The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 49

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2000 C17 I i CART NOTEBOOK Team lineups shuffle for 2001 campaign i RMarlboro! Marlboro 9 111 Fastest ever: Gil de Ferran takes the Marlboro ReynardHonda around the track at a CART qualifying Points race goes down to Pole sitter de Ferran leads Fernandez by 6 points heading into today's final race of the year. close to a deal with Patrick Racing. Delia Penna, who competed in the Indy Racing League and CART in '96 before bringing Richie Heam to CART full time the next year, finds himself in an engine dilemma. "Toyota does not want to give me an engine anymore, despite the fact we did all the development of the Phase VI engine and we've been incredibly loyal," said Delia Penna, who hired American Memo Gidley midway through this season. "Ford said no, so I'm hoping Honda can come through." Delia Penna admitted he's yet to secure financing for 2001 but has a meeting scheduled with primary sponsor DirecTV next week.

"I will run somewhere next year, even if it's the IRL. At least you can have your own motor and nobody can take it away from you." Zanardi still looking Alex Zanardi, on hand to be honored with the rest of the past CART champions, admitted he's keen to return to CART but probably waited too long to get a deal for 2001. "I decided too late, but I need auto racing in my life," said the 1997 and '98 CART champion who sat out 2000 after being bought out of his F-l contract by Frank Williams after the '99 season. "I could have had Michael's (Andrettl) ride with Newman Haas If I'd made up my mind sooner." Asked about the possibility of driving next year's Indy 500 for old boss Ganassi, Zanardi said: "I would like to run Indy, yes, that appeals to me, but it's too early to know what might happen." Fight to the finish Today's Dayton Indy Lights finale features a championship battle among Scott Dixon, Town-send Bell and Casey Mears. Dixon, who qualified second on Saturday, leads Bell by four points and is five ahead of Mears, who qualified third.

Mears, the nephew of four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, has a busy schedule. He'll try for the Lights title at noon before making his champ-car debut at 2:30 p.m. in the Marlboro 500. "It's awesome to drive a champ car and it will be no problem to drive back-to-back races, not as pumped up as I am," said Mears, who qualified 15th at 233.382 mph in the ReynardFord being provided by Team Rahal. Contact Robin Miller at (317) 444-6184 or via e-mail at robin.millerstamews.com By Robin Miller STAFF WRITER FONTANA, Calif.

Two new teams are coming to CART in 2001, two established team are almost out of business and one old standby may have been rescued. That was the news Saturday at California Speedway as Adrian Fernandez and ForsytheZak-speed announced their entry Into the FedEx Championship with two-car teams. Fernandez, who is battling Gil de Ferran for the 2000 CART title in today's Marlboro 500, is leaving Patrick Racing to form his own operation. "I've been thinking about doing this for a long time and working towards this day for a long time," said the 35-year-old Mexican, who will run Japan's Shinji Nakano as his teammate with ReynardHondas. Tom Anderson, who has served as team manager for Chip Ganassi the past 11 years, will run Fernandez Racing from its Indianapolis shop.

Gerry Forsythe, who already co-owns a two-car effort with Player's, is teaming with Germany's Peter Zakowski for another two-car team that will feature American Bryan Herta and a German driver to be named later. "We've been looking for a partner to run CART the past two years and this is a great opportunity," said Zakowski, whose Zakspeed entry ran Formula One from 1985-90 and still competes In touring and sports cars. The team will run out of For-sythe's shop in Hilliard, Ohio. After running Nakano this season, Derrick Walker had no solid prospects for 2001 until last week when Toyota, Pioneer and former Japanese F-l driver Tora Takagi wound up at his doorstep. "We've talked about it and I'm optimistic, but it's not a done deal," said Walker, whose Indy-based team started in 1990.

"I'm hoping to be able to do that program, but there are a lot of things still hanging." Cal Wells and John DellaPen-na. who both began competing in CART in 1996, are hanging in the balance. "I'm still trying to keep this thing going and run one car next year, but the whole thing might tank in 10 days," said Wells, whose PPI Motorsports entry of Cristiano da Matta and Oriol Ser-via has become quite competitive this year. "I told my crew earlier this week to look for jobs because I wasn't comfortable telling them everything is fine." Da Matta has already signed with NewmanHaas to replace Michael Andretti, while Servia is By Robin Miller STAFF WRITER FONTANA, Calif. The championship nobody seems to want will be decided today at the California Speedway, weather permitting.

