SpeedCenter News Archive 1998


 
December
1998
  Dec. 22, 1998

Gugelmin Wraps up Second Successful Test at Sebring
A second faster than during initial test


Dec. 21, 1998

PacWest Returns to Sebring
Gugelmin continues pre-season testing


Dec. 18, 1998

Santa Spreading Holiday Cheer At 240 MPH???
CART Cares'98


Dec. 17, 1998

Unser Jr. Spotted in Fresh Carbon Fiber
Penske tests at Sebring what appears to be '99 chassis


Dec. 11, 1998

McDonald's Comes to CART
Forsythe creates "McDonald's Champ Car Team"

Moore tests the new Reynard
First photos of Greg Moore in his new Reynard

Change of Plans at Homestead
Hattori's first oval test


Dec. 9, 1998

Team Green Remains Kool
Brown & Williamson Signs $50 M, 3-Year Deal with Team KOOL Green


Dec. 5, 1998

The New Swift at Sebring
Fernandez tests the 1999 Swift chassis in Florida

Hattori at Laguna Seca
Walker Racing tests in California

Formula One to Race at Indianapolis
Major changes at the old Speedway for the year 2000


November
1998
  Nov. 27, 1998

Lee Bentham Tests Champ Car
Canadian Toyota Atlantics champ hopes to impress possible CART employers

Target Waves Green Flag for Chicago Motor Speedway
Discount retailer to sponsor CART race on Aug. 22, 1999


Nov. 23, 1998

Naoki Hattori Completes First Test for Walker Racing
Rookie logs 400 miles at Firebird Raceway

Jourdain Jr. Wraps Up First Test of '99 Lola
New Lola shares Homestead track with other teams testing

Three-Day Sebring Test has PacWest Excited About '99
Team puts new chassis through 600 miles of testing


Nov. 22, 1998

Ilmor Engineering Unveil New Technology Center
Andrew Craig fires up first engine


Nov 19, 1998

PacWest Sebring Test Continues
Gugelmin puts some miles on the new car

Gugelmin Faster than in '98 Car
First shakedown of Reynard 99i very encouraging


Nov. 18, 1998

No CART / IRL Engine Deal Anticipated
IRL releases year 2000 and beyond regulations


Nov. 13, 1998

Number One Arrives
'99 Reynard chassis #001 goes to PacWest

Superspeedway-Type Wings For All Ovals
Slowing down on short ovals


Nov. 12, 1998

CART Engine Manufacturers Approach IMS
Engine proposal submitted in hope to return to Indy 500


Nov. 11, 1998

One For The Books
Tasman wraps up successful season

Project Indy Working on Return to Series
Japanese driver signed for testing program


Nov. 7, 1998

Pioneer to Sponsor Pruett's Car in 1999
Da Matta in MCI WorldCom car for 1999


Nov. 3, 1998

CART TV Action Series Announced
Weekly TV action series about fictional 3rd Newman/Haas entry


Nov. 2, 1998

Arciero-Wells Signs Da Matta
Indy Lights Champion to team up with Pruett


October
1998
  October 26, 1998

Montoya Concludes First Road-Course Test
Zanardi-successor shows talent at Homestead

October 21, 1998

Arciero-Wells to Host Driver Shootout at Homestead
Three drivers compete for seat same day Montoya does first test for Ganassi

Contract Extension for CART in Australia Likely
5 year extension possible

Penske on 1999 Car Plans
PC28 on schedule

October 14, 1998

Mercedes-Benz to Present Live Cybercast from Australia
Jim Murphy to call the race live from Surfers Paradise

October 10, 1998

Your Name on Rahal's Car
Retiring driver offers fans unique opportunity to spnsor his "Last Ride"

Zanardi on Formula 1 Test
Champion compares car performance

Walker Signs Naoki Hattori
Team will expand to two cars for 1999

Pook Working on F1 Race for San Francisco
Long Beach Grand Prix promoter woking with city mayor

