Among Hawaii’s melting-pot population, will race-starved local enthusiasts and neophytes alike turn out in large enough numbers, should the desired mainland turnout not materialize? Ward thinks so, if the race can develop and educate new fans. "Well, CART itself has become very international in the last few years, I mean, the Unsers and Andrettis and Vassers are the slim Americans to the Kanaans and deFerrans and Montoyas of today. I think Hawaii in general - racing has never been a really huge thing like football and baseball. For example, when I was there, the Kentucky Derby came in third (on TV sports reports) because I’d have to watch local baseball! So (majority ignorance towards racing has) always been kind of a local type thing.

"But we don’t very often get a lot of big things in Hawaii. So I think if it’s an economical price to go to the thing, it would be great for something to do. Kind of like I’m worried about the water park (about two miles away from the track, opened in June and aimed more at local residents than tourists, but seemingly priced too high for regular visits) - paying $32 a day admission they charge to get in for that deal. But I think it’s an opportunity a lot of people would want to do, because we’ve never had it!"

Would Ward plan on going, even if her husband has to spectate and not race? "It’s definitely a reason to go over there. We have friends that still race in CART, so it’s an opportunity to see Paul (Tracy) and Jimmy (Vasser) and Robby Gordon - I know Robby wants to get in real bad. They’re worried about the Toyotas...so there’s a lot of concern for those guys, and I know ready and eager to get into it."

Right now, however, the out-of-state contingent remains a concern. Of the projected 50,000 seat attendance for race day (reduced from a peak estimate of 100,000 seats earlier in the year), only 18% or 9,000 tickets have been sold thus far. HSP expects sales will spike up as the race draws closer, which appears a reasonable assumption where local ticket-buyers are concerned; Hawaii residents generally make little real effort in buying tickets to any sporting events much in advance. But what about those who must make travel arrangements from the mainland or overseas and require more lead time for booking flights, making hotel reservations, and getting time off work? The current state of confusion among the general public over the race’s status, along with a perceived lack of serious advertising outside the state, hinder the race’s marketability outside Hawaii.

People wonder aloud about the replacement TV package (or lack thereof), and about the lack of an overall event sponsor despite big names like Chevrolet, Sheraton, and Simple Green coming on board in smaller capacities. A trackside press conference scheduled for Oct. 1 will address both these issues.

Locally, sports enthusiasts face a conflict with college football, specifically a University of Hawaii home game against Fresno State. But HSP is working with UH to come up with transportation solutions. People with tickets to both would park in the overflow lot at Aloha Stadium; a shuttle bus would make the 20-minute drive to Kalaeloa, the race would end at 4 pm, and the bus would return to the stadium in plenty of time for the game at 6:05. Promoters promise plenty of free and premium paid parking trackside.

Besides the diminished attendance projections, "belt-tightening" is indeed taking place as a result of the corporate restructuring, which saw Rutherford hand over the CEO reins to Heard (much more visible anyway at all HSP public functions) while refocusing his energies on long-term planning; Rich Rutherford, who as recently as Chicago had been making the rounds promoting the race, resigned his marketing position as well. HSP has scaled certain aspects of the race weekend back slightly, but all of these affect the peripheral events only (to which many people had dismissed in the first place), not the race itself. Specifically, some of the entertainment acts will go away, corporate suite sizes will shrink, the carnival hours of operation (advertised at a whopping 10 am to 10 pm) are being reduced.

But with tension rapidly building for the event as the season winds down, especially for the coveted 12th points position, and with official HSP spokesman Mario Andretti returning to Hawaii for another series of public appearances this week (culminating in the local premiere of Super Speedway at the Waikiki IMAX Theater), plenty of room remains for cautious optimism.

Walker reiterates his expectation for a race the likes of which the world has never seen. "It’s such a spectacle. I mean, I think the race itself is probably, when you look at it, the single most event to happen to CART since it used to be at the Indianapolis 500. For any single race, it certainly ranks up there because of obviously the purse money and the race that’s gonna be put on out there, because there’s going to be a lot of teams going at it really hard for the last race of the season, and so it’s gonna be a good event, and everybody’s gonna take it very seriously.

"There’s nothing else to lose. All the cars and all the engines that you’ll see racing in that race - they will probably never race again. They will be replaced next year with new engines and new cars, so everybody’s got everything to go for. You don’t have to worry about your equipment; you haven’t got another 19 races to do. You’ve just got one race left in the season, and there’s a reeal big payoff if you can win the race, so there’s gonna be a high level of competition."

Forsythe isn’t convinced by the naysayers. "I’ve had the opportunity to read some newspaper articles that were published in Hawaii that a few individuals maybe questioned the viability of it early on. But Mr. Rutherford and his group have put together a very strong organization, and there’s no doubt in my min the race will be a huge success for everybody. Maybe we weren’t smart enough to see the opportunity, but fortunately a select few have captured upon this event, and I think it will be absolutely fantastic for CART and for all of our participants and sponsors."

McCaw summarizes, "As I say, anything new and different is always gonna have some level of controversy around it. But I don’t hear a lot of people bellyaching. I mean, I hear a few things, but frankly, when there’s a problem, I hear about it most of the time. I don’t hear a lot of problems about this. A few people are saying, ‘what about this, what about that,’ but fundamentally I think people are behind it. I think they support it, and I think it will be an exciting event."

Horne agrees. "The human race is generally resistant to change, whatever is involved, and I think that’s just a bit of reaction there. I certainly don’t hear anything negative towards the event. I hear a few questions, but this is going to be the richest motorsports event in the world, and I think that in its own right that’s pretty exciting."

The biggest question of all, of course, is a simple one: What would you do with your share of the $5 million first place purse, should you become the winner of the inaugural Hawaiian Super Prix?

Alex Barron: "I'd buy my parents a bigger house and I'd put the rest into savings, for my two daughters, for their schooling and college, etc."

Adrian Fernandez: "Retire! No, firstly I think I will celebrate big time with my guys. The winnings don’t go completely with me, so we have to share between the team and myself, and then just create a good thing for the future."

De Ferran's going to Hawaii no matter what

Gil deFerran: "Instant retirement! I don’t know - probably gonna put it into the family savings fund."

Mauricio Gugelmin: " Well, I’d probably start by not going home the right way through L.A. I’d probably go the other way around so it takes longer to get home and spend some of the money! I feel that certainly we’d enjoy it a lot. It would be a major income boost, anyway."

Richie Hearn: "Buy a motorcoach and invest the money."

PJ Jones: "Oh, (Fernandez prodding him) I would buy my teammate a nice new - we’d have one helluva party, I’ll tell you that!"

Tony Kanaan: "Have a very big Christmas and probably spend a couple more weeks in Hawaii! To be honest, I’m thinking about winning the race, not about the prize money, but for sure, you’re not gonna see me for a couple of weeks!"

Al Unser, Jr.: "Pay off some of my debts!"

Jerrette Kaye, Greg Spotts, and Michael Stucker contributed to this story.