DETROIT (June 21, 2000) - After launching the road course portion of itsseason in record-setting fashion at Detroit last weekend, the FedExChampionship Series seeks its eighth different winner in as many events asit travels to the Pacific Northwest for Sunday's Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200Presented by Texaco at Portland International Raceway (7 p.m. ET, tapedelay, ESPN2). When Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penskedrove to victory at Detroit, he became the seventh different race winner tostart the season, breaking a FedEx Championship Series record established in1991. With 13 events remaining on the schedule, the series is well on itsway toward breaking the record of 10 different winners in the season,established last year. Largely due to that competitiveness, the series arrives at Portland with itstop 10 drivers separated by just 21 points. With a sweep of the maximum 22points available for a race victory, winning the pole position and leadingthe most race laps, any one of those 10 could theoretically exit Portlandwith the championship lead. At present, that lead is held by Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard) of TeamKOOL Green, winner at Long Beach, podium finisher in each of the season'sfirst three events, and point producer in each of the first five. But Tracyhas gone scoreless in each of the past two events at Milwaukee and Detroit,allowing a talented field to move well within striking distance of his 59championship points. Tracy's closest pursuer is Jimmy Vasser (Target Toyota Lola) of Target ChipGanassi Racing, who owns 54 points following five top-seven finishes in hisfirst seven starts of the season, highlighted by a runner-up effort at Riode Janeiro. Roberto Moreno (Visteon Ford Reynard) of Patrick Racing standsthird with 52 points. He has finished ninth or better in five of sevenstarts this season and matched a career-best with a runner-up effort atHomestead. Max Papis (Miller Lite Ford Reynard) of Team Rahal stands fourth in thechampionship with 47 points. He won the season opener at Homestead andfinished second at Detroit. Defending Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200 Presentedby Texaco champion Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro TeamPenske joins Papis with 47 points, 20 of which came from his victory atNazareth, the 100th in the storied history of Penske Racing. Defending FedEx Championship Series and reigning Indianapolis 500 championJuan Montoya (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing trails Papisand de Ferran by just a point, with 46. His victory at Milwaukee was thefirst for a Toyota-powered driver in the engine manufacturer's five-yearFedEx Championship Series history. Montoya has also started on the pole andled the most race laps at each of the past four events, at Japan, Nazareth,Milwaukee and Detroit. Michael Andretti (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola) of Newman Haas Racingbrings 44 championship points to Portland, built mainly on a victory atJapan - his CART career-leading 39th - and a runner-up effort at Milwaukee.Andretti is a three-time FedEx Championship Series winner at PortlandInternational Raceway (1990, '91 and '92). Rounding out the top 10 drivers in the championship are 1999 FedExChampionship series runner-up Dario Franchitti (KOOL Honda Reynard) of TeamKOOL Green, eighth with 40 points; rookie Kenny Brack (Shell Ford Reynard)of Team Rahal, ninth with 39 points; and veteran Adrian Fernandez(Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard) of Patrick Racing, winnerat Rio de Janeiro. Joining Andretti and de Ferran as previous winners at Portland is MarkBlundell (Motorola PacWest Mercedes) of the PacWest Racing Group, who edgedde Ferran by 0.027 seconds - about seven feet - to win the closest race inFedEx Championship Series history in 1997. This year for the first time in FedEx Championship Series history, all carsride on Firestone Firehawks, the Official Tire of CART. Following the Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco, the FedExChampionship Series returns to the Midwest for its third event in as manyweeks, The Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Firstar on Sunday,July 2, at Burke Lakefront Airport on the shores of Lake Erie. WHO'S HOT Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver Juan Montoya (Target Toyota Lola)the defending FedEx Championship Series and reigning Indianapolis 500champion, has qualified among the top three drivers for all seven FedExChampionship Series events this season. He has started on the pole and ledthe most race laps at each of the past four events, at Japan, Nazareth,Milwaukee and Detroit. Montoya has led at least the first 58 laps of each ofthose events; led a series-high 541 laps, over 400 more than his closestpursuer, Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penske; andhas moved into eighth place on the CART career laps-led list with 1,495. Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penskehas finished on the podium in each of his road or street course starts thisseason, including his first career FedEx Championship Series victory lastSunday at Detroit. He finished second at Long Beach in his other road coursestart this season. Patrick Carpentier (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard) ofPlayer's Forsythe Racing has finished fifth or better in three of his fourstarts this season. Carpentier finished fifth at Homestead, third atMilwaukee and fifth at Detroit. He missed starts at Long Beach, Rio deJaneiro and Japan while recovering from a slight fracture of his left wristsustained in an April accident at his Las Vegas home. Rookies Oriol Servia (Telefonica Toyota Reynard) of PPI Motorsportsand Alex Tagliani (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard) of Player'sForsythe Racing have both recorded top-six finishes in each of the two FedExChampionship Series road/street events to date. Tagliani finished acareer-high fourth at Long Beach and took sixth at Detroit, while Servia,the 1999 Dayton Indy Lights champion, was sixth at Long Beach and third atDetroit. ON THE RIGHT TRACK Michael Andretti (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola) owns threevictories at Portland International Raceway, in 1990, '91 and '92, inaddition to back-to-back runner-up finishes in 1986 and '87. He has scoredchampionship points in 12 of 15 appearances at Portland, with nine top-10finishes, and has led 402 laps there during his career, including 100 ormore in 1990 (101), '91 (102) and '93 (100). Defending Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco championGil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) has finished on the podium in threeof five career appearances at Portland. In addition to last year's victory,he finished second in 1996 and '97. His runner-up effort by 0.027 seconds toMark Blundell in 1997 stands as the closest finish in FedEx ChampionshipSeries history. In addition, de Ferran has never qualified outside thetop-10 in his five starts at Portland. Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard)has scored championship points in five of six career starts at Portland,with a best finish of fourth last year. He also finished 10th in 1994, ninthin '95, 12th in '96 and 10th in '97. MANUFACTURING SUCCESS Honda has won three of the past four FedEx Championship Seriesevents contested at Portland International Raceway, getting victories fromAlex Zanardi (1996, '98) and Gil de Ferran last year. Honda has also wonboth events contested on road/street courses this year, getting victoriesfrom Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard) at Long Beach and Helio Castroneves atDetroit. Ford continues to lead closely contested CART Manufacturer'sChampionship with 120 points, four more than second-place Honda (116) and 12ahead of third-place Toyota (108). Ford has claimed three victories thisseason, from Max Papis (Miller Lite Ford Reynard) at Homestead, AdrianFernandez at Rio de Janeiro and Michael Andretti at Japan, and has scored atleast one podium finish in six of seven events. Toyota-powered Juan Montoya has started on the pole for each of thepast four FedEx Championship Series events, at Japan, Nazareth, Milwaukee(where he earned Toyota's first-ever series victory) and Detroit. He hasalso recorded race-high laps-led totals at each of those four eventsincluding 172 of 201 at Japan, 110 of 225 at Nazareth, 179 of 225 atMilwaukee and 59 of 84 at Detroit. He has led a series-high 541 laps thisseason, over 400 more than de Ferran, his closest pursuer, and 50.3 percentof the 1,075 laps completed through the seven FedEx Championship Seriesevents contested to date. Portland holds special meaning for Firestone because it's atPortland International Raceway that the tire maker scored its firstsignificant series victory in the rain. In 1997, Mark Blundell won a dragrace to the finish line using the Firestone Firehawk rain tire, just a yearafter Firestone was humbled by its treaded rubber's performance at Detroit.This year, all FedEx Championship Series competitors use Firestone tires. NOTEWORTHY Mo Nunn Racing announced Tuesday that seven-year FedEx ChampionshipSeries veteran Bryan Herta will substitute for the injured Tony Kanaan inthe team's Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing Mercedes Reynard beginning with thisweekend's Freightliner G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco at PortlandInternational Raceway. Kanaan will be sidelined for the next four to sixweeks while recovering from injuries sustained during a qualifying accidentat last weekend's Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix in Detroit. He sustained abroken left forearm and four cracked ribs on his left side in the accident.Kanaan was released from Detroit Receiving Hospital Tuesday to return to hisMiami home, and is expected to begin rehabilitation in Indianapolis nextweek. "We are very fortunate to have Bryan available to drive for us at thispoint in time," said team co-owner Morris Nunn. "He was one of our originalchoices to driver for this team when we were first formulating our planslate last year. We are very enthused about the progress we've been makingwith our Mercedes-Benz program and there are some developments we plan tomake in the next few races. I'm confident Bryan is the right guy to help uskeep up the momentum." Herta made two starts earlier this season as asubstitute for the injured Shinji Nakano (Avex Honda Reynard) at WalkerRacing, finishing fifth in the first of those at Long Beach. He is atwo-time race winner and a seven-time pole sitter in the in the FedExChampionship Series, and has posted five top-five finishes, including threepodiums, at the next three FedEx Championship