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©1999 SpeedCenter Publishing By Dan Proudfoot If Greg Moore had chosen hockey over auto racing, he would be playing goal for the New York Rangers and his goals-against average would be 4.12 and rising. That's the kind of year he's experiencing at Player's/Forsythe -- the last on his current contract. It's as though his best defenceman blew out his knee, the general manager isn't making any kind of deal and 50 shots are coming his way every night. Moore, off past performances, still would be known as a high-calibre goaltender and a guy at his best in the playoffs. Teams would be bidding for his services. But his agent's smile wouldn't be confident. Moore's real-life situation is that he has been hampered by having the wrong motor and the worst luck. The Molson Indy -- during which he was knocked out of contention by Michael Andretti and out of the race by Al Unser Jr. -- was the fourth in a series of generally disappointing outings for the native of Maple Ridge, B.C. A dramatic turnaround is anticipated in this Sunday's U.S. 500 at Michigan Speedway, where he's defending champion. His Mercedes V-8 is as strong at constant high speeds on the two-mile oval as it is uncompetitive accelerating out of Toronto's slow corners. Moore needs a win to rally his team. His father and manager, Ric, needs a win to up the ante. No matter how many newspapers carry stories in which Ric Moore admits to interest from multiple CART and NASCAR teams, the Moores occasionally must reflect on cruel fate serving up Greg's least impressive season in his contract year. "Greg needs to go to a team where he has a long-term future," Ric Moore said at Elkhart Lake, Wis. "And he needs to go somewhere where he can get some wins." Moore won't discuss possibilities, but Target/Chip Ganassi is the only team with which his son might be sure of achieving those goals. An opening is possible, too, if Juan Montoya should be summoned by Frank Williams' Formula One team, or if Jimmy Vasser decides he has had enough and retires one year into his three-year contract. Cal Wells' CART team is winless in three years, but respected nonetheless. An intriguing possibility here is his projected entry into NASCAR, initially in Busch Grand National but moving into Winston Cup. Moore is on his list. Pit-lane gossip holds that Moore's current employer, Gerry Forsythe, is sick to death of the moving-to-NASCAR gambit. But Forsythe put on a patient face when interviewed Sunday before the Molson Indy. "We haven't had any serious discussions regarding a new contract," he said. "I've made it known to him and his father that I want to keep him within the team, Player's wants to keep him within the team. But (Moore) wants to look at what's available out there. The Moores have been contacted by a lot of potential team owners, whether it's NASCAR or Formula One. "I think previously he has been a little undecided what he wants to do," Forsythe said. "Hopefully he decides he wants to stay within CART. He has built a great fan base, the Player's team has been good to him from the beginning of his career in Indy Lights, and we would like for him to stay." Forsythe's satellite CART team, operated by the respected Steve Horne, races the package with which Moore could win -- a Honda-powered Reynard. And Forsythe expects to add a second car to that team in 2000. Forsythe's record reveals a creativity that will allow him to convince his driver he can achieve his goals by staying right where he is. In other news at Toronto: Jeanne Green, team owner Barry's wife, was asked whether this was one race in which everything went exactly to plan for Team Kool Green, with teammates Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy finishing 1-2. "In all my years in racing, I've never seen a plan go according to plan," she said. Proof that Franchitti never needed to extend himself while holding off Gil de Ferran or Christian Fittipaldi was found in the post-race fastest-lap chart. The Scotsman pushed hardest only in the late stages with Tracy in pursuit. By then, they were driving for fun. Barry Green had ordered them to hold position, so the teammates were playing with the gap between them. On Lap 87, Tracy cut the margin to 2.720 seconds with his fastest tour, 59.605 seconds. Franchitti responded on the next lap with 59.361, faster than anyone else throughout the race, for a 3.064 cushion. The final margin was 2.624 seconds. Insiders say P.J. Jones will be released from Pat Patrick's team after the U.S. 500. Finishing 10th in the Molson Indy may have helped his case; qualifying 20th didn't. If he's let go, Jones has every right to cry foul. Teammate Adrian Fernandez demanded Patrick buy him a Reynard after the season opened with the team using Swifts, so Jones was consigned to develop the Swift. Not easy. Franchitti is a figures filbert. "In the past three years, I think I'm right in saying the winner has come from No. 2 on the grid -- (Mark) Blundell, (Alex) Zanardi and myself -- never the pole-winner," he said. One wonders whether he'll remember prior to next year's qualifying. Source: Canada Online, used by permission |
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