DETROIT (July 26, 2000) - With its sixth event in seven weeks, the FedExChampionship Series concludes its most arduous stretch of the 2000 season atthis weekend's Target Grand Prix Presented by Energizer (4 p.m. ET Sunday,live, ABC-TV). The run that began on June 18 in Detroit has been demandingfor not only the drivers and crews, but for the hundreds of supportpersonnel who travel with the series as well.

But if the Champ Car competitors are feeling any fatigue, it hasn't shown onthe race track. Two weeks ago in Toronto, they put on an outstanding streetrace in which Michael Andretti recorded his CART career-leading 40thvictory. Last weekend at Michigan, they followed up by staging one of themost thrilling events in all of Champ Car annals, in which the lead changedhands 52 times at the start/finish line (and an unofficial 162 times allaround the race track) before Juan Montoya nipped Andretti by 0.040 secondsat the checkered flag in the third-closest finish in Champ Car history.

Now, the series comes to the one-mile oval at Chicago Motor Speedway withMontoya (Target Toyota Lola) on a roll following his second 500-mile triumphof the season (he also won the Indianapolis 500 in May) and the defendingevent champion. Montoya established a CART rookie record for victories withhis sixth (later extended to seven at Vancouver) in last year's inauguralTarget Grand Prix, and he used that victory as a springboard to the FedExChampionship Series championship.

Montoya arrives at Chicago fifth in this year's championship battle, with 74points. The points lead is held by Andretti (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline FordLola) whose 104 points have him 14 clear of Roberto Moreno (Visteon FordReynard) of Patrick Racing, in second place with 90 points.

Andretti has vaulted to the championship lead by finishing fourth or betterin the past four events, and six of the past eight, with victories at Japanand Toronto. Meanwhile, the shuffle behind Andretti and Moreno continuedwhen five of the top seven drivers heading into the event failed to score atMichigan.

As a result, positions three through 10 are separated by a mere 18 points.Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard) of Team KOOL Green parlayed a record-settingpole position (234.949 miles per hour) and seventh-place finish at Michiganinto third place with 80 points. Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) ofMarlboro Team Penske stands fourth at 75, followed by Montoya, a pointfurther behind at 74.

Rounding out the top 10 drivers are Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/QuakerState/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard) of Patrick Racing (69 points); KennyBrack (Shell Ford Reynard) of Team Rahal (66); Patrick Carpentier (Player'sForsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard) of Player's Forsythe Racing (65); JimmyVasser (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racing (63) and Cristianoda Matta (Pioneer/MCI WorldCom Toyota Reynard) of PPI Motorsports (62).

This year, for the first time in FedEx Championship Series history, all carsride on Firestone Firehawks, the Official Tire of CART.

Following the Target Grand Prix Presented by Energizer, the FedExChampionship Series takes a weekend off before resuming with Round 13, theMiller Lite 200, Aug. 11-13 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington,Ohio.

WHO'S HOT

Michael Andretti (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola) ofNewman/Haas Racing has finished fourth or better in five of his past sixFedEx Championship Series starts, and six of the past eight. Included in therun are victories at Japan and Toronto, runner-up efforts at Milwaukee andMichigan and fourth-place performances at Portland and Cleveland. As aresult, he has moved into the championship lead, with 104 points, 14 aheadof second-place Roberto Moreno (Visteon Ford Reynard) of Patrick Racing, whohas 90. Overall, Andretti has scored championship points in eight of 11events this season.

Juan Montoya (Target Toyota Lola) of Target Chip Ganassi Racingcomes to the Target Grand Prix Presented by Energizer, where he is thedefending champion, off a spectacular victory in last weekend's Michigan 500Presented by Toyota at Michigan Speedway. Montoya's 0.40-second margin ofvictory over Michael Andretti was the third-closest in Champ Car history,trailing only Mark Blundell's 0.027-second victory over Gil de Ferran atPortland in 1997 and Tony Kanaan's 0.032-second victory over Montoya atMichigan last year. Montoya has led a series-high 580 laps, nearly threetimes the total (194) of second-place Helio Castroneves (Marlboro HondaReynard) of Marlboro Team Penske, and has moved to fifth in the championshipwith 74 points.

