CART: Mauricio Gugelmin excited about the Texas race
12 July 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
(Indianapolis, In) Champ Car elder statesman and Chairman of the Championship Drivers Association (CDA), Mauricio Gugelmin, has applauded todays announcement that a round of the FedEx Championship Series will be held at the Texas Motor Speedway next season.
Regarded as the fastest man in racing after setting a world record average lap speed of 240.942mph at the California Speedway in 1997, the #17 Nextel PacWest Mercedes-Benz driver is looking forward to taking Champ Car racing to another new US market.
Texas Motor Speedway General Manager Eddie Gossage and interim CART President and CEO Bobby Rahal announced this morning that the Texas 600k will be held at TMS near Fort Worth-Dallas on May 6, 2000 and will be televised on ABC.
I have flown over the facility and it is magnificent, said Gugelmin, a native Brazilian who now lives in Florida. The place is huge and it would be great if we could fill most of the seats there next May.
I have never driven there, but if the IRL (Indy Racing League) race there a few weeks ago is any indication I think the venue is going to allow CART put on one hell of a show.
CART is taking our sport to the people and thats what needs to happen.
We are already in the Texas market with the Houston race which has been a great success the last couple of years.
Fort Worth-Dallas is a major sporting area and I am sure its population will embrace our formula of racing when they are given a taste of how fast, competitive and exciting it is.
While I am looking forward to the race I am also looking forward to some Texas barbecue.
Construction on the Texas Motor Speedway was completed enough to run its first NASCAR test in October 1996 and is one of the biggest and most lavish complexes in the world.
The 1.5mile oval has maximum general seating capacity of 204,861 including 154,861 permanent grandstand seats and room for another 53,000 on the infield. The front-straight grandstand alone holds 121,681 seats and there are also another 194 luxury suites which have a capacity of 13,192.
There are 22,000 paved car parking spaces, 300 bus lots, 1100 in-field and 5000 outfield camping spots.
Gugelmin and his teammate Mark Blundell, driver of the #18 Motorola PacWest Mercedes-Benz, are currently preparing for the 10th round of the 2000 FedEx Championship Series which will be held in Toronto Canada this weekend.
Text provided by Brett Murray
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