Friday, July 20, 2001 | 11:54 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las vegas Sun. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4089.
Less than a year ago, it appeared as if Patrick Carpentier would lose his ride with the Player's/Forsythe CART team.
After a race in Chicago last July, Carpentier left the track in a huff after team owner Gerald Forsythe reportedly had failed to renew Carpentier's contract as promised. It wasn't until the end of the season, nearly three months later, that Forsythe re-signed the 29-year-old driver.
Carpentier, a Las Vegas resident, won't have to sweat out another three months this year waiting to learn of his fate with Forsythe. On Thursday, the team picked up the option on his contract for the 2002 season.
"We are thrilled to continue our association with Patrick, a seasoned driver whose professionalism and combativeness make him one of the top performers in his field," said Neil Micklewright, vice-president of operations for Team Player's.
Carpentier said he is pleased he will be returning to the team for a fifth season.
"We went through some tough times early in the season, but everyone stayed focused because we knew that we had all the ingredients to be successful," Carpentier said. "I know that things are starting to turn around and I expect great things for the second half of the season."
Carpentier, who still is searching for his first victory in the CART series, is 21st in points and has qualified in the top 10 five times this season.
"It was actually my second time (there)," Busch said. "I snuck into the grandstands last year as a spectator and sat in Turn One to watch a little bit of practice. But this is my first time on the racetrack. It's not your conventional oval. It's very unique, and it's very nostalgic and historic, and it's just a wonderful treat to drive on it.
"I think every driver in his own mind wants to run at Indy eventually once or twice. Whether you're a stock car or open-wheel fan, it's just a dream come true, so to speak, to hit Daytona for the first time in a Winston Cup car and come to Indy for the first time. It's really neat to experience all these different racetracks, and this place puts an exclamation point on all of them." ...
The No. 96 PPI Motorsports Ford, driven by Andy Houston, will not compete this weekend at New Hampshire or next weekend at Pocono while team owner Cal Wells and primary sponsor McDonald's continue discussions relating to the sponsorship.
It has been rumored that McDonald's wants to end its sponsorship of Houston and rejoin Bill Elliott, who carried the McDonald's colors for 10 years before the two parted ways at the end of last season.
"We certainly have had some success on the ovals this season, but this series is so competitive that there is no guarantee that we will be as successful this weekend," Brack said. "We know the Lola/Ford-Cosworth combination is an effective package for these kind of tracks. The key to success this weekend is keeping your equipment working.
"A 500-mile race (is) as much about surviving the attrition as it is about racing. The key for us is to stay on the lead lap and get to the last 100 miles and then it is time to race for the lead."
Brack leads Michael Andretti by 11 points after nine of 20 races.
Track officials list the grandstand seating capacity at Nashville at 50,000. The Ameristar Casino Indy 200 on July 8 at Kansas Speedway, another inaugural event, also was sold out with more than 75,000 fans in attendance.
The Pro Stock Dodge Neon R/T is powered by Mopar's 500-cubic-inch Hemi engine, which began competition at the beginning of the 2000 NHRA season.
"This is the next step in building a drag racing championship for Mopar and Dodge," Brett Fischer, drag racing program manager for DaimlerChrysler, said. "We began with the Hemi engine one year ago. Now we've added the new Pro Stock Dodge Neon R/T. We are replacing our aged R/T bodies with something new.'
Cobb's fine and suspension are the result of an incident that occurred following the Late Model feature event Saturday night at The Bullring. Cobb ran into the car driven by Chris Clyne on the cooldown lap; Clyne suffered a sprained wrist as a result of the incident.
Cobb, who is leading the Late Model division, was penalized for "rough driving and other acts of violence" and "behavior deemed detrimental to the betterment of the sport," according to LVMS officials. ...
The Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts' Terrible's Midnight Special is scheduled for Aug. 4 in Boulder City. The race will start at 7 p.m and there will be a free lighted spectator area with bleachers. More than 100 off-road racers will be competing for $40,000 in prize money. ...
Twin 25-lap main events for NASCAR Late Models and Grand American Modifieds highlight the Saturday racing card at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bandolero Cars, Outlaw Stocks and Legends Car also will be in action. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. and racing begins at 6:30. ...
The Pacific Street Car Association returns to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway tonight and Saturday for another round of "heads-up" drag racing. Gates will open at 2 p.m. both days.
Classes in competition include: Tom's Differential Pro Street; Reggie Jackson Performance X-treeme Street; R&E Racing Real Street; Mickey Thompson Tires Outlaw 10.5 Series; Edelbrock Hot Street; Calvert Racing True Street; Paxton Superchargers Limited Street; Vortech Superchargers EFI Drag Radial; and Orme Bros. EFI Challenge.
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