Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 8:48 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.
FONTANA, Calif. -- In all likelihood, Sunday's CART race at California Speedway won't be Jimmy Vasser's final race on the 2-mile oval in his native Southern California.
It's just that the 36-year-old Las Vegas resident doesn't know whether his next visit to the Fontana facility will be in an open-wheel car or a NASCAR stock car.
Vasser, the 1996 CART champion, is weighing his options for the 2003 season after learning that Shell, the primary sponsor on his Ford/Lola, will not return with Team Rahal next year. Sunday's 500 Presented by Toyota at California will be Vasser's next-to-last race with Team Rahal.
"I've got some interesting things going and I'm sure the right thing will come together," Vasser said of his plans for next season. "At some point, I'll have to decide what's best for me and go with it.
"I've got deep feelings for CART and have had all my racing success there, virtually. Looking to the future ... I do have a desire at some point in time to find myself in (NASCAR) Winston Cup and try my hand at that. It intrigues me and it's an interesting challenge. Whether that's going to be in the near future or a little farther down the road, I'm not really sure about that right now."
In addition to talking with teams in CART, Vasser spent some time in the past month at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., meeting with NASCAR team owners about the possibility of moving to stock cars in either the Winston Cup or Busch Series.
"If the proper situation were to arrive in NASCAR, then maybe my departure (from CART) would be sooner than later," Vasser said. "If the right situation doesn't arrive for me in NASCAR with a paved road or a means to an end to get to where I want to be and there's a good CART program for me, then I will stay in CART for another year or two.
"A lot of it has to do with the race team and the program because, at the end of the day, I'm not out there just to run around; I want to be in a program and in a situation where I can win races."
Vasser said he would not be opposed to running in the second-tier Busch Series because it would give him an opportunity to "get a feel for the series, the way of life, the way they race and the tracks."
Vasser, who has nine career victories in CART, earned his last oval win at California Speedway in 1998 when he battled teammate Alex Zanardi and the late Greg Moore in the closing laps.
"That win was pretty wild since I was racing against Alex and Greg," Vasser said. "We swapped the lead back and forth and I was able to get by Greg at the checkered flag.
"Looking back now, that was a very special race. I remember it was Bobby's (Rahal) last race, too. In the truck that went around the track after the race, we had Alex, Greg, Chip (Ganassi, Vasser's car owner), Bobby and David Letterman. That's very special to think about that ride around the track now. Obviously, a lot of things have happened since that victory lap and now I'm driving for Bobby and David. I'd like to give them a win at Fontana this year."
Although he is winless in 17 starts this season with Team Rahal, Vasser has a good track record at Fontana. In addition to his victory in '98, Vasser has three other top-10 finishes at California Speedway, including a second-place finish in 1997 and a ninth-place showing in the IRL race here this March.
"We're excited about this weekend," Vasser said. "I'm optimistic about Team Rahal's setups and their success and my success in the past on the big tracks."
Ganassi has announced that he will run cars next year for Scott Dixon and Tomas Scheckter in the Indy Racing League.
"Right now, we don't have a CART program," Hull said. "We would like to run another driver ... but at the moment we don't have funding to do it so right now we're committed to two drivers in the IRL."
Fittipaldi, who announced earlier this year that he would leave CART at the end of the season to pursue a career in NASCAR, tested with the Petty Enterprises team this week at Phoenix. Fittipaldi is scheduled to drive in selected Winston Cup, Busch Series and ARCA races next season for Petty Enterprises.
According to one published report, the plane had a tire blow out upon takeoff and was able to land without serious damage to the aircraft. Nobody on the plane was injured.
The team had just completed two days of testing at PIR with Fittipaldi. Fittipaldi was not on the plane.
Gaughan will be competing in Saturday's American Racing Wheels 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at the two-mile oval.
"We're going out to win this thing," Gaughan said. "There's no better way to shore up a deal as we're looking for a new sponsor, and show off our thanks to Dodge for signing us for next year, than to show them that we can win more races than any other Dodge team. We want to prove that we're going to be contenders next year."
The event, which will raise money for the Las Vegas Animal Foundation, will begin at 2 p.m. at Las Vegas Harley-Davidson, located at 2605 S. Eastern Ave. The event is a moderate-speed ride and is open to all riders. The four-hour ride will include a trip to the Lake Mead shoreline and several laps at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before finishing in front of the NASCAR Cafe at the Sahara.
Pre-registration for the event is recommended, and includes a spot in the procession, an official event T-shirt and entrance to the private after-party at the NASCAR Cafe. The cost is $100 for single riders and $150 for couples. Participants can register at the NASCAR Cafe merchandise shop or the Harley-Davidson store on Eastern Avenue.
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