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 #17 Nextel PacWest Mercedez-Benz, driven by Mauricio Gugelmin, in qualifying lap for Motorola 300 PPG CART World Series © photo by Bob Moore, SLFP.com Motorola 300 Final at Gateway
by Betty Magrath, SLFP.com Gugelmin had clocked a time of 25.713 seconds on the first of his two flying qualifying laps, however, the #17 Nextel PacWest Mercedes-Benz was five pounds under the official weight minimum of 1550lbs. "To work as hard as hard as we did and fail tech is enormously frustrating and disappointing," said Gugelmin in a statement after the qualifying rounds. "It is going to be hard enough to pass here tomorrow as it is without starting at the back of the grid. There will be a lot of places to be gained with the right pit strategy, but I don't know about 25 places. The pit stops and re-starts are almost certain to decide this race. Mark Blundell, driver of the #18 Motorola PacWest Mercedes-Benz, picked up 1.3 seconds in the morning practice session after overnight changes, but he suffered from a major under steer during his qualifying run and only managed a time of 26.154 seconds. Blundell also has plenty of work ahead of him, starting 20th in the 26-car field on the 1.27-mile oval. "It is going to be a long day tomorrow, but maybe we will finally get some luck go our way and we can make up plenty of time in the pits and on the re-starts," commented Blundell. "It would be nice to finish with a points-paying finish with Motorola sponsoring the race this weekend. On Sept. 8, Mercedes-Benz announced its withdrawal from the CART FedEx Championship Series, effective at the end of this season. To date, Mercedes-powered cars have won 19 races, achieved 19 pole positions, and captured the 1997 CART Manufacturers' Championship. Mercedes-Benz has been the engine supplier to PacWest since the beginning of the 1997 championship. In that time PacWest has won four Champ Car races, claimed three pole positions and set the world "closed-course" speed record of 240.942mph at the California Speedway. The team has achieved a total of nine podium finishes, 16 top-five results and 454 championship points for Mercedes-Benz in the manufacturers' championship. "We would certainly like to thank Mercedes-Benz for their commitment to PacWest during the past four years and to the sport of Champ Car racing," said Bruce R. McCaw, president of PacWest Racing Group. "We have a dedicated and loyal team of professionals who are desperate to get back into the winner's circle - and stay there." Sunday's race will also be the final Motorola 300 at the Gateway International Raceway. Defending series champion Juan Montoya has taken pole position with a time of 25.353 seconds and he was followed by Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jimmy Vasser (25.368s) and Team KOOL Green's Paul Tracy (25.500s). Top 10 grid for the Motorola includes position and qualifing times - 4: Dario Franchitti 25.514; position 5: Patrick Carpentier 25.516; position 6: Tony Kanaan 25.561; position 7: Adrian Fernandez 25.573; position 8: Alex Tagliani 25.642; position 9: Helio Castroneves 25.671; and position 10: Cristiano da Matta 25.679.  Andretti Returns to Gateway for Motorola 300 CART FedEx Series
by Betty Magrath, SLFP.com Andretti holds a 19-point lead over Gil de Ferran in the CART FedEx chase (125-106) after Sunday's race at Lexington, Ohio. That Gateway is part of this season's stretch run - the 18th of 21 CART events, plays into Andretti's hands. Andretti has led 236 of the 708 laps run by Champ Cars at Gateway since the Motorola 300 opened the facility Memorial Day Weekend 1997. The 1.27-mile oval is not a true oval, with turns 1 and 2 much tighter than 3 and 4, leading to a compromise in the car setup. No driver or chassis/engine package has dominated in the three-year history. Paul Tracy won the first race in a Mercedes/Penske, Alex Zanardi driving a Honda/Reynard won the second year, and Michael Andretti in a Ford/Swift was the winner the third year. "This track has been pretty good to us, and we want to come back and have another good showing this year," said Andretti in a statement. Andretti tested at Gateway earlier in August to prepare for his title defense. "The Newman/Haas Racing team has had a pretty good oval set-up the last few years, and I think that's been the biggest reason we've done so well. They've given me a really good car to drive here. And (the track's layout) seems to suit me, as well." Andretti and the rest of the CART FedEx Championship Series stars - Castroneves, Franchitti, 1999 Motorola 300 pole-winner Juan Montoya, Jimmy Vasser and Mark Blundell - will take to the track Friday, Sept. 15, with qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 16. The Motorola 300 - Round 18 in the 21-race CART FedEx schedule - will take the green flag at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17. In addition to the FedEx Series, CART's stars of tomorrow will be on full display at Gateway, as the Dayton Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantic Championship series will also race as part of the Motorola weekend. The Toyota Atlantics will race Saturday afternoon after CART FedEx qualifying. The Dayton Indy Lights cars, back at Gateway after a one-year absence, will be the warmup event for Sunday's action, taking the green flag in their race at approximately 11 a.m. Gateway International Raceway's multi-purpose motorsports facility is located at the intersection of Interstate 55-70 and Route 203 in Madison, Illinois, just minutes from downtown St. Louis and in the shadow of the arch. The facility has added comfortable seat backs have been added to the grandstand top levels; upgraded parking, concession and rest room facilities. Tickets for the Motorola 300 are available at the Gateway ticket office or through Ticketmaster. For further information, call the ticket office at (618) 875-7550. 2000 Events: Sept 15 - 17, Motorola 300 CART FedEx ChampionshipCheck out the Entertainment Page for more information on additional events. Return to Southwest Illinois News  
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