Did you remember to set your clocks back? Did you remember to check the television schedule? CART's season finale aired on ESPN, and it began as a very good day for Gil de Ferran.
The Team Penske driver won the pole - with the fastest lap in open wheel history, some 240+ mph - and that meant no one could take away the championship if he finished first or second.
Roberto Moreno dropped out of contention by not winning the pole, but Paul Tracy, Adrian Fernandez and Kenny Brack had a chance when the green flag dropped.
But it was Team Penske that took off - and in tandem. A casual fan had to wondering why Roger wasn't on the radio yelling at Helio Castroneves to back off. The team had everything to lose if the two tangled on cold tires.
The other contenders weren't so eager. Brack and Tracy settled into the lower half of the top ten, and Fernandez hung back on what seemed to be a fuel strategy.
And Then There Were Three
Twenty laps in Paul Tracy had an engine explode, taking off the plenum and the cowling. Cristiano Da Matta ran over some of the debris and ended up in the wall. And reduced the championship contenders to three.
Everyone headed to the pits for fuel and tires - although Fernandez took fuel only to better his track position - and Juan Montoya came out ahead of both Team Penske cars, but then the California sunshine turned liquid.
And Then The Rains Came
Late in the afternoon, CART officials gave in to Mother Nature and postponed the finish of the race until Monday, which dawned relatively clear but perfectly dry. The green flag dropped late morning California time, and the CART teams were off again.
With a different strategy for Team Penske it seemed. Castroneves went out to play rabbit with possible contender Kenny Brack while Gil de Ferran laid back to conserve fuel ... and perhaps his engine.
TV commentators Paul Page and Parker Johnstone were reporting Team Penske engineers had dialed in some new parameters for their Honda engines after watching Tracy's Honda blow on Sunday.
Dario Franchitti was the next to lose a Honda. Then Jimmy Vasser lead, dropped back for strategy reasons and then lost a gearbox. Next came Memo Gidley, losing an engine while motoring down the front straight.
"I feel like if I left CART I could never come back," Jimmy Vasser said about rumors of a NASCAR ride during an interview after dropping out of the California 500.
The copyright of the article Doesn't Anybody Want This Trophy? in CART Auto Racing is owned by . Permission to republish Doesn't Anybody Want This Trophy? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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