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20 Plus Races, 20 Million Plus Rumors

© Gary Presley

Twenty Races, Twenty Million Rumors

There's no place to race, and so it appears everyone connected with CART from team owner to the guy who sweeps the shop floor has decided to talk about what will -- or will not -- be happening next year.

• Bobby Rahal shows up at the Brickyard with minority owner David Letterman in tow and new shoe Jimmy Vasser wearing Miller Lite togs and announces Team Rahal is back for the 2002 Indy 500.
• Okay, but, ah, it seems there's no firm commitment for Team Rahal to run a second car. And, if he can scratch up the money to field another car, Rahal isn't prepared to announce who'll drive it.
• Bobby Rahal isn't the only one hurting. Patrick Racing may trim down to one car as well.
• Patrick lost Jimmy Vasser, who was driving a relatively-unsponsored car for him, to Rahal. Now there's a rumor circulating his primary driver may move to PacWest to join Scott Dixon.
• Why? Keep up now. Because Maurico Gugelmin may retire. Or start up a team representing Latin American interests.
• Where does that leave Patrick Racing. As noted, with one car, and that one driven by rookie Towsend Bell.
• The 800 pound gorilla in all this is Team Penske. Everyone who has an opinion says The Captain's teams will end up in the IRL because that's where the tobacco sponsor wants him. Then there's speculation that Penske won't abandon CART altogether, instead fielding one car with Mobil One sponsorship peeled off from his NASCAR effort.
• But who'd drive it? Gil de Ferran, current champ and Team Penske's star, makes no real secret he'd rather not drive in an all-oval series.
• Run this one up your flagpole: we're in an economic downturn, sponsorship money is tough to get, and so de Ferran stays in CART to defend Penske's championship and Castroneves goes to the IRL with the coffin-nail sponsorship. See how easy it is to start a rumor?
• But wait! Why's everyone so sure Penske will be field at least one car in the IRL in 2002? Because Castroneves accepted an invitation to appear in the IROC series, and that series has dates that conflict with the CART schedule.
• Are you keeping score? Forsythe Racing closes shop at the end of this month, and that puts Bryan Herta out there looking for a job too.
• Then, of course, there's always the rumors about the one-off rides for the Indy 500. Walker Racing is supposed to have the bucks to put Tora Takagi into an IRL ride for the big race, Takagi being a Toyota favorite and a sure-fire star in the Japanese market.