Series venues: Portland,Cleveland and Toronto. "The circumstances surrounding this opportunity areunfortunate," Herta said. "I wish Tony the speediest recovery possible. Ijust hope to make a solid contribution in the interim. It's probably thebest possible part of the schedule for me to step in and pinch-hit. Portlandand Cleveland are two of my favorite tracks. I'll have my hands fulllearning the Mercedes-Reynard package and working with new people, soknowing the tracks gives me one less thing to worry about." Team KOOL Green fueler Jeff Simon sustained a broken left foot as aresult of a pit incident involving driver Paul Tracy during Sunday's TennecoAutomotive Grand Prix of Detroit. Simon, who has four fractured metatarsalsin his left foot, is scheduled for surgery Thursday in Indianapolis with Dr.Terry Trammell, CART's Chief Orthopedic Consultant. Simon is expected tomiss six weeks with his return targeted for the Miller Lite 200 on Aug.11-13 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Team KOOL Green has not named areplacement for Simon at this time. "I'm really sorry for Jeff," said Tracy,who visited Simon in the CART Medical Facility following the incident andcalled him Monday in Indianapolis to check on his condition. "He's a veryimportant part of Team KOOL Green and a big reason why we are so fast on ourstops." Simon was a key component of Tracy's six-man pit crew which capturedthe $50,000 first prize in last year's inaugural Craftsman Pit CrewChallenge. Tracy, the FedEx Championship Series points leader, wasblack-flagged by CART officials and excluded from the remainder of the eventfor Sunday's rule violation, finishing 20th. With one-third of the FedEx Championship Series season completed,Cristiano da Matta (Pioneer/MCI WorldCom Toyota Reynard) of PPI Motorsportsholds the lead in the season-long competition for the Budweiser Hard ChargerAward, which recognizes the driver who improves the most from start tofinish at each event. Through seven events, Da Matta has accumulated 52points, one for each position gained at each FedEx Championship Seriesevent. Luiz Garcia Jr. (Hollywood/Embratel/Tang/Banco Sofisa MercedesReynard) of the Arciero Project Racing Group stands second with 46 points,while Paul Tracy of Team KOOL Green and Michel Jourdain Jr. (Herdez MercedesLola) of Bettenhausen Motorsports are tied for third with 44. Mark Blundell(Motorola PacWest Mercedes) rounds out the top five with 39 points.Standings are kept both race-by-race and through the season, with driversreceiving one point for each place gained. The overall winner at theconclusion of the campaign will receive a cash award from Budweiser,Official Beer of CART. Della Penna Motorsports Chief Engineer Diane Holl will be recognizedby the Portland Fire of the WNBA for her accomplishments in motorsportsduring the team's Friday night game with the Seattle Storm. Holl is the onlyfemale chief engineer for a premier motorsports team in CART, Formula One,NASCAR or the IRNLS. ON THE AIR Qualifying for the Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texacowill air 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2. "CART 2Day" airs 11 a.m. ET Sundayon ESPN2, with ESPN2's tape-delayed race broadcast scheduled to begin 7p.m. ET. The race will also air live on the CART Radio Network and on CART'sofficial website at www.cart.com . FREIGHTLINER/G.I. JOE'S 200 PRESENTED BY TEXACO "QUOTEBOARD" JUAN MONTOYA (Target Toyota Lola), on the ups and downs of his FedExChampionship Series season: "I've been very pleased with the car this year,but some of the problems are just flukes and that's unfortunately a part ofracing. We just have to keep on doing what has helped us perform so well,and the racing and the points will be fine. [On the qualifying success whichhas enabled him to start on the pole in four consecutive events] "Qualifyinghas always been one of my strengths. It's nice that you earn a point for apole position in this series, but it's going to take more than that to winthe championship. To have a shot at the title, we have to start scoring wellin these races, beginning with Portland. Starting the race out in the frontis good, but that's also where I'd like to finish the race. I came close towinning at Portland last year, so maybe this year it's my turn."JIMMY VASSER (Target Toyota Lola), on the success he has enjoyed during thefirst seven events of the FedEx Championship Series season: "It's stillearly in the season, but it's always nice to be up toward the top of thepoint standings. The only time it really matters that you're leading thepoint standings is after the final race of the year, but it's a good feelingto be out ahead, and that's where we hope to be after Portland. I don't haveany control over what the other guys do out there on the track, but we'vebeen able to score points pretty consistently this year, so I wouldn't besurprised to be leading in the points before too long. I haven't had a lotof success in Portland, but I've always liked the track, and the Toyota-Lolaimproves with each race. I'm expecting a great performance from Team Targetthis weekend." PAUL TRACY (KOOL Honda Reynard), on the challenges of Portland InternationalRaceway: "More often than not, the Portland race comes down to a fight tothe finish, and we're aiming to be in that battle. It's going to feel goodbeing on our first permanent road course of the