's history that it has accomplished the feat. Vasser's performance equaled his season best, established at Homestead and matched at Milwaukee, and was his fourth consecutive points-paying event.

Max Papis (Miller Lite Ford Reynard) celebrated the third anniversary of his CART debut at Mid-Ohio with his sixth top-five finish of the season. It also was Papis' ninth top-10 effort in 14 starts.

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot photos and racing art, please visit The Racing Image Galleries and The Visions of Speed Art Gallery