Race No. 14

Miller Lite 200
Mid Ohio Sports Car Course — Lexington, Ohio
August 13-15, 1999

SpeedCenter Rearview Mirror: 1996 Pole Winner: Alex Zanardi 1997 Pole Winner: Bryan Herta 1998 Pole Winner: Dario Franchitti 1996 Race Winner: Alex Zanardi 1997 Race Winner: Alex Zanardi 1998 Race Winner: Adrian Fernandez 1996 SpeedCenter Report 1997 SpeedCenter Report 1998 SpeedCenter Report

There is a new look at the top of the FedEx Championship Series standings as the series prepares for Round 14, this weekend's Miller Lite 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET, one-hour tape delay). For the first time since Round 4 at Nazareth, there is a new leader in the championship, Dario Franchitti. Franchitti (KOOL Honda Reynard) assumed that role following his victory at Detroit last week, at least temporarily ending the reign of rookie marvel Juan Montoya (Target Honda Reynard), who held sway for three months and nine events.

Franchitti's victory at Detroit allowed him to join Montoya as the season's only multiple winners, and installed him atop the championship for the first time in his three-year career. Franchitti, with two victories and seven podium finishes, brings 136 points to Mid-Ohio, five more than Montoya, who leads the series with four victories and five pole positions.

Lurking well within striking distance of the leaders is veteran Michael Andretti (Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Swift), who stands third in the championship with 119 points. The veteran Andretti, a two-time winner at Mid-Ohio (1990, '91), owns top-four finishes in four of his past five starts and has scored PPG Cup points in 10 of 13 starts this season.

Somewhat overshadowed in Franchitti's rise to the top of the championship standings has been the performance of his Team KOOL Green teammate, Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard), who has vaulted from 13th to fourth in the championship during the past seven events. Tracy has scored PPG Cup points in all seven, giving him the longest active streak in the FedEx Championship Series, and owns top-five finishes in six, including a victory at Milwaukee.

Recent injuries to two championship contenders have opened the door for others to move into the chase. Christian Fittipaldi (Big Kmart Ford Swift) was in the midst of a career season and stood fourth in the championship before sustaining a subdural hematoma in an Aug. 2 testing accident at Gateway International Raceway. He is sidelined indefinitely.

Adrian Fernandez (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard), last year's winner at Mid-Ohio, is also out this weekend after sustaining a fractured radius bone in his right wrist during a practice accident in Detroit. The injury occurred as Fernandez was running fifth in the championship. He will be replaced by PJ Jones this weekend.

The absences of Fittipaldi and Fernandez leave an opportunity for drivers such as Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Special Honda Reynard), Max Papis (Miller Lite Ford Reynard) and Tony Kanaan (McDonald's Championship Racing Team Honda Reynard) to improve their lot in the FedEx Championship Series points race. De Ferran currently stands eighth with 88 points, but is just 13 out of fifth.

Papis and Kanaan stand ninth and 10th, with 68 and 62 points, respectively, and both are local favorites with their teams being based in suburban Columbus.

Following the Miller Lite 200, the FedEx Championship Series concludes a stretch of six events in seven weeks with the inaugural Target Grand Prix Presented by Shell, Sunday, Aug. 22 at the new Chicago Motor Speedway in Cicero, Ill.

WHO'S HOT

* Dario Franchitti (KOOL Honda Reynard) has won two of the past three races to become the new FedEx Championship Series points leader, succeeding Juan Montoya (Target Honda Reynard), who had led the championship since his May 2 victory at Nazareth Speedway. Franchitti's victories at Toronto and Detroit have boosted his total of podium finishes this season to seven, including runner-up efforts at Long Beach and Rio de Janeiro and thirds at Homestead, Gateway and Portland. Franchitti has recorded podium finishes in eight of his last 11 starts on road or street circuits, dating to his first career FedEx Championship Series victory at Road America last year. He is the defending pole-sitter at Mid-Ohio.