season. But Portland is thetype of track where you can't get too carried away. You have to be patientand pick your spots. We were fortunate to come out of Detroit with our leadin the drivers' standings intact, but everyone is bunched up real close sowe're going to have to come back strong at Portland if we want to solidifythat lead. Team KOOL Green certainly has the car to be right up there. DARIO FRANCHITTI (KOOL Honda Reynard), on continuing to improve in the FedExChampionship Series: "We've made great strides with the KOOL car in the lastcouple of races, but we've still got our work cut out for us if we're goingto be serious contenders for the championship. Finishing fourth in Detroitlast weekend, despite some problems that at one point jeopardized ourchances of completing the race, was a huge plus. Not only did it allow us tomove up the drivers' standings but it gave us some momentum heading intothis stretch of the schedule on road courses, where we've been quitesuccessful in the past. Getting on the podium in Portland last year with athird-place finish was a big morale booster because in both of our previousraces there we ran into some problems and weren't able to finish. Findingthe proper balance of speed for the faster parts of the course and handlingfor the tighter sections is extremely important. It's not easy to strike abalance in set-ups on this track, but I know that Team KOOL Green will be upto the task." GIL de FERRAN (Marlboro Honda Reynard), on defending his championship in theFreightliner/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco: "I have always liked goingto Portland. I was actually fastest in my first practice session on thetrack back in 1995 and last year finally captured the victory. I've beenfortunate to go there with good equipment and good teams, and Portland seemsto marry well with my driving style. I feel Marlboro Team Penske will be incontention this weekend based on our recent form. The team is coming off ofa win in Detroit and a very successful test at Mid-Ohio which reassures usthat the work we are doing is good." HELIO CASTRONEVES (Marlboro Honda Reynard), on building upon last week'sfirst career FedEx Championship Series victory at the Tenneco AutomotiveGrand Prix of Detroit: "We're coming off of a great weekend in Detroit witha win and a good test at Mid-Ohio in early June so Marlboro Team Penske iscarrying a lot of momentum into the Portland race. Portland is a toughtrack because it's a high speed circuit and the concrete makes it achallenge to set-up the car. At the same time, it's one of my favoritetracks, particularly Turn Seven where we get the whole car on the curb. Istarted on the front row [second] last year and led 30 laps before going outof the race early so I hope this year to be in the points at the end on raceday." MICHAEL ANDRETTI (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola), on his memories ofPortland: "We had an electronics problem last year in Portland. Going out of the pits the carjust decided to shut itself down. My most memorable race inPortland was Father's Day in 1986 when dad and myself went down to the wireand he beat me by a couple of inches. Portland will be our first real roadcourse so it will be interesting to see how it goes. There are going to bea lot of unknowns because there haven't been any races on a permanent roadcourse before it. We are hoping that the Ford Lola will do well there. Thetrack has some long straightaways and we know we have the horsepower, sothat should be good. The difference between a permanent road course andstreet circuits is the same as comparing a super speedway to a small oval. It's two different animals, and you have to approach themdifferently on setups, and as a driver, you just adapt to whatever you have.But, it's more what you do with the race car in terms of setups that are quite different." CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI (Big Kmart/Route 66 Ford Lola), on last year'smisfortunes at Portland: "Last year, we went for the wrong fuel strategy andhad to pit at the end of the race and dropped way back. There was a littlebit of doubt among everyone if we had to really go for it and get by thecars. We tried to conserve the fuel hoping we would get another yellow, butunfortunately the situation didn't happen and we really made a mistake, andwe had to pay for it. My best memory of Portland was after I came back frommy broken leg in 1997. Walking to the car and hopping in the car forpractice on Friday morning, it was a good memory. We had a good weekend.And this year, it is definitely one of the races I am looking forward to.The track is different in the natural ways of road courses and streetcourses. It's completely different. You need to have a lot of flow inPortland apart from the first two turns. The rest of the track is a trueroad course, and you just need to carry the speed. You generally understeera little bit in Portland going into the turns and you have a few problemswith power, but that's part of the challenge of the track." MAX PAPIS (Miller Lite Ford Reynard), on returning to his road-course"roots": "While I enjoy the ovals, it feels good to be back on mytraditional racing, the road circuits. It's my nature to make left and rightturns. We ran a good steady race at Detroit and we were in position to giveHelio [Castroneves, the race winner] a shot for the lead at the