Good Reviews for Houston Track
High marks for safety

Two Down, One To Go
Podium and ROY wrapped up, race win final goal for Tony Kanaan's season

Last Laps Down Under
Team Rahal heads to Australia

October 9, 1998

Gurney Re-Signs Barron for 1999
Promising rookie to remain on Gurney's roster

More on Montoya/Ganassi Deal
Official press release

October 8, 1998

Montoya to Team Up With Vasser
Formula 1 test driver signs 3-year deal with Ganassi

Hollywood Video Teams Up with PacWest
Another "Hollywood" on their cars!

October 7, 1998

PacWest Bets on Continuity for 1999
Team retains drivers, partners for next season

October 6, 1998

Paul Tracy: "Everything is Fine"
Tracy still has a job

October 1, 1998

Jeff Krosnoff Memorial Golf Tournament
Raising money for the Memorial Scholarship Fund

September
1998
  Sept. 28, 1998

CART Announces 1999 Schedule
20 races total, several events change date

Sept. 25, 1998

Kanaan aims at Rookie of the Year Title
Good finish in Houston could crown successful rookie season

Team Rahal Notes
First and last race at Houston for Bobby Rahal

Sept. 23, 1998

Zanardi to Williams
Ganassi searching for replacement

Sept. 17, 1998

Teams Test at Fontana
Hanford device slows speeds down

Sept. 11, 1998

Zanardi Excluded from Friday Qualifying
Contact with Herta in practice ruled unjustifiable risk

Vasser Aims at Vice-Campionship
Laguna Seca to turn things around

Sept. 5, 1998

Meier Again Impressive
German driver wins Budweiser Accelerator Award at Vancouver

Vancouver PJ Jones' Last Race for Gurney
PJ steps aside, Sospiri to finish season

Franchitti on Pole in Vancouver
Front row is a Mid Ohio repeat

August
1998
  August 31, 1998

Papis to Replace Rahal Now Official
Official Press Release

August 28, 1998

Meier Moves to the Next Level
German driver shows promise with good finish in Wisconsin

August 24, 1998

Papis Released by Arciero-Wells for 1999
Mad Max leaves team after more than 2 years

Papis to Rahal in 1999?
Unexpected driver move may upset many silly season theories

August 19, 1998

Davis Racing Announces New Partnership
German sports marketing firm becomes minority partner

August 18, 1998

Musical Chairs
The silly season as of Elkhart Lake

August 16, 1998

Scott Pruett to Join Arciero-Wells
Pruett signs multi-year contract

August 13, 1998

Frentzen to CART?
Silly season is getting thick in August

August 10, 1998

Wild Race at Mid Ohio
Fernandez wins incident filled Miller Lite 200

Big Fines at Mid Ohio
Dallenbach fines Zanardi, Moore; places Herta on probation

Zanardi, Herta, Moore Penalized
Official CART press release

August 5, 1998

Greg Moore Off Probation
Dallenbach removes Moore from probation

July
1998
  July 31, 1998

Memorial Contibutions for Michigan Victims
CART community mourns fans who died Sunday

July 22, 1998

Moore and Carpentier Seek First Superspeedway Victory
Forsythe drivers optimistic for the US 500

July 21, 1998

Michigan Madness
Tony Kanaan prepares for first CART superspeedway race

Team Rahal Goes to Michigan
"The place is a speedrome if ever there was one"

July 13, 1998

Audi and Ford Agree to Terms for Cosworth Racing
Ford buys Racing Engine division from Audi AG

July 2, 1998

Zanardi Fastest in Mid Ohio Testing
16 drivers prepared for the Miller 200 in August

July 1, 1998

Patrick Racing Holds Two Day Test at Elkhart Lake
Next week to test more at Mid Ohio

