• Welcome back to Chicago Motor Speedway as Champ Car fans await the start of the CART FedEx Championship Series CART Grand Prix of Chicago. At 2:14 p.m. the temperature is 92° with a 12 mph wind from the southwest.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Dario Franchitti (#27 KOOL Honda/Lola/Bridgestone) starts on pole this afternoon with a time of 23.428 seconds (158.118 mph), with Alex Tagliani (#33 Player's/Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone) flanking on the outside of row one.

• The track layout at Chicago Motor Speedway measures 1.029-miles in length and the CART FedEx Championship Series CART Grand Prix of Chicago will consist of 250 laps (257.250 miles).

• Fuel Allotment--The calculated distance of the race is 261.366 miles, including three parade laps and one pace lap. The fuel allotment for this race is 141.3 U.S. gallons based on 1.85 miles per gallon, pursuant to 9.6.1B of the 2002 Rule Book.

• Pit Stops--The maximum lap interval for pit stops will be 68 laps.

• Roberto Moreno holds the race lap record at Chicago with a lap of 23.687 seconds (156.290 mph) in 1999.

• #44 DIXON paced this morning's warm-up, turning a lap of 24.117 seconds (153.220 mph).

• At 2:30 p.m., The command "Gentleman Start Your Engines" is given to the field.

• At 2:32 p.m., Champ Cars roll off the grid.

• At 2:41 p.m., The pace car lights are out. Now the pace car dives off in Turn 3 and CART FedEx Championship Series Starter Jim Swintal waves the GREEN FLAG over the field. YELLOW FLAG immediately for an incident involving #12 BRACK and #8 VASSER in Turn 1. Both machines made contact with the wall after #12 BRACK made it five-wide on the high side in Turn 1 and drove down on #8 VASSER. Both cars are out of the race. #27 FRANCHITTI got the jump and leads the field under caution.

• YELLOW FLAG on Lap 14 on the failed restart.

• GREEN FLAG restart on Lap 15. #27 FRANCHITTI gets a great jump.

• On Lap 17, #39 passes #32 CARPENTIER for eighth position on the high side.

• On Lap 20, #27 FRANCHITTI leads #33 TAGLIANI by 2.564 seconds, followed by #10 KANAAN (3.862 seconds back), #6 DA MATTA (4.693 seconds back) and #4 JUNQUEIRA (5.286 seconds back).

• On Lap 27, #27 FRANCHITTI leads #33 TAGLIANI by 3.770 seconds, followed by #10 KANAAN, #6 DA MATTA and #4 JUNQUEIRA.

• On Lap 34, #27 FRANCHITTI leads #33 TAGLIANI by 4.137 seconds, followed by #10 KANAAN (7.117 seconds back), #6 DA MATTA (8.069 seconds back) and #4 JUNQUEIRA (9.715 seconds back).

• On Lap 44, #27 FRANCHITTI is approaching the 16th place machine of #11 FITTIPALDI who is on the tail-end of the lead lap.

• On Lap 48, #32 CARPENTIER comes down pit lane an early stop.

• On Lap 52, #32 CARPENTIER is on pit lane again with engine difficulties.

• On Lap 58, #27 FRANCHITTI leads #33 TAGLIANI by 1.068 seconds, followed by #10 KANAAN (4.063 seconds back), #6 DA MATTA (4.794 seconds back) and #4 JUNQUEIRA (5.664 seconds back). #32 CARPENTIER has retired due to mechanical difficulties.

• On Lap 68, #27 FRANCHITTI leads a group to pit lane for scheduled stops. #9 JOURDAIN inherits the lead after staying on course due to pitting on lap five. #27 FRANCHITTI has a slow stop and #33 TAGLIANI is out first.

• On Lap 73, #33 TAGLIANI leads after the pit stop cycle in completed.

• On Lap 80, #39 ANDRETTI is in the pits and the car is smoking on the right side. #39 ANDRETTI has retired due to mechanical difficulties.

• On Lap 88, #33 TAGLIANI leads #6 DA MATTA by 0.666-seconds, followed by #27 FRANCHITTI (1.722 seconds back), #4 JUNQUEIRA (2.386 seconds back) and #10 KANAAN (4.323 seconds back).

• On Lap 100, #33 TAGLIANI leads #6 DA MATTA by 1.307 seconds, followed by #27 FRANCHITTI (2.205 seconds back), #4 JUNQUEIRA (2.778 seconds back) and #10 KANAAN (4.635 seconds back).

• On Lap 120, #33 TAGLIANI leads #6 DA MATTA by 2.232 seconds, followed by #27 FRANCHITTI (3.164 seconds back), #4 JUNQUEIRA (3.933 seconds back) and #10 KANAAN (6.382 seconds back).

• On Lap 134, #33 TAGLIANI in for a scheduled pit stop. #6 DA MATTA inherits the lead. #33 TAGLIANI has a lengthy stop.

• On Lap 136, #10 KANAAN, #6 DA MATTA, #27 FRANCHITTI and #4 JUNQUEIRA make their stops.

• On Lap 137, #6 DA MATTA is in the lead as a result of the lengthy stop #33 TAGLIANI had. #33 TAGLIANI now tries to get around #4 JUNQUEIRA on the high side in Turn 1 and gets very loose, but saves the car from the wall.