When the checkered flag falls on the Marlboro 500 and the 2000 Championship Auto Racing Teams' season, either Gil de Ferran, Adrian Fernandez, Paul Tracy or Kenny Brack must claim No. 1 and the $1 million payoff. "It would appear nobody wants this title, but I can assure you that is not the case from my perspective," said de Ferran, who increased his lead to six points over Fernandez by capturing the pole position Saturday in the Marlboro Reynard Honda. "I guess it's only right we're going to decide The man to (above) can the season distance and of Adrian mid-August and still has a mathematical chance, although he trails by 20 points. Roberto Moreno took command at Portland, in June and built his lead to 22 points before hitting the skids at midseason in the Vis-teon ReynardFord.

He was officially eliminated Saturday when he failed to win the pole position (and the one point that goes with it). Michael Andrettl grabbed the top spot at Michigan in late July and opened up a 22-point lead In the KmartTexaco wort LolaFord. But mechanical problems in five consecutive starts eliminated him from the picture. Kenny Brack, in the Shell ReynardFord, has been steady In his rookie year and, like Tracy, is still alive, trailing de Ferran by 20 points. "I didn't think in terms of winning the championship before the season started because I didn't know my opponents, the car or the tracks," said the 1998 Indy Racing League champ.

"I just wanted to win races and we should have won a couple this year. I'd like to win here and see what happens." Fernandez, the defending champion of this race who is coming off a victory at Australia, is realistically the only threat to deprive Team Penske of its eighth CART crown beat: Gil de Ferran assure himself title by going the staying ahead Fernandez. B05CH Uiiia W) HONDA Marlboro 500 (Top Qualifiers) Driver Speed 1. Gil de Ferran 241.428 2. Michael Andretti 239.097 3.

Christian Fittipaldi 239.073 4. Helio Castroneves 239.011 5. Juan Montoya 237.688 6. Jimmy Vasser 237.217 7. Dario Franchitti 237.194 8.

Kenny Brack 236.297 9. Paul Tracy 236.213 10. Alex Tagliani 235.633 Broadcast: 2:30 p.m. today, ESPN and first since 1994. "We are going to be the hunters again, so we just have to do our best and stay out of trouble," said Fernandez, who starts 14th in the 26-car field.

"Penske's team is obviously very strong, but we've still got a shot. We Just need to be patient." The bottom line of today's race, which is threatened by a 75 percent chance of rain, is that Brack and Tracy must win and hope for some poor outcomes to befall the two drivers ahead of them. Providing they both go the distance, De Ferran simply must finish ahead of Fernandez to guarantee himself the championship. "I'm in the position I want to be because I think I always drive better from the front than from the back," said de Ferran, who owned a 19-point lead going to Australia, 1. Associated Press Jim Weber juries and a bruised shoulder.

Busch wins last truck race Kurt Busch closed out a spectacular rookie season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with a record-setting victory in Saturday's Motorola 200 at California Speedway at Fontana. Busch, 22, who will make a full-time move to the Winston Cup stock car series next season, beat Andy Houston to the finish line by 0.775 seconds six truck-lengths in winning for the fourth time this season. It gave Jack Roush Racing the first 1-2 championship finish in the six-year history of the truck series. Teammate Greg Biffle, who wrapped up the championship on Oct. 13 at Texas Motor Speedway, finished fifth Saturday, behind Joe Ruttman and two-time series chanjpion and two-time defending this thing at a 500-mile race where it's such a crapshoot." It's been a strange year with 10 drivers finding victory lane and nobody finding much momentum.

Defending champ Juan Montoya has led twice as many laps as anyone else, but 10 nonflnishes cost him any chance to repeat and give team owner Chip Ganassi a fifth successive title. Tracy led early in the KOOL ReynardHonda, faded to seventh in Green sits Associated Press Mark J. Terrill record 241.428 mph. wire where he crashed on the first lap. "The challenge, obviously, is to get to the end of this race, and I won't approach it any differently than any 500-miler." De Ferran wins fifth pole De Ferran set an all-time CART qualifying record of 241.428 mph (30.255 seconds) in winning his fifth pole of 2000.

