CART: Five drivers line up for $1 Million at Fontana
25 October 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
DETROIT- Who wants to be a millionaire? Or in the case
of five championship contenders, who wants to be a multi-millionaire?
Those questions will be answered this weekend as the FedEx Championship Series concludes its 22nd season with the Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota at California Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, live, ESPN), an event that promises to be overflowing with drama as well as plenty of cash.
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Five drivers - Gil de Ferran of Marlboro Team Penske, Adrian Fernandez of Patrick Racing, Paul Tracy of Team KOOL Green, rookie Kenny Brack of Team Rahal and Roberto Moreno of Patrick Racing - are eyeing the $1 million prize for winning the series championship, while any of the 26 drivers entered in the 500-mile event could claim the $1 million prize that will go to the race winner, thanks to a partnership between Marlboro, Toyota, CART and California Speedway.
By the close of Sunday afternoon, there could be two instant millionaires or one multi-millionaire if one of those five can garner a race win and series title.
With payouts ranging from $500,000 for second place in the championship through $100,000 for 10th place, there is considerable additional money at stake across the board. The ninth- through third-place drivers are separated by a mere 11 points.
Through 19 of 20 events, the championship chase remains the most wide-open in CART history. All five of the contenders are pursuing their first-ever FedEx Championship Series title.
At the top of the list is de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard), who is seeking to bring the legendary Penske organization its eighth CART championship, 10th Champ Car title, and first since Al Unser Jr. claimed the crown in 1994. De Ferran, who has led the championship since Round 16 at Laguna Seca, sits atop the point standings with 153 points, a five-point edge over Fernandez. His best previous championship finish was second to Alex Zanardi in 1997, while driving for Walker Racing.
Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard) made huge gains with his victory two weeks ago at Surfers Paradise, Australia, jumping from fifth in the title race to second with 148 points. After going scoreless through the first two events of the season, Fernandez broke through with a victory at Rio de Janeiro and has been a model of consistency ever since, scoring championship points in 16 of his past 17 starts. Fernandez, the defending Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota champion, is seeking Patrick Racing's second CART championship and third Champ Car crown. Patrick Racing's last series title came in 1989 with Emerson Fittipaldi and Fernandez's best previous championship finish was fourth for Patrick in 1998.
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Brack (Shell Ford Reynard) is the lone contender without a race win, but has built his championship bid with an impressive nine top-five finishes. He is coming off a runner-up effort at Australia, which matched a season best established at Cleveland. He clinched the $50,000 Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year Award following Round 18 at Houston and is seeking to bring Team Rahal its second FedEx Championship Series title, following team owner and interim CART CEO Bobby Rahal, who drove to the crown in 1992 under the Rahal-Hogan Racing banner.
Rounding out the list of championship hopefuls is Moreno (Visteon Ford Reynard), who stands fifth with 131 points. Moreno has made the most of his first-full time ride in the championship since 1996 by recording the highest point total of his seven-year career. His best previous championship finish was 14th last year when he competed in 13 of 20 events as a substitute after injuries sidelined Mark Blundell of the PacWest Racing Group and Christian Fittipaldi of Newman/Haas Racing. Jimmy Vasser (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, enjoying a second-half surge, is tied with Moreno at 131 points, but is eliminated from the championship race by virtue of mathematical tiebreakers.
A maximum of 22 points is available this weekend, including 20 for a victory and one each for the pole position and leading the most laps. Points are scored through 12th place on a 20-16-14-12-10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Not to be overlooked in the excitement surrounding the tense title battle is the possibility that defending FedEx Championship Series champion Juan Montoya (Target Toyota Lola) could become the first driver in CART history and second in all-time Champ Car annals to win three 500-mile events in the same season. With victories already in the Indianapolis 500 and Michigan 500, Montoya would Al Unser, who won three 500-milers in 1978, a year prior to CART's inaugural season, in the exclusive club.
This year, for the first time in FedEx Championship Series history, all cars ride on Firestone Firehawks, the Official Tire of CART.
WHO'S HOT
* Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard) of Patrick Racing, the defending Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota champion, has scored championship points in his last 12 starts and 16 of his past 17, beginning with a victory at Brazil. He added a victory in his most recent start at Australia two weeks ago. Fernandez, whose scoring run also includes podium finishes of second at Toronto and Road America, and third at Vancouver, has moved into second place in the FedEx Championship Series with 148 points, five behind leader Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penske. He is the series leader in championship points scored during the second half of the 20-race season with 87. Fernandez is also a strong contender for the season-long Budweiser Hard Charger Award, which goes to the driver who improves the most from start to finish on both an individual event and season-long basis. With 115 points, one for each position gained over the course of the season, Fernandez trails current leader Luiz Garcia Jr. (Hollywood/Embratel/Tang/Banco Sofisa Mercedes Reynard) of the Arciero Project Group by only five.
* Gil de Ferran has recorded top five finishes in five of his past eight FedEx Championship Series starts and holds the lead in the championship with 153 points. Included in the run are finishes of second at Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio, third at Chicago and Houston, and fifth at Vancouver. De Ferran also has posted 15 top-five qualifying efforts in 19 starts this season, including pole positions at Homestead, Long Beach, Mid-Ohio and Houston. De Ferran, who owns victories at Nazareth and Portland, could win Team Penske's eighth CART championship and its first since Al Unser Jr. drove to the 1994 title.
* Rookie Kenny Brack (Shell Ford Reynard) of Team Rahal is coming off a runner-up finish at Australia, which matched the performance established at Cleveland as the best of his rookie season. He has scored championship points in seven of his past eight starts with five top-five finishes, including a podium result of third at Road America. Brack, who has already clinched the $50,000 Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year Award, is also one of five remaining contenders for the FedEx Championship Series championship. With 134 points, he trails leader Gil de Ferran (153) by 19.
* Jimmy Vasser (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing has finished on the podium in each of the past two FedEx Championship Series events, with a victory at Houston and a third-place performance at Australia. He has finished eighth or better in seven of his past eight starts, dating to an eighth-place performance at Chicago, and has led laps at each of the past three events, including 27 at Gateway, 31 at Houston and eight at Australia.
* Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penske owns top-10 finishes in six of his past seven FedEx Championship Series starts, including victories at Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca. He finished sixth in his most recent start at Australia and has scored championship points in nine of his past 13 starts overall, after scoring in only one of the first six events of the season. He stands second to Adrian Fernandez in points scored during the second half of the season with 80.
Text Provided By T.E. McHale
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