Could CART Become Too Popular?


The CART season is over for 2000. The last checkered flag has fallen. Gil de Ferran is home in Fort Lauderdale with the Vanderbilt Trophy, and the other teams are burning computer time crafting out the best way to take it away from him in 2001.

Meanwhile, race fan are left with re-runs and NASCAR. Sunday's NASCAR race was a bit of a snoozer, although it was good to see another nice guy -- Bobby Labonte -- pick up a championship.

What intrigued me was TV announcer Allen Bestwick's comment that the track owners at Miami-Homestead had made an error in not increasing the banking at the one mile oval. Homestead was originally built as a one mile copy of the 2.5 mile Indianapolis oval. It proved a difficult and dangerous place to race.

The owners, under pressure to change the track, changed it to a flat-track oval. Homestead has 6 degree banking, about the maximum for open wheel cars but just right for the full-fendered lead sleds.

Track owners, like everyone else, do what they can to earn their daily bread, but what I found curious was Bestwick's attitude. What came across is, Catering to a bunch of open wheelers is a waste of time when NASCAR sells more tickets ... and more commercials.

A Tough Sale

Target Talk from Fontana

Today in Fontana, Calif., Team Target owner Chip Ganassi announced in a news conference that Bruno Junquiera and Nicolas Minassian will both be driving for the 2001 CART FedEx Series, replacing the 1996 CART Champ Jimmy Vasser and 1999 CART Champ Juan Montoya.

Newman-Haas News from Speedvision

The team signed Cristiano da Matta to replace the departed Michael Andretti, but retained the services of Fontana winner Christian Fittipaldi for next year. Fittipaldi stays with the team but will be running a new engine package, as team co-owner Carl Haas announced that the team was switching from the Ford-Cosworth to the Toyota engine program for next year.

Personally, I find that a tough sale. I'm a gear head, a speed freak -- at least with the television remote. And, other than maybe Bristol, Daytona, Talledega and one or two other races, the NASCAR season has been dull. Labonte lead the points championship from the third race on, and, with the points computation method, he didn't have to win to win as the season wound down.

The copyright of the article Could CART Become Too Popular? in CART Auto Racing is owned by Gary Presley. Permission to republish Could CART Become Too Popular? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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