Andretti fuels serious silly season in CART

Mike Harris

Thursday, Aug. 24, 2000 | 9:15 a.m.

The silly season has turned serious in CART.

Rumor and speculation run rampant through the middle of each year as teams figure out what they need and drivers try to put deals together.

This year, however, there could be many more changes than usual. No fewer than 15 of the 25 cars could be in new hands in 2001, with Michael Andretti the linchpin.

"Once Michael makes up his mind, everything else will start to fall into place," said team owner Derrick Walker, whose driver, rookie Shinji Nakano, could be another of the competitors racing elsewhere next season.

With so many drivers uncertain of the future, it seems that nearly every conversation starts with speculation about Andretti, the 1991 series champion still at the top of his game at age 37.

Not only is he the career leader in CART victories with 40, but Andretti has won twice this season and is leading the standings with six races remaining.

Although Andretti has two option years left on his contract, Carl Haas, who operates Newman-Haas Racing, was able to guarantee only one more year because sponsor Kmart's deal is up at the end of next season.

"I understand Carl's situation," Andretti said. "He just doesn't want to roll the dice. But at this stage of my career, I don't want to do a one-year deal."

But he wants a victory in the Indianapolis 500 - a race his father, Mario, won in 1969 - just as much as he covets another CART title.

Haas also has no interest in spending the money to race in the rival Indy Racing League's Indy 500, as fellow CART team owner Chip Ganassi did in 2000.

Considering a salary of $7 million to $10 million a season, Andretti's options are limited.

His potential rides appear to be with Ganassi, who will be replacing Jimmy Vasser and Juan Montoya next season; Jerry Forsythe, who might be starting a third team Andretti could drive for and buy into; Bruce McCaw's PacWest team, which might be looking to replace Mark Blundell; or Barry Green's Team Kool Green, which might lose Dario Franchitti.

Those owners could afford Andretti, and are at least considering going to Indianapolis next May.

Another option for Andretti is starting his own IRL team, which would be cheaper than one in CART.

"I'd like to own my own team, and you really can't do that in CART," he said. "But it's a viable option over there."

Andretti's decision should be made in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen other drivers are waiting to see what happens.

If Andretti does leave Newman-Haas, Franchitti, who got a Formula One offer from Jaguar Racing, appears to be his probable replacement.

Ganassi already has told Vasser he won't be taking up his option for 2001, and Montoya, the 1999 series champion and this year's Indy 500 winner, will be announced next month as one of the drivers for the Williams team in Formula One.

Montoya's seat probably will be taken by European Formula 3000 star Bruno Junquiera of Brazil. Vasser's ride with a team that has won an unprecedented four straight CART titles would be a coup for any number of drivers.

That leaves Vasser, the 1996 series champion, looking for a ride, along with a host of others, including Adrian Fernandez, Patrick Carpentier and Oriol Servia.

Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi, who left for Formula One in 1999 and wound up losing that ride, could return. Also, F1 driver Johnny Herbert has been seeking a CART ride.

"Any time there's activity, there's opportunity, and I think all this activity is definitely a sign of a healthy series," said Walker, who has one of the smaller budgets and struggles to remain competitive. "It's a function of the budget you've got.

"The higher the budget, the bigger the expectations to deliver the goods. Every owner in this paddock wants the best program he can possibly have. But there are only a few that can afford to buy whatever it takes."

Bobby Rahal, another team owner doubling this season as interim president and CEO of CART, is not concerned about all the movement.

"It opens up opportunities for some young drivers to get a chance," he said.