In explaining why the Super Prix wound up in Hawaii of all places, the promoters cited one reason as being the fact that many CART teams operate out of Indianapolis and would relish some time away from the bleak seasonal climate. Says McCaw, "taking winter in Indianapolis and Hawaii is probably an easy trade from a weather standpoint for many people, and we’re hoping that everybody can take a few days to relax. We’ve got a window there when we’re not testing. We also recognize that it’s another time for people away from their families, so we’re trying to deal with that and trying to figure out the best way to work that.

"Some people probably may bring their families to Hawaii and even have a vacation, because it’s right at the end of the season. I think everybody loves to be at home when they can be, so I understand that as much as anyone else. But again, I think it’s an exciting opportunity."

Walker says, "well, it’s obviously a great location to have a motor race, in particular when you’ve got the winter coming in. There’s no contest between Indianapolis and Hawaii, and really we wish all our races could be in Hawaii, I’m sure!"

While Horne’s team operates out of Ohio instead, the sentiments remain the same. "Certainly a number of us are planning, if we get there, to stay there because it’s the time of year when you need a vacation, and what better place to have a vacation than Hawaii?

"I would say there’s a very strong chance out of the sixteen cars and teams that are there, a big percentage of those crews and mechanics would like to stay over and probably would stay over for a week or so’s vacation. It adds value to the event."

Della Penna is less concerned about the distractions of a tropical backdrop. "Everyone in this series is so competitive I doubt that anyone looks at the Hawaiian Super Prix as a vacation-like setting. Hawaii is a beautiful place, but the teams will be strictly focused on winning the race while we're there. Perhaps some people will take the opportunity to stay down there for a vacation after the race is over."

Jones is among the more frequent visitors in the driver ranks. "I’ve been there several times, and I always enjoy going to Hawaii. I like to golf and scuba dive and be at the beach - you know, the normal Hawaiian things."

Uncle Bobby, Al Jr., and "Mini-Al" before the 500

Although Unser has made the trip to the 50th state "just a couple of times really," the Penske press kit cites it as his favorite vacation destination. "We’ve gone to the Big Island (of Hawaii) and gone deep sea fishing out there."

Fernandez admits "it would be the first (trip). Well, I have been to the airport, but I’ve never actually been in the (state)."

"Actually it’s going to be my first trip to Hawaii," Miami resident Kanaan says. "Well, definitely I would say it’s gonna be much closer (to home) than for the other guys, but I’m looking forward to going to Hawaii. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it, so I’m excited to go. I’m really looking forward to it."

DeFerran, another Miami homeowner, is even more certain. "It will be my first trip to Hawaii if I get invited or not! I have been planning to go to Hawaii ever since I came to America in ‘95, and for one reason or another, I’ve never actually been able to make it there. We’re planning to go there before the race - we have some friends who live there in Hawaii - and spend some time over there, and then stay a little bit after the race as well."

Is deFerran already busy dreaming up an itinerary? "Generally speaking, I just want to go! I wouldn’t mind trying to do a little bit of surfing there."

Hearn is also certain about going, even if it’s not for the race. "Yes, it would be my first time in Hawaii. Actually, my finance Brenda and I are definitely going there a few weeks later for our honeymoon."

Will experience gleaned from racing at Cleveland’s comparable (albeit slightly bumpier) airport facility be of any advance help in car setup, race strategy, and so forth? "Yeah, it should be good, " Jones believes. "A wide open track - room for passing is what we need. That’s the main thing; if they can make it wide and we can all do some passing, that’s gonna be a super track."

DeFerran contends, "the current layout, even though it’s almost done, is not defined yet, so we haven’t had a great opportunity to study it in great detail. But I think we’ll probably use our experiences for that type of track from other places, Cleveland being one of them, to come up with a good solution for that."

"I think it’s nice they’re using the airport (versus other locations under consideration)," Ward adds. "It’s an out-of-the-way location; it’s not gonna be a sound issue (for neighbors) or anything."

"The concept of a ‘winner-take-all’ event for large amounts of cash is a really great concept," says Held, "provided that the racetrack is an accommodating enough racetrack that will allow people, no matter where your starting position is, the ability to run for the money. If you have a racetrack that’ only provides the opportunity for single file racing, then it’s gonna be a boring PPV event, isn’t it? But if you have a racetrack that’s for example, a racetrack like Cleveland where it’s wide and there’s plenty of room for passing, it should be a pretty interesting event.

"Conceptually (the Kalaeloa layout) works, and it it certainly lends itself to the race car drivers and the engineers who can set up the car according to that type of racetrack, especially if you’re gonna make the driver selection guys in CART who are familiar with that type of circuit. Initially really, the way the project was put together was there would be a selection from a number of different drivers across all facets of racing. Then your choice selection of your actual circuit becomes that much more important, because if you do a road or street circuit, you obviously give an advantage to the guys who are in CART or F1."