* Franchitti's Team KOOL Green teammate, Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard) has been the hottest driver in the FedEx Championship Series of late with seven consecutive points-paying finishes, triggered by his June 6 victory at Milwaukee. Six of those are top-five efforts, including runner-up results at Toronto and Detroit, third at Michigan, fourth at Cleveland and fifth at Portland in addition to his win at Milwaukee. The streak has catapulted him from 13th to fourth in the championship with 106 points.

* Michael Andretti (Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Ford Swift) owns top-four finishes in four of his past five starts, dating to third at Cleveland. The run also includes a runner-up finish at Road America and back-to-back fourths at Michigan and Detroit. He is third in the championship with 119 points, 12 behind second-place Montoya.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

* Michael Andretti is a two-time winner at Mid-Ohio (1990, '91) with both victories having come from the pole. He also is the only driver to win three consecutive pole positions at the venue (1990-92) and has led 246 career laps on the 2.258-mile permanent road course.

* Al Unser Jr. (Marlboro Mercedes Lola) has finished on the podium five times in 16 career starts at Mid-Ohio, including consecutive victories in 1994 and '95. He also owns podium finishes of second in 1989 and third in 1990 and '92, and has finished among the top five nine times in 16 career starts at the venue.

* Paul Tracy owns three runner-up finishes in six career starts at Mid-Ohio (1992, '94 and '95). He has also qualified on the outside pole three times (1992-94) and his fifth-place finish last year was his best of the season on a road or street course.

* Robby Gordon (Johns Manville/Panasonic/Menards Toyota Swift) has scored PPG Cup points in four of five career starts at Mid-Ohio, including finishes of second in 1993, fourth in '94, eighth in '95 and 11th last year.

MANUFACTURING SUCCESS

* Honda-powered drivers have won 14 of the past 17 FedEx Championship Series events contested on permanent road courses or temporary street circuits, dating to the start of the 1998 season. Included are victories last year by Alex Zanardi at Long Beach, Detroit, Portland, Cleveland, Toronto and Australia; and Dario Franchitti at Road America, Vancouver and Houston. The run continued this year with wins by Juan Montoya at Long Beach and Cleveland, Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Special Honda Reynard) at Portland and Franchitti at Toronto and Detroit. Honda holds a 250-199 lead over Ford Cosworth in the Manufacturer's Championship.

* Reynard chassis have won 11 of 13 events contested in this year's FedEx Championship Series to take a commanding 270-178 lead over Swift in the Constructor's Championship. Reynard has won the past four Constructor's titles.

* Firestone has won 12 of 13 FedEx Championship Series events contested this season and 30 of 31 dating to Adrian Fernandez' (Tecate/Quaker State/Patrick Racing Ford Reynard) victory at Japan last year.

MILESTONES

* Robby Gordon will make his 100th CART career start at Sunday's Miller Lite 200 at Mid-Ohio. Gordon joined the series in 1992 and owns two victories, four pole positions and nine podium finishes in his eight seasons of competition. He becomes the third driver of the season to make his 100th career start, joining Adrian Fernandez, who reached the mark at Toronto, and Mauricio Gugelmin (Hollywood PacWest Mercedes), who reached it at Michigan. Al Unser Jr. is the CART career starts leader, with 267 entering this weekend.

NOTEWORTHY

* Patrick Carpentier (Player's Forsythe Racing Team Mercedes Reynard) will sit out this weekend's Miller Lite 200 as the result of a minimal compression fracture of the third thoracic vertebra sustained in contact with the car driven by Mauricio Gugelmin at Sunday's Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit. According to Dr. Terry Trammell, CART's Chief Orthopedic Consultant, "The injury will not require surgical care, and Patrick will be convalescing and starting rehabilitation in Indianapolis." Carpentier is expected to return to competition for next week's Target Grand Prix Presented by Shell at Chicago Motor Speedway. Player's Forsythe Racing will not fill his seat this weekend.

* Three drivers in the field for this weekend's Miller Lite 200 made their FedEx Championship Series career debuts at Mid-Ohio. They include Mauricio Gugelmin, whose first series start came at Mid-Ohio in 1993; and Max Papis (Miller Lite Ford Reynard) and Jan Magnussen (Visteon Ford Reynard), both of whom made their FedEx Championship Series career debuts at Mid-Ohio in 1996.

