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Bulls-eye Team Target at Indy's center of attention
Posted: Thursday May 25, 2000 03:29 PM
INDIANAPOLIS -- After winning four consecutive CART championships, Team Target is used to being in the crosshairs of its competitors. But on Sunday a new group of drivers will take aim. Those of the Indy Racing League. “You know, our team, after having the last four years the way we have, there's pressure at every race we go to,” said Team Target owner Chip Ganassi. “It's something we live with everyday. And I don't think there's any more or any less here At Indianapolis. It's sort of the constant that stays the same. We accept that, and we like that, and we thrive on under those conditions I think.” Ganassi brings two strong contenders to the Brickyard. Jimmy Vasser a four-time Indy 500 veteran who was leading the 1995 race before tangling with Scott Pruett on lap 170. And Juan Montoya who won seven races in his rookie season last year en route to capturing the CART title. Montoya has adjusted quickly to Indy's 2.5-mile track qualifying second while trying to be the first driver since Graham Hill in 1966 to win in his Indy debut. “I am not thinking about, ‘Oh, I am a rookie, I gotta win,’” Montoya said. “I am thinking about doing my best. You know, working with engineers and all the mechanics to make the car get to the end, and be ready for a win, you know. If I can win it would be good. We'll just do our best.” The CART drivers will be splitting their time this weekend. on Saturday. They'll compete in a makeup CART race in Nazarath, Pennsylvania before quickly heading back to the speedway. “I think it will be better for us,” says Vasser. “The other teams get to warm up on Carb (carburetor) Day, and they gotta wait for race day. We get to go and run a whole race on Saturday. So, we get to knock the dust off a little bit.” Ganassi agreed that the extra duty would be a plus for his team. “Our drivers will be in cars the day before the race. Which is not the case here at Indianapolis. Usually Thursday is the last time they run before the race so we're actually looking forward to it.”
A win at Indy by Team Target would undoubtedly be a blow for the IRL and likewise, a poor performance would cast shadows on CART's finest. But drivers from both series insist they're treating their showdown as just another race.. “There's no political statements here,” Vasser said. “I don't feel like there's any flag waving for CART. We've come here to race. We're just trying to do our best. A lot of what we do is similar to how we approach a CART race. Really that's it.” Two-time Indy winner Al Unser Jr. agreed “It's a very competitive series, and you're not going to just see them disappear,” he said. “It's just not in the formula to do that. If they win it, they earned it, and they deserve to win it. If they don't, it wasn't their day. And in all the years I've run at Indy, it's either your day or it ain't.” Montoya, who is last year’s CART champion added that once the race begins, his mind will be on winning. “In any other series, there are good drivers, bad drivers, aggressive drivers, decent drivers you can race against. You just got to figure out who you can race against, and who you can't you know.” Montoya’s IRL counterpart sees nothing but positives coming from Sunday’s Event. “I think it adds to the meaning of winning the race,” says Greg Ray. “I think it adds to the meaning of winning the pole and it's good for the drivers. It's good for the fans. It's good for the media. It's good for the Indy 500. It's an up, up situation all around.” However, expect Team Target to once again be wearing a bulls-eye on Sunday both literally and figuratively.
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