CART finale suspended due to rain

Monday, Oct. 30, 2000 | 9:45 a.m.

FONTANA, Calif. -- One of CART's most intriguing championship battles took another interesting turn Sunday when the season-ending Marlboro 500 at California Speedway was suspended after 33 laps due to rain.

The championship, which is worth $1 million, and the race, which pays another $1 million to the winner, was to be decided today when the race was scheduled to be resumed.

Gil de Ferran led Adrian Fernandez by six points in the championship going into the race and had the car to beat Sunday when what was shaping up to be a thrilling race was slowed by a caution period after 23 laps and halted by rain 10 laps later.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed -- especially since the Marlboro car was running so well," de Ferran said of the suspended race. "We had a good start and were looking good for the first 30 laps."

De Ferran and Penske Racing teammate Helio Castroneves officially swapped the lead four times -- there were several times where they passed each other back on the same lap, although those aren't scored as official lead changes -- during the first 22 laps until Paul Tracy's engine blew on lap 23. Cristiano da Matta ran over the debris from Tracy's car and spun into the Turn 4 wall.

Da Matta was unhurt in the accident.

All 21 cars running on the lead lap came into the pits under the caution and Juan Montoya won the race out of the pits. During the caution period, rain began falling and on lap 33, the field was given the red flag.

Following a delay of nearly three hours, CART officials announced that the race would be resumed this morning.

The race was to resume with Montoya leading, Dario Franchitti in second and Michael Andretti in third.

De Ferran, who led 16 of the 33 laps run Sunday, was running fourth and Fernandez ninth when the race was halted.

Because the forecast was for more rain today in Southern California, Fernandez said he would have more than one strategy in case the race was shortened to 126 laps, or half distance.

"We have to have two plans because nobody can control the weather," he said. "We have to have a plan A and a plan B -- one for a full race and the other one for half a race.

"But it's a shame we couldn't finish the race because we had a lot of fans, a lot of sponsors, a lot of people here (Sunday)."

Kenny Brack was the only other driver still in the championship hunt, looming 20 points behind de Ferran. Brack was in sixth place when the race was red flagged.

"De Ferran, he obviously needs to bring his car home in a good position, Adrian needs to try to be in front of Gil and I need to be in front of both them and have Gil retire and I need to lead the most laps (to win the championship).

"So, basically, the plan is still intact."

Tracy, a Las Vegas resident, was eliminated from the championship battle when his engine expired.