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CART/Indy 500: Target team racing for two checkered flags on Memorial Day weekend

13 April 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Indianapolis -- Target/Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Jimmy Vasser and Juan Montoya will race two different cars on two different tracks in two different cities this Memorial Day weekend.

Cold temperatures, snow and high winds forced postponement of Sunday's Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix, the second round of the CART FedEx Championship Series. Officials rescheduled the race for Saturday, May 27, the day before the Indianapolis 500.

"I think that this was the best alternative," said Team Target owner Chip Ganassi, who has claimed four straight CART titles. "We can run in Nazareth in one day and get back to Indy. This will be exciting for our crew. We've always tried to be groundbreakers and keep things exciting on the Target Ganassi team, and I think this will definitely be exciting.

"We'll already have all of our IRL equipment at Indy, so logistically it will really involve moving people. Hopefully we'll already be qualified for Indy and it will just be a matter of getting ready for race day. It also helps that our race shop is in Indianapolis. These guys can change tires on Saturday in Nazareth and do the same thing on Sunday."

Target/Chip Ganassi Racing's Juan Montoya, the 1999 CART champion, earned the pole position for Sunday's snowed-out race.

"It's too bad we weren't able to race in Nazareth since the Toyota-Lola was really running great," said Montoya, who claimed the pole and won at Nazareth in 1999. "It will be an interesting challenge for me, Jimmy (Vasser) and Team Target to get ready for back-to-back races, but if there's a team that can do it, it's ours."

Target/Chip Ganassi Racing continues its pursuit of an unprecedented fifth straight CART FedEx Championship Series title with Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 16.

Text provided by Jana Griffith

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