"Everything was perfect. I don't know how I could have improved on that lap," the 32-year-old Brazilian said after eclipsing Mauricio Gugelmln's mark of 240.942 mph. "The best thing was earning that one point because you never know when you'll need it." Teammates Michael Andrettl and Christian Fittipaldi were second and third fastest with laps of 239.097 mph (30.550 seconds) and 239.073 mph respectively in their KmartTexaco LolaFords. "I had a little too much oversteer and I was afraid somebody might get us," said Andretti, making his final drive for NewmanHaas Racing before heading to Team KOOL Green next year. Montoya, making his final champ car start before heading to Formula One, practiced at 242 mph on Friday but had to settle for fifth best at 237.688 mph in the Target LolaToyota.

"It doesn't matter where you start in a 500-miler, but I thought we'd go better," said Montoya, who will try to become the second driver to ever win three 500-milers In one year (Al Unser won Indy, Pocono and Ontario in 1978). Max Papis escaped injury after slamming the wall just after practice opened Saturday morning. He returned to qualify 13th in the backup Miller ReynardFord. Contact Robin Miller at (317) 444-6184 or via e-mail at robin.millerstamews.com Busch title race winner Jack Sprague. Busch, who had already wrapped up rookie of the year honors, started from the pole but led only the final 19 of 100 laps on the 2-mile, high-banked oval.

Busch came into the pits third and emerged first, beating both previous leader Bryan Reffner, who had trouble with a tire during the stop, and Houston back to the track. Reffner finished sixth. The winner averaged 144.260 mph, breaking the race record of 141.844 set In 1998 by Sprague. Dunn leads Top Fuel Mike Dunn, making his debut in the New York Yankees dragster, led Top Fuel qualifying late Friday in the NHRA's Mateo Tools SuperNa-tionals In Baytown, Texas. Dunn, driving for Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, topped the 16-car order with a quarter-mile run of 4.530 seconds at a top speed of 322.34 mph.

Jim Epler, Ron Krisher and Matt Hines also led their divisions in the $1.8 million event at Houston Raceway Park. Kastside i t(nkE Waslxnxtbn fin I'Uiza) Yestsi4e 'illylMMftteM Save '10 I with this Si cret Desires ImlKd on pole, brink of 1st Lit' i Almost the champ: Jeff Green (left), defending champion of the Sam's Town 250, high-fives his crew chief, Harold Holly. Veteran needs only to start today's Sam's Town 250 to claim the championship. From Wire Services Jeff Green needs only to start the Sam's Town 250 today to win his first Busch Grand National series championship. He took care of that Saturday in record-setting style.

Green won the pole with his first lap during qualifying and turned his second in a record 22.45 seconds, better than his mark of 22.63 last year at Memphis Motorsports Park in Tennessee. Now he only has to drive his car to the starting line to clinch his championship, but no celebrations are planned just yet. "If we get these guys celebrating, we might not have a race tomor- row," Green said. "We better wait until tomorrow night. We've got a Job to do, no doubt about it.

We're going to celebrate. It might not be here, but we're going to celebrate." Green, who started racing on this circuit in 1990, has had the season of his life. After winning three races in 1999 and finishing second to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the series points race, Green came Into this season determined to do even better. With the help of crew chief Harold Holly and the Nestle Nesquik Chevrolet team, he has won seven poles and is looking for his seventh victory.

"For the most part, our season's been everything we dreamed of being," Green said. "When you put a season together like that, you're supposed to win championships. That's what championship-caliber teams are made of." Green edged rookie Kevin vick, who took second spot with a time of 22.50 on the three-quarter mile oval and an average speed of 119.734 mph in his ACDelco Chevrolet. Casey Atwood will start third after a lap of 22.578, ahead of Elton Sawyer (22.62), the only Ford In the top 10, and Todd Bodine (22.64). German driver dies in Italy A German driver was killed and a Swiss driver injured when they crashed during the Ferrari Challenge, an event held Saturday in Scarperia, Italy, to celebrate the championship by the automaker's Formula One team.

Ulricch Plattenhardt, 66, died at the racetrack medical center at Mugello, near Florence, Ferrari said. His car was unable to avoid that of Daniel Kuenzli, which had crashed Into a protective wall and spun back on the track. Kuenzli, 51, had minor head in i E3BBT The Indianapolis Star 3 A.