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From checkered past
to checkered flag

U.S. 500 to run Sunday under black cloud of 1998 fatalities

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Posted: Thursday July 22, 1999 07:26 PM

Unfortunately, the image most people will forever associate with the U.S. 500 is Adrian Fernandez's tire going airborne. AP

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) -- Death in the stands made last year's U.S. 500 -- perhaps the most exciting open-wheel race ever run - an afterthought.

A wheel and other debris from Adrian Fernandez's one-car crash flew into the stands, killing three spectators and injuring six others last July at Michigan Speedway.

Now, with higher fences and wheel tethers on the Champ Cars, CART and speedway officials hope the safety measures will keep the focus on the race Sunday at the 2-mile, high-banked oval.

The CART FedEx Series features only two 500-mile events on its 20-race schedule -- this one and the season-ending Marlboro 500 at California Speedway, Michigan's sister track in Fontana, Calif.

Those are the only ovals where cars are slowed by a winglike rear aerodynamic piece called the Handford Device.

The first time the device was used in a race was last July. It not only cut top speeds from more than 240 mph to just over 230, but also made passing a breeze.

There were an amazing 62 lead changes among nine drivers during the 1998 U.S. 500, with winner Greg Moore making the final pass in the first turn of the last lap to beat Jimmy Vasser.

The Fontana oval has less of a bank. There were 25 lead changes among seven drivers in the November race before Vasser avenged his loss to Moore.

Michael Andretti, who led both races, said the Handford device probably benefits fans more than drivers.

"It does slow the cars down and bunch them up," he said. "It makes for a hairy race for the drivers. To have wheel-to-wheel racing for 500 miles is pretty intense. I guess if everybody could drive 240 miles per hour for 500 miles, racing wouldn't be as popular as it is."

Christian Fittipaldi, Andretti's Newman-Haas Racing teammate, went out of last year's U.S. 500 after 87 of the 250 laps because his car overheated.

But the Brazilian finished seventh at Fontana and is riding a hot streak now. He captured his first CART victory at Road America two weeks ago and finished third Sunday in Toronto.

"A 500-mile race is a tremendous strain on the equipment," Fittipaldi said. "But, believe it or not, a 500-mile race on an oval isn't as hard on you physically as a race on a road course.

"A 500-mile race is harder on your head than it is on your body because you are going so fast the entire time. You have to really concentrate hard every second. If you don't pay attention and fully concentrate for a split second, the consequences are huge."

Heading into the opening of practice Friday, rookie Juan Montoya leads Dario Franchitti by seven points in the standings despite having failed to finish the last two races.

Fittipaldi is 17 behind Montoya, followed one point back by Andretti. Gil de Ferran, Fernandez, Moore and Paul Tracy are within striking distance with nine races remaining.

Montoya already has won four poles and four races. But the 23-year-old Colombian had never driven on a big oval like Michigan until he tested the track this month.

"That was the fastest I've ever driven a car," he said, his eyes growing big with the memory. "The speeds in the corners were amazing. I kept telling my engineer on the radio, 'Whoa, I just set a new Montoya speed record!' "

"I'm excited and a little bit nervous about my first 500-mile race, but I'm looking forward to experiencing those speeds during a race."

 

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