So, even if the wild card spots permitted it, and even if NASCAR wasn’t staging its first Winston Cup race at Homestead, it seems unlikely many "good ol’ boys" would eagerly accept an invitation regardless of the big bucks. Says Ward, "my husband was talking to Mark Martin the other week, and Mark said he couldn’t be caught dead in an open wheel car - it would be very difficult. My husband just crashed a Winston Cup car at Vegas, and it’s a huge change in grip."

Does Gugelmin, having had his prior test at the track, hold any unfair advantage over the other drivers? Barron thinks it’s negligible: "Yes, obviously it would give a Mauricio a little bit of an advantage over the rest of us, but as you say, Cleveland has a similar facility."

Hearn feels the same way. "Having tested on the track, Mauricio will be a little ahead of everyone else. They'll know more about what to run on the car for a setup for that first session, but after that everyone else will start to catch up. Having the experience of racing at Cleveland will also help us and the other teams with knowing how to setup the car for Hawaii; that's why Mauricio doesn't haven't a huge advantage over us."

Physical work at the track is already well under way, with repaving currently taking place and barriers under construction. HSP had planned on commencing repaving earlier this summer, but the runways remain under active use by the National Guard (despite the Navy turning over Barbers Point NAS to the state in late July), forcing a delay. Complicating matters was the airport’s World War II vintage, which necessitated additional soils testing for contaminants and such. Unlike Cleveland or any other temporary facility, the runways sit underneath coral foundations four feet deep, so instead of laying electrical conduit and plumbing just six inches or so below the racing surface, they must bore all the way below this coral layer before they can proceed, adding yet another technical challenge, but this is also now actively in progress.

In addition to the National Guard, Kalaeloa Airport also remains in standby mode should an aviation emergency arises at Honolulu International Airport, keeping the facility under FAA jurisdiction. FAA regulations prohibit vertical contstruction until 45 days before the event, so grandstands and other major contstruction must wait a little while longer. The initial plan called for importing temporary seating from California, with demand far exceeding local supply; they would then ship them back after the race and construct seating locally for next year and beyond. Now, HSP realizes there actually are not enough available bleachers in California, so they must accelerate this long-range plan and build them this year.

How do the participants view their chances of making the magical top 12 in final points for an automatic starting berth? According to Green, "I’ve got a lot of problems to sort out before we actually get there, assuming I’m invited. With the way this team’s running right now, I’m hoping we will be. We look good, we’re running strong, we’re running up front, and as far as our drivers go, it seems we’re doing a great job. I think there’s certainly a lot of work to do on everyone’s front, and I think it will be OK."

For the Toyota-powered teams, still seeking their first podium finish, the challenge becomes greater. According to Held, "when (the Super Prix) was initially announced, our position was and is that you look at the first 12 teams as the ones that’ll get the invites. So immediately we said we gotta hustle to be inside the top 12. Honestly, that’s probably our challenge this year - to try and make it inside the top 12. For a new team, especially a team starting from scratch, that’s a pretty tall order, especially with the level of competition we have in the CART series."

For Della Penna, who started out the season in Swifts, "we are very excited about our switch to the Reynard chassis. Richie is already much more comfortable in the Reynard. While initially the transition from Swift to Reynard is difficult, this is going to be the better package for us in the long run. With Reynard having offices here in Indianapolis so close to our race shop, it has already improved our technical support and allows us to further develop this new relationship."

But with Hearn barely within top 20 in points, it may be too little, too late for 1999. Given that the promoters have indicated sponsorship would be one key consideration in determining who gets the wild card slots has Toyota given any indication they may want to kick in additional funds for this purpose, should no Toyota team automatically qualify? According to Della Penna, "Toyota has not indicated that they want to do this."

Bettenhausen, whose team has contended for race wins with rookie drivers the past two seasons, faced the difficult task of having much-maligned Shigeaki Hattori behind the wheel this year, until CART steward Wally Dallenbach finally revoked the crash-prone Hattori’s competition license at Laguna Seca. Even back in May, Hawaii seemed far, far away. "The main goal is to run as many races on the schedule as possible and to do as much testing as we can do...that is the strategy. But every company has budgets they have to run by." He indicates Hattori’s sponsor Epson has not applied any pressure in getting a Japanese driver into a wild card spot for the sake of demographics.

"Obviously Hawaii’s a wonderful place. I’m sure everyone qualified to go will be thrilled. (But) we’re in a transition year. We’ve lost the sponsor we’ve had for the past ten years. Alumax was bought out by another company, so we had to scale down the team substantially. We’re running a rookie who came out of Indy Lights. There’s a steep learning curve from Indy Lights to ChampCars. Would we like to qualify? Would we like to go? Absolutely. But realistically, this is a transition year for us and for Shigeaki and for Epson."