Patrick Carpentier (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard) ofPlayer's Forsythe Racing has scored championship points in seven of eightFedEx Championship Series starts to date, and has finished fifth or betterin five of those. The run includes a season-best result of third atMilwaukee, as well as a fourth-place effort at Michigan and fifth-placeperformances at Homestead, Detroit and Cleveland. Despite missing threeevents with a small fracture of the left wrist sustained in an Aprilaccident at his Las Vegas home, Carpentier has gained 11 places in thechampionship over the past six events, and currently stands eighth with 65points.

Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard)of Patrick Racing has scored championship points in eight of his last nineFedEx Championship Series starts, beginning with a victory at Rio deJaneiro. He also owns a podium finish of second at Toronto and finishedsixth at Michigan last weekend. He has moved to sixth in the championshipwith 69 points.

Gil de Ferran (Marlboro Honda Reynard) of Marlboro Team Penske hasscored championship points in eight of his 11 FedEx Championship Seriesstarts this season, and joins Michael Andretti and Juan Montoya as atwo-time winner, with victories at Nazareth and Portland. He also owns polesat Homestead and Long Beach and has qualified among the top 10 drivers innine of 11 starts.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Juan Montoya enters this weekend's Target Grand Prix Presented byEnergizer as the FedEx Championship Series leader in points scored on ovals.Montoya has scored 64 of his 74 points to date in oval-track competition,with victories at Milwaukee and Michigan, a fourth-place finish at Nazarethand a seventh-place result at Japan. He also owns pole positions at Japan,Nazareth and Milwaukee, and led the most race laps at those three venues aswell. Of his 580 laps led to date., 521 have come on ovals. He is also thedefending Target Grand Prix Presented by Energizer champion, having led arace-high 132 laps en route to victory in last year's inaugural event.

Michael Andretti has scored 60 of his series-high 104 points onovals, with a victory at Japan, runner-up efforts at Milwaukee and Michiganand finishes of sixth at Nazareth and ninth at Rio de Janeiro. He has alsorecorded 86 of his 133 laps led on ovals.

Roberto Moreno has finished among the top-six drivers in four of sixstarts on ovals, with podium finishes of second at Homestead and third atJapan. He also finished sixth at Rio de Janeiro and fifth at Milwaukee.

Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard) leads the FedEx Championship Seriesin laps completed on ovals, with 1,157 of a possible 1,159. He has scoredchampionship points in five of six oval-track starts to date, with finishesof third at Homestead and Rio de Janeiro, sixth at Japan, seventh atMichigan and 10th at Nazareth.

MANUFACTURING SUCCESS

Ford has built a 194-169 lead over Honda in the CART Manufacturer'sChampionship, and has collected a series-high 108 of those points inoval-track competition. Ford owns oval-track victories this season from MaxPapis (Miller Lite Ford Reynard) at Homestead, Adrian Fernandez at Rio deJaneiro, and Michael Andretti at Japan.

After leading just 14 laps in its first four seasons of FedExChampionship Series competition (1996-99), Toyota-powered drivers have led662 laps this season, the most of any of the series' four enginemanufacturers. 524 of those laps led have come on ovals, including 521 fromJuan Montoya.

Honda-powered drivers swept the podium at last year's inauguralTarget Grand Prix Presented by Energizer, as Juan Montoya of Target ChipGanassi Racing drove to victory, Dario Franchitti of Team KOOL Greenfinished second and Jimmy Vasser of Target Chip Ganassi Racing finishedthird.

NOTEWORTHY

Mauricio Gugelmin of the PacWest Racing Group and Adrian Fernandezof Patrick Racing will both be making significant starts at this weekend'sTarget Grand Prix Presented by Energizer. Gugelmin (Nextel PacWestMercedes), in his eighth year in the FedEx Championship Series, will bemaking his 120th start, tying him with Roberto Guerrero for 15th place onCART's all-time list. Fernandez will make his 117th start, tying him withKevin Cogan and Hiro Matsushita for 17th place on the CART career list.ON THE AIR

Qualifying for the Target Grand Prix Presented by Energizer will air5 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2. "CART 2Day" airs 11 a.m. ET Sunday on ESPN2,with ABC-TV's live race broadcast scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET. The racewill also air live on the CART Radio Network and on CART's official website,at www.cart.com .

