Monday, April 27, 1998 | 11:46 a.m.
In a race delayed one day because of rain, Vasser beat teammate Alex Zanardi by 1.4 seconds at Nazareth Speedway to give Target Chip Ganassi Racing its first victory on a short oval track.
Vasser, the 1996 CART PPG Cup champion who was succeeded last year by his teammate, won for the first time this year and sixth in his career. The 32-year-old Californian averaged 108.839 mph.
Using just two pit stops in a race slowed by caution seven times for 78 of its 225 laps, Vasser won in a Reynard Honda.
He took the lead when Greg Moore pitted for the third time on the 194th lap. Zanardi pitted for the third time three laps earlier.
Moore, forced by mechanical difficulties to go to a backup car just before the race, wound up third in a Reynard Mercedes, followed by the Reynard Hondas of Gil de Ferran and defending champion Paul Tracy.
Bobby Rahal was sixth in his Reynard Ford, followed by the Reynard Toyota of Robby Gordon. His finish gave Zanardi the points lead, 50-49, over Moore.
Patrick Carpentier of Canada, the pole-sitter, finished 13th.
Adrian Fernandez, who came into the race with the points lead, was the first of many victims on a day when temperatures struggled to reach 50 degrees.
He spun out on the first lap. Then Michael Andretti, seeking a record-tying third career victory in his hometown, took control of the first half of the race.
But he cut a tire and hit the wall as the field went back to green with 102 laps left. His car spun entering the third turn, hit the outside wall, slid across the track and caught fire.
Andretti escaped without being burned. Crash victims Mauricio Gugelmin and Mark Blundell were taken to Easton Hospital for precautionary tests.
Firestone, which provided tires for 13 of 17 winners a year ago, shod each of the top-10 cars with the exception of de Ferran while winning for the third time in four races this year.
The race had been had been scheduled for Sunday, but an all-day rain led to the first postponement of a CART event in 12 years.
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