end. But wehad a little vibration in the front end in the last ten laps. I didn't haveanything for Helio at the end. But we'll take the second place and move onto Portland, a place I really like." KENNY BRACK (Shell Ford Reynard), on developing some consistency between hisoval and road course finishes: "We need to match our oval results on theroad circuits. fter testing at Portland, I think we have a good car for thetrack. We were close to last year's track record and Max was under thetrack record. So I expect us to be very competitive this weekend. Plus,the Portland area reminds me of back home in Sweden. I got a littlehomesick seeing the Portland landscape." ADRIAN FERNANDEZ (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard), onlooking forward to returning to racing: "I like the Portland circuit. It isa challenging and fun track to drive. We have had good results there in thepast and I am looking forward to going back there and racing. I am happythat we are racing again so soon. We have to put Detroit behind us andcontinue working hard. We have the potential to do well. We have beencompetitive at every race, but just seen to run into bad luck. Fortunately,the championship is still very close. I didn't lose any ground in thepoints, just two places in the standings, so, hopefully, we can get back onthe right track in Portland and move up in the points." ROBERTO MORENO (Visteon Ford Reynard), on his enjoyment of PortlandInternational Raceway:"I like the Portland road course very much. It is a circuit where theset-up is very important. In the past, race and fuel strategy have alsobeen a key so I think I have a bit of an advantage because of Mr. [Pat]Patrick [team owner], and Jim McGee. The Visteon/Patrick Racing team shouldbe good at Portland. We believe that some of the things we learned aboutsetting up the car at the test in Mid-Ohio and the Detroit race will help usat Portland. Portland is going to be a very important race for theVisteon/Patrick Racing team in terms of the championship. With so manydrivers separated by so few points, it is almost like the beginning of theseason where everyone starts out the same. With the championship race thisclose it just reemphasizes how competitive the FedEx Championship Series hasbecome. If you are going to compete for the championship in this series youhave to be consistent and get points whenever possible. There are just somany good teams and good drivers that you have to take advantage of everyopportunity." PATRICK CARPENTIER (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard), on Player'sForsythe Racing's road-course improvement: "I've always liked racing inPortland because it's a permanent road course and that's the type of track Ireally enjoy. The Player's team made a lot of progress on road courses lastseason, and I expect that will continue this year, especially with theFord-Cosworth engine, which should really give us some power on the two longstraightaways in Portland. I'm gradually getting back to 100% after my[April] wrist injury, but I'm quite pleased with my consistency so far.Being in the top five in three of my four races has helped me close in onthe top positions in the standings. The series is so competitive this yearthat if you can stay in contention in every race, you stand a good chance ofbeing right up there in the standings and you're also in a position to win arace if everything happens to break right for you." ALEX TAGLIANI (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard), on his successlast weekend at Detroit: "One of the positive aspects of our race in Detroitlast weekend was how well the Player's crew kept working with the set-upsand eventually we came up with the right one. That was a big factor in beingable to finish sixth, even though we had started quite far back on the grid.Now we know we have a good car for Portland and we're looking forward tohaving a strong race on a permanent road course. Personally, it will be myfirst opportunity to race competitively there, and I intend to find out asmuch about as I can so I'll be well prepared for the challenge." BRYAN HERTA (Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing Mercedes Reynard), on his return tothe FedEx Championship Series as a substitute for the injured Tony Kanaan:"I'm really looking for my second time around with Morris [Nunn]. We showedsome flashes of brilliance the first time around. This is our chance tofollow through on some of the things we started. The circumstances aroundthis opportunity are unfortunate. I wish Tony the speediest recoverypossible. I just hope to make a solid contribution in the interim. It'sprobably the best possible part of the schedule for me to step in andpinch-hit. Portland and Cleveland are two of my favorite tracks. I'll havemy hands full learning the Mercedes-Reynard package and working with newpeople, so knowing the tracks gives me one less thing to worry about." LUIZ GARCIA JR. (Hollywood/Embratel/Tang/Banco Sofisa Mercedes Reynard), onhis previous success at Portland International Raceway: "Portland is a trackI really like. I ran well there twice in Indy Lights and again last year inCART, and after the encouraging start I had at Detroit, I'm really lookingforward to this race. I was upset I couldn't finish at Detroit, because Ifelt we could have finished eighth or ninth there. I hope at Portland we'llbe back in the points." |