TARGET GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY ENERGIZER "QUOTEBOARD"

MICHAEL ANDRETTI (Big Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Lola), on last year'sinaugural Target Grand Prix Presented by Energizer: "I learned that thewalls are hard in Chicago. We had a car that was very good in the race lastyear and I think we could have won. I think we are going into the racefeeling confident that we can be very competitive. I had a run in with Paullast year. He didn't want to let me by, and he wouldn't let me by at allcosts, but that's all water under the bridge. I think the whole BigKmart/Texaco/Havoline team has a great setup for ovals, and experience helpsa lot. I think it has helped with the things that I have learned over theyears, just getting the feel of what the car wants. It's special for thewhole team when we are in Chicago. Everyone has friends and family thereand it's like everybody's hometown race. You want to do well in yourhometown, and the guys will be pushing extra hard to do that. It's greatbeing in the Championship lead but if we want to stay here, we have to keepfinishing races. We have had some great races this year and plan tocontinue the momentum."

JUAN MONTOYA (Target Toyota Lola), on the lift he and the Target ChipGanassi Racing Team got from last Sunday's thrilling victory at MichiganSpeedway: "The timing for that win [Michigan 500] was perfect. We had a fewdifficult races in a row, so that big win was great for our confidence. Nowwe're heading to Chicago, where we had a good run last year and really gotsome momentum in the race for the championship. The Target Grand Prix was agreat event last year, and I know they'll put on another great race thisyear. This is an important time of year for our team. Chicago is our lastoval for awhile,so it's important for us to get some good points here and continue to gainon the leaders. I have some great memories from my last race in Chicago. Iwould love to hit the bulls-eye again and make some more good memories onSunday."

JIMMY VASSER (Target Toyota Lola), on the importance of scoring championshippoints over the remainder of the season: "There are too many races left toget discouraged, and we're only 41 points off the lead. We have to scorepoints in the remaining nine races in order to give us a shot at the title,and there'snot one person on this team who thinks we can't do it. The Target GrandPrix is one of the most anticipated stops on the circuit from the drivers'perspective. Chicago is a great town and the atmosphere surrounding the raceis phenomenal. This event energized us last year and we got to the podium.We plan to get back there again on Sunday."

CHIP GANASSI, Target Chip Ganassi Racing team owner, on last year's successat Chicago: "With both Jimmy [Vasser, third place] and Juan [Montoya, racewinner] on the podium at Target's race last year,it couldn't have been much better. The whole team is looking forward to thesecond race in Chicago. This is the time of year when our experience andteamwork begins to pay off. I like our team's focus. They all know ourgoals and are doing everything in their power to achieve them."

PAUL TRACY (KOOL Honda Reynard), on seeking a more successful trip toChicago this weekend: "We had four straight podiums going into Chicago lastyear and the Chicago race interrupted the streak, so we're looking to makeamends this time. Despite having to retire about halfway through the racelast year, we were competitive and I enjoyed running on the new oval. Youcan do a lot of things on that track. There are wide passing lanes andplenty of opportunities to go wheel-to-wheel. I expect it will be anotherexciting race, with lots of drivers in contention at the finish. We want tomake sure we're among those in that position. Team KOOL Green is havinganother fine season on ovals. We've been in the top seven in four of the sixraces on ovals so far and we've had two podium finishes. We've alsoconsistently been among the fastest in qualifying. The Chicago race is thelast one on ovals for a stretch so we want to make the most of it and pickup as many points as we can."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (KOOL Honda Reynard), on his enjoyment of racing at ChicagoMotor Speedway: "Racing in Chicago for the first time last year was apleasant experience that was made even more enjoyable by the fact we managedto get a podium on the new short oval track. It's a well-designed trackthat's not hard to get accustomed to, and with Team KOOL Green's usualprecision in delivering a top-notch car we should be right in the thick ofthings again this year. We really needed to get that podium in Michigan lastweekend and, fortunately, we were able to work through some early problemsfor a third-place finish. You have to be patient, maintain your poise, keepyour nose to the grindstone and just try to hang in there. We're still along way from where we would like to be in the standings but there areplenty of races left and if we can build on our success in Michigan and beconsistent in every race we can get back into contention."

