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CART: Champ Car drivers well represented in end of the century 'best driver' lists

14 January 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Text Provided by CART

With the start of a new decade - indeed, a new century - many motorsports media assembled lists of all-time auto racing greats to commemorate the end of the 1900s.

Champ Car drivers were well-represented on a number of these lists, several of which featured the name "Andretti" prominently. Mario Andretti, the 1984 CART champion, was selected as Driver of the Century by Racer magazine, as well as the Greatest Driver of All Time by Champ Car magazine.

Mario's son, Michael, meanwhile, was selected as Driver of the Decade by On Track magazine and Championship Racing magazine. Champ Car also selected Rick Mears as the top driver in the CART era (1979-present).

Andretti and Mears were second and seventh, respectively, on the list of the top 10 drivers of all time compiled by ESPN's RPM 2Night. That list also included former FedEx Championship Series team owner Dan Gurney, sixth, and two-time (1983, '85) FedEx Championship Series champion Al Unser Sr., eighth.

On Track selected Target/Chip Ganassi Racing as the Team of the Decade, the 1994 Penske chassis as the Car of the Decade, the 1995 Marlboro 500 at Michigan Speedway as the Race of the Decade and Emerson Fittipaldi's 1993 Indianapolis 500 victory as the Drive of the Decade.

Racer's annual awards included FedEx Championship Series champion Juan Montoya as Racer of the Year, series runner-up Dario Franchitti as Road Racer of the Year and the Reynard 99I/Honda as Race Car of the Year.

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