* To help preview the inaugural Target Grand Prix Presented by Shell, scheduled for Aug. 22 at the new Chicago Motor Speedway, a transporter parade will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 17 in Chicago. Approximately 15 transporters representing the FedEx Championship Series and its various teams will begin staging at 9 a.m. CT at Chicago's Soldier Field. The parade is slated to begin at 11 a.m. CT and will follow a 20-mile route from Soldier Field to Cicero - encompassing portions of Interstate 90/94 southbound and Interstate 290 westbound - before arrival at Chicago Motor Speedway. Upon arrival, the transporters will begin setting up for the inaugural Target Grand Prix Presented by Shell, Round 15 of the FedEx Championship Series.

* When the drivers of the FedEx Championship Series take to the track next Thursday to practice for the inaugural Target Grand Prix at the new Chicago Motor Speedway, it will mark the latest piece of Champ Car history that is part of the Chicagoland area. While the modern era of Champ Car racing has not seen a race in the Windy City, the open-wheel machines did race in what is now a suburb of Chicago back in 1910. The CART Championship Car Record Book shows that the Champ Cars first ran in 1909 in Portland, Ore., and visited Elgin, Ill., in 1910 for a 170-mile race that was won by Dave Buick in a Marmon. His average speed was 55.1 miles per hour. The Championship Cars then visited Chicago for the first time in 1915 and conducted a 500-mile event that was won by Dario Resta in a Peugeot. He averaged 97.5 mph en route to his victory. Records show races in Chicago were conducted through 1918. The American Automobile Association sanctioned the events through 1955 and the United States Auto Club served as the sanctioning organization through 1979. CART, after a shared sanction with the Sports Car Club of America in 1979, began its sole sanction of Champ Car races in 1980.

Driver Quotes



DARIO FRANCHITTI (KOOL Honda Reynard), on leading the FedEx Championship Series points race for the first time in his three-year career: "It is nice. It's the first time for myself or Team KOOL Green to be leading the FedEx Championship point standings. Leading the points, finishing one-two [at Detroit last week] and having Paul move up to fourth in points, is a really a good thing for the team. It keeps everyone motivated and focused as we get back into another tough stretch of back-to-back races. But we all know, the only time it really matters to be leading the points is after Fontana. And that's what we plan to do." [On this week's Miller Lite 200] "I'm looking forward to Mid-Ohio as it's a track where I have some unfinished business. I really like driving the circuit because Team KOOL Green has a great setup for it and we got the pole there last year. But then I got taken out on the first lap last season, so I feel similar to the way I did when I went to Toronto last month [Where he had been on pole the previous two years, but had not completed the race]. We took care of business in Toronto [with a victory]. Now it's time to do the same at Mid-Ohio."


JUAN MONTOYA (Target Honda Reynard), on his bid to recapture the FedEx Championship Series points lead after losing it last week at Detroit: "The Detroit race was disappointing, and we learned from it, but it won't affect how I race in the upcoming weeks. I'm driving to win each weekend. Mid-Ohio is a good course and I think we can score some good points for the championship there. We can't control what other drivers do, so we have to put ourselves in a good position and earn as many points as we can."

PAUL TRACY (KOOL Honda Reynard), on his enjoyment of racing at Mid-Ohio: "We're getting to the part of the season that I like and I always seem to do well at Mid-Ohio. It's a great track, but unfortunately, one of the few road courses where I haven't won a pole or a race. And yet, I've qualified on the front row three times and finished second three times. I just need to close the deal. Things are really going well right now at Team KOOL Green, we're fast, consistent and not making mistakes, so this could certainly be the weekend." [On his series-leading streak of seven points-paying finishes] "There hasn't been one specific thing that you can say that has made us so consistent, it's been a total effort by everyone at Team KOOL Green. We've just been concentrating on learning something every time we take to the track, whether it's a test session or race weekend. We just keep moving forward. We're not looking back or getting complacent. We're fourth in the championship with seven races to go. There's no letting up until after Fontana."