ADRIAN FERNANDEZ (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard), onmaking his debut at Chicago Motor Speedway: "This is the first time I willbe racing at Chicago Motor Speedway. Last year, I missed the race becauseof the injury to my arm [a fractured radius bone in his right wristsustained in a practice crash at Detroit]. However, the Tecate/QuakerState/Patrick Racing team had a good test at Chicago Speedway, so we have alot of data going into this race. From the test the track seems like a niceplace and I am hoping to have a good race. It is a different kind of shortoval. The corners are tighter and with the new aerodynamic package,hopefully it will be a good race. It is going to be tough to pass soqualifying is going to be very important. Race strategy and pit work willalso be key, so I have something of an advantage with Mr. Patrick and [chiefengineer] John Ward calling my race and the Tecate/Quaker State/PatrickRacing team, which is one of the top pit crews in the series."

ROBERTO MORENO (Visteon Ford Reynard), on regaining his championshipmomentum at Chicago:"I am looking forward to going to Chicago. The Visteon/Patrick Racing teamhad a great test there a couple of weeks ago and I believe we have a goodset-up for the race. It is a challenging track and the race is wellpromoted. Last year, I finished ninth and was running competitive speedswith the leaders at the end of the race. It was an exciting race and Ithink this year it will be even better. The track has had a year to age andhopefully there will be two racing lines, which would make for more passing.But, we will have to see how the wing package affects the cars and what theywill allow us to do. As in any race for a championship, you are going tohave ups and downs during the season. Hopefully, the Visteon/Patrick Racingteam has had its share of downs. This is a very competitive series. If youare going to fight for the championship you have to be consistent, takeadvantage of your opportunities and score points as often as you can. TheVisteon/Patrick Racing team will continue to work hard and I know that wewill be in the championship hunt for the rest of the season."

GIL de FERRAN (Marlboro Honda Reynard), on competing in this weekend'sTarget Grand Prix Presented by Energizer with a broken left index finger:"The last circuit we ran that's similar to Chicago was Milwaukee. TheMarlboro car was great there so I'm looking forward to running this weekend-- despite e the fact that I'll be racing with a broken finger from theMichigan race [de Ferran's left index finger was hit by a piece of debrisfrom the #8 car]."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (Marlboro Honda Reynard), on his recent success on ovals:"We had a good test session in Chicago earlier this month and Marlboro TeamPenske is coming off of a strong run in Michigan so we're looking forward tothis weekend. The Chicago Motor Speedway is a very wide track with tightcorners. There is basically one racing line and passing is going to bedifficult. We'll see where we are during Friday practice and give it ourall to be there at the end on Sunday."

PATRICK CARPENTIER (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard), on feelingmore comfortable heading into this weekend's Target Grand Prix Presented byEnergizer: "I feel much better heading into Chicago this year than I did forthe race there last season. I was coming off an injury to my chest and back[at Detroit], and there was still some discomfort during the race inChicago. Despite that, we managed to match our best performance of theseason on an oval with a sixth-place finish. I like the track and the wholeatmosphere surrounding the Chicago race and I'm looking for us to be evenstronger there this year. The Team Player's crew provided an outstanding carfor last Sunday's race on the super-oval in Michigan and there is everyreason to believe we'll have an extremely competitive car on the short ovalin Chicago. We've been building momentum with each race and now it's time toride that momentum to a place on the podium."

ALEX TAGLIANI (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Ford Reynard), on continuing tolearn during his rookie FedEx Championship Series season: "Competing on myfirst super-oval just before the shorter Chicago oval was a good way toprepare for this weekend's event. Although we weren't able to finish theMichigan 500, it was a valuable learning experience and I intend to applysome of that learning to come back strong in Chicago. We've had the lead inthree different races on ovals this season. Now it's a matter of puttingeverything together to make sure we're right there at the finish. We've hada consistently reliable car on ovals this year and that's a tribute to thehard work by the Team Player's crew. I really want to do well in Chicago toreward them for the great job they've been doing."

CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI (Big Kmart/Route 66 Ford Lola), on the importance ofbeing able to test at Chicago Motor Speedway earlier this month: "Thetesting in Chicago was important because I missed the race last year [due toa subdural hematoma sustained in a testing accident at Gateway InternationalRaceway]. I think the team has a good setup for the race car on ovals sothat should give me a good start. It's important for the whole team to dowell in Chicago race. We have been running very competitively in the pastfew races but need to finish them. Hopefully, I can have a finish likeElkhart Lake last year. [where Fittipaldi scored his first career FedExChampionship Series victory]. Elkhart was also like a home race for theteam but it isn't as close as this track is to the shop. Racing on an ovalis completely different. You only really notice the difference after youexperience it. I'm still learning a lot of things about an oval and it'stough. The car changes a lot during the race, and you are racing at veryhigh speeds and your car has to be hooked up the whole afternoon. We werehooked up in Michigan and had a good car. Unfortunately, we didn't bring ithome on track. We are much better than the results show."

CRISTIANO da MATTA (Pioneer/MCI WorldCom Toyota Reynard), on building uponthe momentum generated by a successful Open Test at Chicago Motor Speedwayearlier this month, at which he posted the fastest lap time: "I have veryhigh expectations for Chicago. We tested very, very well there, and I thinkwe will have a very good car. We had our best oval car there at the test,than we have ever had on an oval before, so I am really looking forward toit."

ORIOL SERVIA (Telefonica Toyota Reynard), on scoring championship points inthe first 500-mile event of his FedEx Championship Series career: "We madeit through last weekend with points. I am very happy and relieved, as itwas my first 500-mile race and I had been thinking about it for a long time.I am looking forward now to Chicago. I was really happy with my car thereat our Open Test. Both Cristiano's car and my car were very good. We havemade a lot of developments with our oval car, that I don't think pertainedto Michigan as much, but they will make a very big difference at tracks likeChicago and St. Louis. We will see, but I think we will have a very goodweekend."

TONY KANAAN (Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing Mercedes Reynard), on his return tocompetition last week after sustaining a broken left forearm and fourcracked ribs in a qualifying accident at Detroit: "As I said all lastweekend at Michigan, it's great to be back. Physically, I felt great allweekend long, and it's going to be that much better this weekend at Chicago.I'm back in Miami full-time again, which is great. But one thing I broughtwith me from Indy [where Kanaan rehabilitated for four weeks under thewatchful eye of CART orthopedic surgeon Dr. Terry Trammell] was my go-kart.I think Dr. Trammell created a monster because go-karting is now going to bea big part of my training. It made my comeback at Michigan go that muchsmoother. The Chicago track is a lot tighter, but I will have had anotherweek to heal my injuries. I enjoyed the track and the event very much lastyear. They sure do know how to put on a show. I hope we got all of thegremlins out of our system with regard to the race car. Those thingshappen. We showed we can do well on the small ovals. If you look back atNazareth and Milwaukee, those were two of the better weekends we've had sofar. This Hollywood/Mo Nunn team is due for a breakthrough, and I canhardly think of a better place to do that than Chicago!"

MICHEL JOURDAIN JR. (Herdez Mercedes Lola), on his anticipation of theTarget Grand Prix Presented by Energizer: "I am looking forward the Chicagorace. Previously, we had a very good test there and we are very positiveabout achieving a nice result, after doing well in qualifying."

LUIZ GARCIA JR. (Hollywood/Embratel/Tang/Banco Sofisa Mercedes Reynard), onbeing experienced at Chicago Motor Speedway: "We're coming off a couple ofgood finishes and I want to continue scoring in the points. Chicago is one of the few tracks I have run at. I didn't racethere last year because of my crash [in qualifying], but I'm very familiarwith it and it's a nice place. We will have a great race and a great crowdas well."