• On Lap 140, #51 FERNANDEZ pits and for brake failure.

• YELLOW FLAG on lap 143 for #11 FITTIPALDI who lost a wheel in Turn 2. #11 FITTIPALDI is out of the race.

• On Lap 147, #44 DIXON loses his left rear tire exiting his pit box. The Target Chip Ganassi Racing team retrieves the car, bolts on another Bridgestone Potenza and #44 DIXON continues.

• On Lap 149, The top five are #6 DA MATTA, #4 JUNQUEIRA, #33 TAGLIANI, #27 FRANCHITTI and #26 TRACY.

• GREEN FLAG restart on lap 157. #6 DA MATTA gets a great jump on the pack. YELLOW FLAG for an incident involving #26 TRACY who made it three-wide in Turn 1 and had side-to-side contact with #33 TAGLIANI. Both cars spin, but don't contact anything.

• On Lap 161, #26 TRACY and #33 TAGLIANI in the pits. #33 TAGLIANI beats #26 TRACY out on course.

• GREEN FLAG on lap 162. YELLOW FLAG comes out immediately for an incident in Turn 1 involving #20 BELL and #9 JOURDAIN. #20 BELL got into the rear of #9 JOURDAIN and turned him around. #9 JOURDAIN did an outstanding job saving the car from the wall as it spun out of control.

• On Lap 167, #6 DA MATTA remains in the lead, followed by #4 JUNQUEIRA, #27 FRANCHITTI, #5 TAKAGI and #10 KANAAN. #33 TAGLIANI in the pits.

• GREEN FLAG restart on lap 169. #6 DA MATTA gets the jump on #4 JUNQUEIRA.

• On Lap 184, #6 DA MATTA leads #4 JUNQUEIRA by 0.851-seconds, followed by #27 FRANCHITTI (2.140 seconds back), #5 TAKAGI (3.957 seconds back) and #10 KANAAN (8.914 seconds back).

• On Lap 201, #5 TAKAGI makes his final stop.

• On Lap 202, #6 DA MATTA leads #4 JUNQUEIRA by just 0.301-seconds.

• On Lap 204, The leaders are in for their final stop. #6 DA MATTA gets out first, just ahead of #4 JUNQUEIRA and #27 FRANCHITTI.

• On Lap 205, #52 NAKANO leads followed by #44 DIXON and #33 TAGLIANI. All three have not made their final stops.

• On Lap 215, #52 NAKANO and #44 DIXON make their final stops as #33 TAGLIANI inherits the lead. #33 TAGLIANI must make his final stop by lap 235.

• On Lap 221, #33 TAGLIANI leads #6 DA MATTA by 1.187 seconds, followed by #4 JUNQUEIRA (1.742 seconds back), #27 FRANCHITTI (2.296 seconds back) and #5 TAKAGI (8.720 seconds back).

• On Lap 227, #26 TRACY makes his final stop.

• On Lap 234, #33 TAGLIANI comes in for his final stop and gives the point to #6 DA MATTA.

• On Lap 238, #6 DA MATTA leads #4 JUNQUEIRA by 0.525-seconds, followed by #27 FRANCHITTI (1.324 seconds back), #5 TAKAGI (10.170 seconds back) and #52 NAKANO (13.689 seconds back).

• WHITE FLAG for #6 DA MATTA who leads #4 JUNQUEIRA by 0.660-seconds.

• CHECKERED FLAG for #6 DA MATTA of Newman/Haas Racing who wins for the fourth time this season and sixth time in the last nine races. #4 JUNQUEIRA of Target Chip Ganassi Racing finishes 0.639 seconds back, followed by #27 FRANCHITTI of Team KOOL Green (3.444 seconds back), Walker Racing's #5 TAKAGI (11.992 seconds back) and Fernandez Racing's #52 NAKANO (12.458 seconds back).

• Bridgestone Tire engineers report that track temperatures ranged from 117° to 130° F, and air temperature from 97° to 101° F, during the event.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Cristiano da Matta (#6 Havoline Toyota/Lola/Bridgestone) posted his third-consecutive win in today's CART Grand Prix of Chicago. He is the first Champ Car driver to win three in a row in a season since Juan Pablo Montoya accomplished the feat in 1999.

• Alex Tagliani (#33 Player's/Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone), who finished seventh, led 79 laps this afternoon which is the most be a Ford-powered driver this season.

• Shinji Nakano (#52 Alpine/Mitsuba Honda/Lola/Bridgestone) recorded a career-best finish of fifth today after starting 16th. His previous best was an eighth at Homestead in his first Champ Car start in 1999.

This concludes the CART FedEx Championship Series pit notes for Round 7 of the 2002 season. Next up for the series is the Molson Indy Toronto from Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the running of Round 8 on the 1.755-mile street course, July 7. Congratulations once again to Cristiano da Matta of Newman/Haas Racing for winning the CART Grand Prix of Chicago. The win in Chicago makes it three-straight and four on the season for da Matta. On behalf of Championship Auto Racing Teams, have a safe weekend and thank you once again for your interest and continued support of the CART FedEx Championship Series. Good Night!