Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Montoya not feeling heat in points race

Friday, Aug. 13, 1999 | 10:07 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's motor sports notebook appears Friday. His golf notebook appears Wednesday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Juan Montoya may be a rookie in the CART FedEx Championship Series, but the 23-year-old Colombian is approaching his latest setback like a true veteran.

Montoya, leading the series points standings for the past three months, fell off the top spot last weekend following a disappointing 17th-place finish in the Grand Prix of Detroit.

Montoya led the first 58 laps of the 71-lap race before he was forced to pit under green after missing a yellow-flag pit stop earlier in the race because of a miscommunication with his team.

But Montoya, who has four wins this season, said he believes new points leader Dario Franchitti is the one feeling the heat, not Montoya.

"I think pressure is on Dario's way right now because now he has to try to keep me behind him and I think it is going to be very tough," Montoya said. "I am not going to (go) away that easy."

There is no reason to expect Montoya will. After taking over 1998 series champion Alex Zanardi's ride with Target/Chip Ganassi Racing, Montoya won the Long Beach Grand Prix in April in only his third CART start.

The ex-Formula 3000 driver followed that with wins at Nazareth (Pa.) and Rio de Janeiro to become the first CART rookie to win three straight races and only the 11th to do so in the series' history.

Montoya said he doesn't listen to critics who suggest that his success is due primarily to the fact he inherited the ride of the reigning series champion.

"I am sure some guys will say that it is because I am in the No. 4 car of Target," Montoya said as he prepared for Sunday's Miller Lite 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. "I don't know, I just try to go out and do the best I can and you can't think about what other people are going to say about it."

Montoya also shrugged off last weekend's miscommunication and said he remains confident that he can win the series championship.

"I am not very concerned (about losing the points lead)," he said. "I think we've got the potential to win the championship.

"I don't think (the rest of the drivers) are catching us ... what happens is we make some mistakes. Sometimes it is going to happen, but it shouldn't happen. We made a mistake and we paid for it."

Montoya trails Franchitti by only five points, and is only 12 points ahead of third-place Michael Andretti with seven races remaining. Las Vegas resident Paul Tracy is fourth, 25 points behind Montoya.

While Montoya has handled his on-track difficulties with aplomb, he admitted to having a more difficult time adjusting to his newfound celebrity.

"It was a big surprise because the first race, I could go and walk everywhere -- I could do anything I wanted to through the paddock," he said. "Now, I can't really do anything through the paddock. Everyone knows me and it gets more difficult the further the season goes."

* NASCAR: Jeff Gordon, who has won 46 Winston Cup races in six and a half seasons under Ray Evernham's tutelage, may be in the market for a new crew chief.

According to published reports, Evernham is expected to be named general manager of Rick Hendrick's three-team operation, and Evernham reportedly is interested in Ward Burton's crew chief, Tommy Baldwin, and Frankie Stoddard, Jeff Burton's top guy, to replace him. ...

Kerry Earnhardt, the eldest son of seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, is about to get his own Busch Series driving career jump started.

Tennessee businessman Rick Rathbun has announced his intention to sponsor the Kerry Earnhardt/Ed Whitaker Racing tandem under his own Team Marines Racing banner in the Aug. 27 running of the Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Unlike his younger brother, Dale, Jr., the 29-year-old Kerry Earnhardt has a lot to prove to the racing world, as well as to himself.

"A lot of people have written me off, but I know I can get the job done if given the right circumstances," said Earnhardt, who has spent several seasons driving in NASCAR's Late Model Stock and Goody's Dash divisions.

* CART: Paul Tracy of Las Vegas will be looking to gain more ground in the FedEx Championship Series points standings at this weekend's Miller Lite 200 at Mid-Ohio.

Tracy has vaulted from 13th to fourth in points on the strength of seven straight points-paying finishes, including five top-five showings.

"There hasn't been one specific thing that you can say has made us so consistent," Tracy said. "It has been a total effort by everyone at Team Kool Green. We have just been concentrating on learning something every time we take to the track, whether it's a test session or race weekend.

"We just keep looking forward; we're not looking back or getting complacent. We're fourth in the championship with seven races to go (and) there's no letting up until after (the season-ending race in) Fontana." ...

David Francis, Jr. is the first driver to be selected for a comprehensive test session in CART's African-American driver development program.

Francis currently races in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, which utilizes open-wheel cars powered by 3.2-liter, 265-horsepower, V-6 Dodge Intrepid engines. Francis finished fourth in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Western Championship in 1997-98, winning six times.

Francis sees the test session with Arciero-Wells Racing as a golden opportunity to advance his open-wheel career to the next level.

"This is like a dream come true for me," said the 26-year-old Francis, who grew up in south central Los Angeles. "To test with a top-notch team like Arciero-Wells Racing is a great opportunity and I am sure it will help me move up the ladder toward my ultimate goal of racing in Champ Cars in the FedEx Championship Series."

Francis will get his test opportunity this fall at Willow Springs Raceway in Southern California -- although the test session does not guarantee Francis a ride with any particular team.

* IRL: One of the rumors making the rounds throughout the Indy Racing League is that Al Unser Jr., whose contract with Roger Penske's CART team in 2000, will drive in the IRL next season.

Sources have said that Unser already has agreed to terms with an IRL team, and speculation is that Unser, an Albuquerque native, will team with another Albuquerque resident, Rick Galles. Unser drove for Galles in CART from 1988 to 1993 and won 15 races.

Galles currently manages Greg Barnhart's team in the IRL with driver Davey Hamilton of Las Vegas.

Unser said in a televised interview last weekend that he was "exploring all options" and had talked to team owners in other series, including NASCAR.

The Indianapolis Star reported Thursday that CART's Forsythe Racing team is considering running a second McDonald's car next year with Unser as the driver.

* NHRA: Duane Shields of Las Vegas captured the Federal Mogul Dragster win last weekend at Sears Point Raceway. ...

NHRA Funny Car driver/owner Al Hofmann has released Jimbo Ermalovich as crew chief of the Hofmann Racing Pontiac Firebird. Ermalovich had served as crew chief for Hofmann since 1997.

"Our goal at the beginning of the year was to contend for the Winston championship," Hofmann said. "Unfortunately we've struggled this season to be competitive."

* BACKMARKERS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway will hold a "Back-To-School Night" promotion Saturday night at the 3/8-mile paved oval. All students (K-12) will be admitted free to see the NASCAR Late Models, Grand American Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Bandoleros, Mini Stocks and Street Stocks.

Speedway officials have cancelled trophy dashes for this weekend. Instead, between the heat races and main events, children will be invited to race their bicycles on the paved oval. Competitors must bring a bicycle and helmet. Prizes will be awarded to all participants.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, military and college students. All children 17 and under are free. Gates open at 5 p.m. and races start at 7.

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