Handford Device Testing a Michigan
Cars 10 mph slower than last year

June
1998
  June 30, 1998

CART Announces Partnership with Sports Marketer
Swiss firm to handle CART licensing and sponsorship

June 29, 1998

Team Kool Green Readies for the U.S. 500
Testing "Handford Device" at Michigan SpeedWay

June 27, 1998

Penske Tests at Laguna Seca
Roberto Moreno's first session as Penske test driver

June 25, 1998

Speedway Testing Underway
Goodyear drivers to test drag wing device

Penalty Rules Addition
Penalty for causing red flag conditions now to carry over to next session

June 24, 1998

Moore Joins Tracy on Probation List
Opening-lap incident at Portland an "unjustifiable risk"

June 22, 1998

Moore Trouble than Tracy
Moore ups the ante with a 3-car-wreck

June 20, 1998

Herta Takes Portland Pole
Zanardi and Moore both struggle

June 19, 1998

Dallenback Fines Tracy $20,000
CART takes action following incident in Friday Qualifying

June 14, 1998

CART Puts Tracy on Probation
Chief steward acts after Detroit incident

June 10, 1998

Tracy and Fittipaldi Clash Again
Detroit contact had afterplay in pit lane

June 2, 1998

Carpentier and Moore Ready to Charge
in the Motor City

Forsythe Racing Pre-Race Release

Team KOOL Green at the Detroit Grand Prix
Pre-Race press quotes

May
1998
  May 29, 1998

Fittipaldi Crash Halts Friday Practice
Impact damaged track wall

May 26, 1998

CART and IRL Remain Divided
Post Memorial weekend notes

May 20, 1998

Paul Tracy: It's the Pits
Paul Tracy's nightmare season to turn around?

May 19, 1998

Forsythe Racing Ready to Charge into Gateway
Team very optimistic about next event

May 9, 1998

Franchitti Takes Pole in Rio
Eventful qualifying session sees new record and accidents

May 8, 1998

Andretti Fastest in Rio on Friday
Rio practice day one shortened by rain and accidents

May 6, 1998

Salles to drive #34 at Rio
Brazilian subsitutes for Vitolo again

Forsythe Drivers On a Roll
Pre Rio Team PR

May 4, 1998

Bruns Joins AAR
Chief designer of Swift to work on Eagle

April
1998
  April 20, 1998

Andretti Fastest at Gateway Tire Test
Tests were conducted with new drag wings

April 16, 1998

Teams Log Testing Miles at Gateway
Fittipaldi, Ribeiro, and Jones participate in Goodyear tire test

April 15, 1998

Blundell Feels Like Villeneuve
Inferior car slows '97 font runner down

Tracy Tests Below Track Record at Nazareth
Team KOOL Green gets comfortable at Nazareth

April 13, 1998

CART Buys Atlantics Series
Acquisition officially establishes CART ladder system

April 12, 1998

Robby Gordon To Race at Nazareth
Gordon makes 1998 debut at Nazareth bullring

April 10, 1998

Franchitti Delivers
Scotsman doesn't disappoint Barry Green

Lehto's Jurassic Ride
New logos on Hogan's car

April 9, 1998

CART Goes Racing in the Windy City
Chicago Motor Speedway at Sportman's Park announced

April 8, 1998

Long Beach Observations
Things seen or heard at CART's main event

Rahal Hot at Long Beach
Competitive into retirement?

April 1, 1998

Japan Now, Germany in 2000
CART expected at German tri-oval in second half of 2000

March
1998
  March 31, 1998

El Niño Induced Weather Could Cause Soggy Long Beach Race
Rain could give LBGP a totally new twist

March 26, 1998

Motegi Practice Notes
Salles returns, Moore crashes hard

Murphy and Tuttle to Call Motegi Race Live
RealAudio coverage of Motegi race to preceed delayed TV coverage

March 19, 1998

Hiro Matsushita to Retire
Robby Gordon will fill the void

March 18, 1998

Krosnoff Scholarship 1998 Awarded
Temecula, California teen chosen among 850 entrants

March 11, 1998

Meier and Davis Test New Lola
The only Lola remaining in CART gets a workout.

