The leading career winner in the CART FedEx Series has just one victory in the first 16 races -- coming from last on the temporary street circuit in Toronto to take the checkered flag.

	Michael Andretti has one win this year, his first season with Barry Green's Team Motorola.

That's not too surprising, considering Andretti is driving for the new Team Motorola, put together last winter as a third entry by team owner Barry Green, who also runs the two-car Team Kool Green operation with Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy.

Somehow, though, Andretti has hung in the championship race. With four races remaining, the 1991 series champion is third, trailing leader Kenny Brack by 22 points -- exactly the number available at each race.

After some up and down performances early in the the year, Andretti has settled into a pattern of success, with four consecutive top-five finishes going into the opening of practice Friday for the Texaco-Havoline Grand Prix in on a temporary street circuit in downtown Houston.

Andretti is very aware he needs to keep that string going.

"We've been quietly scratching our way to the front in the championship fight, and we can't afford to finish out of the points this weekend," he said. "It would be nice to be on the podium and stay up front for the championship."

With 11 winners already this year -- matching the CART record set in 2000 -- the title remains up for grabs among a handful of drivers, with the top four solidly in contention and several others holding at least an outside chance with 88 points still available.

Brack, trying to add a CART championship to the one he won in the rival Indy Racing League in 1999, has a series-high four victories, but all of them have been on oval tracks. The remaining schedule includes just one oval -- the 2-mile California Speedway, where the finale will be run on Nov. 4.

In between are street races in Houston and Australia and a road race in Monterey, Calif.

"We've had good cars on the road circuits this year, but we haven't had the best luck," said Brack, who drives for Team Rahal. "I still feel my team has a good shot at winning on the road.

"We knew we had a good oval car and the results have shown that. But the team and the engineers have worked very hard to get the car better for the next three road races. I think we'll have a very competitive car at Houston."

There's not much margin for error, with reigning CART champ Gil de Ferran trailing by just six points and his Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves just behind Andretti and 24 points behind Brack.

"With a lot of 90-degree corners, Houston is a place where you cannot make a mistake," said de Ferran, coming off his first victory of the season two weeks ago in England. "The street course is a little bumpy in places as well, which makes it difficult to drive and to get the right set-up."

De Ferran won the Houston pole and finished third in 2000.

"With the points battle so close, Houston will play an important role in the fight for the CART championship," de Ferran said.

Cristiano da Matta, who replaced Andretti in his longtime ride for Newman-Haas Racing, is fifth, 55 points behind, followed by Franchitti, 58 back, rookie Scott Dixon, 61 behind, and Patrick Carpentier, 64 behind.

Casey Mears, nephew of three-time CART champion Rick Mears, will run in Houston for Mo Nunn Racing, filling the seat in the No. 66 Reynard-Honda left vacant when Alex Zanardi was injured last month in Germany.