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©1999 SpeedCenter Publishing Sunday, October 31, 1999, Fontana California: The death of twenty-four year old driver Greg Moore has shaken the very foundations of the Fedex Championship Series. Today's accident, which occurred on lap ten, was the second driver fatality this fall, and it occurred in the midst of what would otherwise be remembered as the most thrilling down-to-the wire championship race in history. The thousands of professionals who make up the CART community often refer to it as the "CART Family." It is a family that lives separately in different places around the world, but convenes twenty times per year on race weekends. The bonds between many who only see each other around the paddock are very strong, and Greg Moore was a powerful personality in that paddock. Each of us at Speedcenter knew Greg, and we are deeply saddened by his passing. Young, fearless, and ultra-confident, Greg won his first race at Milwaukee in 1997, setting a record as the youngest driver ever to win a CART event. He was 22 years, one month, and ten days old that afternoon. Greg turned 24 year old this April, having just notched his fifth career victory at the Miami season-opener in March. Yesterday morning Greg broke his index finger in a scooter accident in the paddock, and missed out on qualifying. But Greg wanted to race, and officials extended him the courtesy of a special afternoon session to see if he felt comfortable driving the car with his hours-old hand injury. Greg passed the test, and showed up at the track this morning like any other athlete willing to play through the pain of an injury. His crash occurred just a few minutes into the race, and the cause of the crash is currently unknown. Greg was a racer, and would most certainly have become a champion. He will be greatly missed, as will Gonzalo Rodriguez, Greg's fellow competitor who died in a practice accident at Laguna Seca in September. We at Speedcenter will return soon with a race report on the California 500 and a resumption of our regular coverage of the Fedex Championship series.
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