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Tuesday, March 6
Drivers to Watch
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Check out a short list of drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Monterrey, Mexico.

Michael Andretti
Left Newman-Haas Racing after 10 years of successful driving; now racing for Team Motorola; finished 2000 eighth in the points race; won races in Japan and Toronto for a career total of 40; the win in Toronto was the sixth of his career at the venue; other podium results were second at Milwaukee and Michigan where he was just 0.40 seconds behind Juan Montoya; although in the CART series for a very long time, he only captured one championship in 1991 and has finished second five times.

Kenny Brack
A stellar inaugural season in 2001 for the Swedish driver capped by Rookie of the Year honors; gave Team Rahal a strong fourth place finish overall in the standings; earned points in 14 races with two second-place finishes at Cleveland and in Australia; has performed at a top level in every series he competed in. IRL champion and Indianapolis 500 winner in 1999.

Helio Castroneves
Produced stellar performances in his debut season with Team Penske; the 25-year-old Brazilian broke through with three victories, three poles and a career best seventh-place finish in the points standings; wins came at Detroit, Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca; one of the most likeable personalities on the circuit, he received the inaugural Greg Moore Legacy Award, which honors the driver who best exemplifies Greg Moore's combination of outstanding talent on the track and a dynamic personality with the fans, media and CART community.

Adrian Fernandez
Formed his own team this year and signed Shinji Nakano as his No. 2 driver; recorded the best season of his career in 2000 with a runner-up finish in the points race to Gil de Ferran; scored points in 17 races including the last 13; victories came at Rio de Janeiro and Australia, with other podium finishes in Toronto, Road America and Vancouver.

Gil de Ferran
Gave Team Penske its first championship since 1994; registered two wins including the milestone 100th for Penske Racing at Nazareth (PA); also had five poles and 15 points-earning results en route to his first CART championship; established a new world record closed-course speed of 241.428 miles per hour at California; ranked fourth in the series in laps led and third in laps completed.

Dario Franchitti
The personable Scotsman looked to be a favorite for the title after a close run in 1999 which saw him finished tied for the points championship with Juan Montoya but end up second based on fewer wins (two); his season was rather disapppointing following a preseason crash in which he sustained brain contusions and broke his pelvis; the 27-year old finished in just nine of 20 races, but made those count with podium finishes at Motegi, Michigan, Vancouver and Monterey, CA; placed 13th in the final points standings.

Bruno Junqueira
Newcomer to the CART series from the Formula 3000 series where he was champion last year; Target-Chip Ganassi Racing signed the promising young driver, who tested well on oval tracks at Las Vegas, Nazareth (PA) and Phoenix; is expected to be competitive throughout the season along with fellow rookie Nicolas Minassian.

Cristiano da Matta
First-time winner in 2000, taking the flag at Chicago Motor Speedway; another top finish was third in Cleveland; 10th in the final points standings with 112 points; has reputation of solid driving with success in Indy Lights, Formula 3, Formula Fords and go-karts; was a winner in all circuits mentioned and captured championships in them as well; the 28-year-old should a have a good season.

Roberto Moreno
Returns to Patrick Racing for his second season; finished 2000 a career-high third in the points standings, led the standings for the first time and recorded his first CART win and pole (both at Cleveland); was among the points leaders almost the entire season; earned points in 14 of 20 races with 12 top-10 scores inclduing six podium finishes.

Max Papis
One of the most talented drivers in the series, but had a setback in 2000 despite driving to his first career victory in Miami; this will be his third season with Team Rahal; placed a disappointing 14th in the standings with just 88 points; is an accomplished open-wheel racer with experience in go-karts, Formula 3, Formula 3000 and a short stint in Formula One.

Paul Tracy
The 31-year-old Canadian was a title contender from the start of the season in 2000; his impressive run from 23rd to his first career road course victory at Elkhart Lake was the drive of the year; despite a string of misfortunes in the middle of the season, he captured three wins, one pole and 11 finishes in the points to complete the season standings in fifth place; second to Michael Andretti, with most wins among active drivers; his Team KOOL Green pit crew proved they were No. 1 by beating four other teams to win the Craftsman Pit Crew Challenge for a second successive year.

Jimmy Vasser
Had a strong season in 2000 finishing sixth in the championship standings; closed the campaign with points in six of his last seven races including his first win (in Houston) since the California Speedway in 1998; it was his ninth career triumph; completed 15 of 20 races with 14 top-10 results; this is his 10th season in CART; one of three Americans currently competing in the FedEx Championship series; signed with Patrick Racing.

Alex Zanardi
Returns to the series where he captured two championships before trying his luck in the Formula One circuit; his 1999 stint in F1 was not successful; signed with Mo Nunn Racing and hopes to pick up where he left off in the series; second-year team owner Morris Nunn engineered Zanardi's 15 wins and 10 poles from 1996-98 while with Target Ganassi; will drive a Honda powered Reynard, with sponsorship from Pioneer and WorldCom.

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