March 4, 1998

CART Rule Changes for 1998
110% rule and single file restart most notable changes

March 2, 1998

Arnd Meier and Davis Racing Choose Lola Chassis for 1998
Team to field the only Lola this season

Team KOOL Green Testing in Florida
Activities in Homestead and at Sebring

Greg Moore Tops Homestead Testing Speeds
Faster than Vasser in Spring Training

New Laguna Seca Raceway Sponsor
Honda to sponsor laguna Seca track and CART event

February
1998
  Feb. 26, 1998

Vitolo Hurt in Testing Accident
Oil leak causes 200mph crash at Homestead

Feb. 25, 1998

Faster at Homestead
Reconfigured track 10mph faster than before

Feb. 19, 1998

De Ferran Tests Speed Reducing High Drag Wing At Fontana
In search for a slowdown on super speedways

More Testing at Fontana
Robby Gordon and others log miles on infield road course

Feb. 16, 1998

Target/Ganassi Hire New Engineer
Former F1 engineer to serve as chief engineer for Zanardi

Feb. 10, 1998

CART Spring Training Photo Album
Photos from Homestead testing

Penske Introduces the New Car
Glitzy introduction of the car that is to reclaim the glory

Feb. 5, 1998

Spring Training Combined Practice Report
All Sessions Combined

Vasser Fastest Third Year in a Row
1996 Champion tops the field at Spring Training

Second Day Spring Training Practice Times
Afternoon Session

Second Day Spring Training Practice Times
Morning Session

Feb. 4, 1998

Moore Fastest on First Day
Summary of first day at Spring Training

Afternoon Spring Training Practice Times Day 1
High winds keep most teams from practicing

First Spring Training Practice Times
Many still looking for a setup

Feb. 3, 1998

Tasman's Major Announcement at Spring Training
Tasman Motorsports Group and American Cancer Society announce Race4Life program

Bettenhausen and Fittipaldi Team Up
Racing legends join forces

Testing in Mexico
Michel Jourdain Jr. at the old Formula One track in Mexico

January
1998
  Jan. 29, 1998

Spring Training Preview
What to expect next week in Florida

Patrick Racing Announces Sponsor For Pruett
Visteon Automotive Systems joins Patrick Racing for 1998

Jan. 27, 1998

Robby Gordon Back to CART
To run select races for Arciero-Wells

Robby Gordon Test Driver For Arciero-Wells
Official press release

Jan. 24, 1998

More Testing at Phoenix
Herta clocks fastest speed at Firestone tire test at PIR

Arciero-Wells/MCI to Appear on TV
CART cars featured in "The Pretender" on Jan. 31

Jan. 23, 1998

Before Spring Training
Laguna Seca Test Report, January 20-21, 1998

Jan. 22, 1998

Team Kool Green Testing
Looking for setup at Homestead and Sebring

Jan. 21, 1998

Laguna Seca Testing Report
Impressions and photos from a cloudy testing day in California

Jan. 17, 1998

Reconfigured Homestead Receives Raves
Now a true, faster, safer oval

The 24 Hours of CART?
CART Contingent strong at Rolex 24 at Daytona

Automobile Magazine Honors Zanardi
Man of the Year!

Jan. 14, 1998

Castro-Neves Confirmed at Bettenhausen
Fittipaldi-protégé gets rookie ride in CART

Jan. 13, 1998

No #32 at Tasman in 1998
Team to field just one rookie driver this year

Jan. 5, 1998

Mercedes-Benz Unveils New CART V8 at Detroit Auto Show
Champ Car engine included in "The Year of the V8"

1997   1997 News Archive Index

1996 News Archive Index

Questions/Comments/Suggestions?
Contact us via this feedback address