CHAMPCAR/CART: Michigan Team KOOL Green race notes

TRACY FINISHES NINTH AT THE U.S. 500 1998 CART FedEx Championship: Round 12 - Michigan - 26 July

BROOKLYN, Mich., (July 26, 1998) - Team KOOL Green's Paul Tracy led 22 laps at today's U.S. 500 and was ready to race to the finish when a loose right rear wheel forced an extra trip to the pits with 30 laps remaining. Tracy returned to the back of the field in 11th position, making up two spots to finish ninth.

Greg Moore won today's 500-mile race in a mad dash to the finish line, holding back Ganassi teammates Jimmy Vasser and Alex Zanardi. Moore's win was his second of the season and the fourth in his career. Moore was one of nine drivers to lead the race, which set a new record of 63 lead changes. His final margin of victory over Vasser was 0.259 seconds

Meanwhile, Dario Franchitti's day ended on his 213th lap when his KOOL-Reynard rolled to a stop with a blown engine. He had qualified 16th, but experienced handling problems early in the race. He fell back two laps, but had battled back to as high as 13th before the engine failure.

Alex Zanardi continues to lead the PPG Cup standings with 190 points, 72 more than his teammate Jimmy Vasser with 122. Moore is third overall with 118 points. Tracy remains 13th overall with 36 points, while Franchitti drops to eighth with 66 points.

PAUL TRACY, #26 TEAM KOOL GREEN REYNARD/HONDA/FIRESTONE: (Started       
15th / Finished 9th ; Currently 13th in the PPG Cup standings with 36   
points)                                                                 

"The car was great. We might have had too much downforce on the car. We weren't the fastest on the straightaway, but I think we were one of the best handling cars. My strength was coming off the turns. Guys would pass me on the straight, I'd pass them coming off the turn.

"This team is ready to win we've just got to get everything together. We made seven pit stops and on the last one, the right rear tire guy did not get the wheel up on the drive pegs properly. When I went out, I could feel the rear was wobbly right away so I had to come back in and that put us at the back of the field. It's tough to make up that difference.

"I think the new the Hanford Device is great. I think you saw that it made for some fantastic racing."

DARIO FRANCHITTI, #27 TEAM KOOL GREEN REYNARD/HONDA/FIRESTONE: (Started 16th / Finished 21st ; Currently 8th overall in the PPG Cup standings with 66 points)

"The car was terrible the first half of the race. By the time we finally got it dialed in we were two laps down. I was fighting the car; it was really nervous. We were adjusting the tire pressures and that finally settled the car down. We were pretty quick there at the end. That was some great racing out there."