GREG MOORE (Player's Forsythe Racing Mercedes Reynard), on continuing to build momentum following a podium finish at Detroit: "Finishing on the podium with a third place in Detroit was a big lift for the Player's team and we managed to pick up some valuable points in the standings. I am looking forward to Mid-Ohio to try and build on that momentum. It's a track that I enjoy because it's technical and it really tests the driver's skills. The different turns and the uneven terrain require a lot of concentration."

TONY KANAAN (McDonald's Championship Racing Team Honda Reynard), on the challenges of racing at Mid-Ohio: "I am excited about Mid-Ohio. We had a couple of very good tests there, and I believe we have a competitive car. The Mid-Ohio track is a fun track but very tough. This is a track where you really have to drive. It comes down to you as much as the car. People show their skills there for sure. It is one of the most difficult physically, and one of my favorites. This is also an important weekend for the team because it is our hometown race, and for Honda as well because of the Marysville plant. The team has never won this race, and it would be great to bring it home for them. I tasted it once and it feels good. Now I would like to do it a little bit more often!"

JIMMY VASSER (Target Honda Reynard), on the team's improvement in recent weeks: "The past few weeks the team and the car have really been clicking. The entire team knows we always have the ability to win and Mid-Ohio is a place where we intend to make it happen. I've had decent success there in the past and have always liked the course. It's another one of those courses where it's tough to pass, so one goal is to improve our starting spot. With seven races left, we have to start becoming regular visitors to the podium."

AL UNSER JR. (Marlboro Mercedes Lola), on competing at Mid-Ohio: "Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite permanent road courses. It's a lot of fun to drive and the fans really support us. We've had pretty good luck there in the past, and I hope some of that luck is with us this year. The keys will be capturing a good starting position and not making any mistakes during the race."

HELIO CASTRO-NEVES (Hogan Motor Leasing, Inc. Mercedes Lola), on the peculiarities of Mid-Ohio: "I like the elevation changes at Mid-Ohio. The circuit reminds me a lot of a go-kart track. It's big and small at the same time. You have to drive hard all the time. It's no place to take a rest! Some tracks, like Milwaukee and Portland, are easy for me. I can just cruise, but not at Mid-Ohio. You really need to be on top of things and drive hard all the way around, or else you won't get the most out of the track and the car. It usually is pretty hot when we're there, and that can be a factor. Drivers really need to start preparing early, getting well hydrated, keeping up their physical training program, etc. The toughest physical aspect of the race for me has always been the stint right after the first pit stop. When you go back out on fresh tires you have so much grip in the car that the steering tends to become very heavy. The heat helps you with car control, creating so much grip, but really can wear you out quickly trying to maneuver turns and elevation changes."

MAURICIO GUGELMIN (Hollywood PacWest Mercedes), on the similarities between Mid-Ohio and European road racing circuits: "I think of Mid-Ohio as one of the 'real' circuits that we race on. It's quite similar to European tracks, and I like the place a lot. In addition to being very technical, it's also physically demanding. It's a great feeling to get the maximum out of a car there."

MARK BLUNDELL (Motorola PacWest Mercedes), on his enjoyment of Mid-Ohio: "Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite American tracks. It's a very technical course, with a lot of elevation changes and a nice variety of high and low-speed turns. It's tough to find a perfect balance, and you need to have a smooth and flowing driving style. We had an excellent car here last year [Blundell was second in provisional qualifying] but unfortunately, we got caught up in the first-lap incident."

ROBBY GORDON (Johns Manville/Panasonic/Menards Toyota Swift), on putting the disappointment of the two Michigan races behind him: "That was a thoroughly forgettable pair of weekends up there [in Michigan]. I've always enjoyed driving at Mid-Ohio. It's a place where you can really let it all hang out; a true road course with a good balance of fast and slow sections - a momentum track - and one where we did pretty well in testing a couple of weeks ago. We hope we can build on that starting the first practice session on Friday."