CART: Servia drives top Toyota at Miller Lite 200
15 August 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
- Oriol Servia earned his sixth top-10 finish of the season with a 10th
today. Servia has scored championship points in every road course event
this
season except for one - at Cleveland where he was knocked out of the race
after being hit from behind on the opening lap.
- Memo Gidley earned his third consecutive points-paying finish for Della Penna Motorsports with a 12th today. The former Toyota Atlantic ace also has three top-10 finishes on the season in six races.
- Cristiano da Matta lost a shot at his sixth top-10 finish in his last seven races when he got caught behind an incident between Paul Tracy and Alexandre Tagliani. After Tracy spun and blocked the track, da Matta was forced off the circuit and into the gravel trap ending his day in 17th place.
- Jimmy Vasser was potentially on the way to his sixth top-10 finish in eight career appearances at Mid-Ohio before being taken out of the race with what appeared to be an ill-advised passing attempt by a lapped Dario Franchitti. Vasser ended up 21st.
- Juan Montoya finished 24th today after running out of fuel after completing 43 laps today. Montoya, who was forced to pit early after spinning on lap 15, was battling an ill-handling car for much of the race, twice going off track.
- After being knocked out of the race today without a points-paying finish, Cristiano da Matta dropped to sixth in the FedEx Championship Series points race. Juan Montoya dropped to ninth, while Jimmy Vasser fell out of the top 10.
Quotes
Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motorsports: "After two straight wins, we found out how humbling Champ Car racing can be today. It was easily our most difficult race of the season - and the first time all year we haven't had a top-five finish. On the otherhand, we get a chance to get back onto the race track in five days and work our way back to Victory Lane."
Manufacturer's Championship: Ford 224; Honda 205; Toyota 190; Mercedes 53
Text provided by John Prodica
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