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Motorola 300
Motorola 300 racing fans at Gateway International Raceway © photo by Bob Moore, SLFP.com

Gateway International Raceway Juan Montoya Easily Wins Motorola 300

by Betty Magrath, SLFP.com
photos by Bob Moore, SLFP.com

MADISON, IL, (SLFP.com), Sept. 17, 2000 - Defending CART series champion Juan Montoya, the "Great One", roared away from his pole position to take the lead in the first lap of the Motorola 300 and never looked back.

Following a parachute jump by the U.S. Army Golden Knights, the green flag was waved for the start of the race at 1:41 p.m. at the Gateway International Raceway. Thousands of race fans stood cheering as the cars screemed around the turns of the 1.27-mile oval track. On Lap 10, the running order was Target/Chip Ganassi Racing driver #1 Montoya leading by 1.090 seconds, followed by teammate #12 Jimmy Vasser, #26 Paul Tracy, #27 Dario Franchitti and #55 Tony Kanaan.

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Juan Montoya waves to the crowd prior to the running of the Motorola 300
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Although #6 Michael Andretti, with his Newman/Haas entry, dominated most of the race, Montoya seized the moment when Andretti's Ford-Cosworth engine failed with only 39 laps to go. Andretti picked up one point for leading the most laps and came out of the weekend third in the standings with 127 points. Team KOOL Green Paul Tracy, who won the Inaugural Motoral 300 race in 1997, hit the Turn 4 wall on Lap 215. The incident flattened a rear tire, forcing him to withdraw from the race.

The temperature on the track was 118 degrees F. at the start of the race and rose steadily throughout. The heat didn't hinder Montoya from smashing the race record on his way to his third win of the season. Montoya was followed by Patrick Carpentier and Roberto Moreno. Gil de Ferran finished eighth.

PacWest Racing drivers Mauricio Gugelmin and Mark Blundell had one of their toughest days at the office in this year's FedEx Championship Series and finished out of the points in the race. Gugelmin, driver of the #17 Nextel PacWest Mercedes-Benz, struggled all day but suffered a mechanical problem on lap 198 and was forced to end his race. He finished 19th.

"I had a bad vibration for my last three laps, but we don't exactly know what the problem was," Gugelmin said in a statement after the race. "We decided to park it to avoid the risk of something major going wrong and us ending up in the wall."

Juan Montoya
Target crewman sports a Rams #13 jersey while preparing Montoya's car in the pit prior to the start of the Motorola 300.
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Mark Blundell, driver of the #18 Motorola PacWest Mercedes-Benz, started 20th, but was forced back into the pits with an engine-related problem. His crew was forced to call it a day with just 64 laps into race.

"It sounds like a broken record, but you really have to feel for this Motorola crew, who have done nothing but work their hearts out all year. I guess we just put our heads down and go to the next one," said Blundell, who will be leaving the PacWest team at the end of the season.

In addition to seeing Round 18 in the 21-race CART FedEx Series, racing enthusiasts enjoyed the action of the Dayton Indy Lights as the warmup event for the final Motorola 300 at the Gateway International Raceway. The day-long event also featured an Expo area and an opportunity for fans to mingle with racing personnel and inspect racing cars up close.

The 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 to the grandstand top levels; upgraded parking, concession and rest room facilities.Red Dot

2000 Events:

October 13 - 14, ASA ACDelco Series American Speed Association (night race)

Check out the Entertainment Page for more information on additional events.

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