Andretti

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Michael Andretti is about to become a team owner. He just doesn't know where, yet.

It was announced last week that Andretti, current team manager Kim Green and Kevin Savoree combined to buy the three-car Team Kool Green from Barry Green. They will take over operation of the team at the end of the 2002 season.

Andretti, Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti currently drive for the team in the CART FedEx Series.

Tracy and Franchitti are not under contract for 2003 and Andretti remains uncertain if his new team will race in CART, the rival Indy Racing League -- or both.

''We're in a limbo state right now,'' Andretti said as he prepared for Sunday's Vancouver Molson-Indy. ''We have all of our options open right now and we're just waiting for some answers.''

The key is sponsorship. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co., which produces Kool cigarettes and has been Green's primary sponsor for several years, is still discussing its plans and is not expected to make a decision until sometime in late August. Motorola, which has been Andretti's sponsor since he joined Green's team last season, is also still working on its decision.

Asked when he needs to start ordering new cars and equipment for 2003, Andretti winced and said, ''It's getting real close, but we're not going to buy anything until we're sure about the sponsorship. It takes cash to do this.''

Despite the nervous wait, the second-generation open-wheel racing star said he is looking forward to being an owner-driver.

''I really like the business side of racing,'' Andretti said. ''From what I understand, though, the worst time of year to be an owner is July through September because that's when the (sponsorship) decisions are made.

''I'm getting a taste of that now.''

Tracy, who says he would like to stay in CART, gave Andretti an inkling about another owner's headache when he said, ''Michael, he's a driver who likes to get paid a lot of money. Now that he's an owner, the shoe's on the other foot. I'm going to give him a dose of his own medicine.''

Michael again
Michael Andretti, CART's career victory leader with 42, will be making his 300th career start Sunday.

''I guess it's an honor to have 300 race starts,'' the 39-year-old driver said. ''But a big part of me just feels old when I hear that statistic.''

Mario Andretti, Michael's father and one of auto racing's all-time greats, retired from open-wheel racing in 1994 at age 44.

Asked if he will continue to drive that long, the younger Andretti said, ''I really don't know. I'm still enjoying it, most of the time, and I still think I can get the job done. I'm just going to take it one year at a time.''

Qualified success
Paul Tracy said CART's new qualifying procedure for road and street courses has made it tough on the drivers.

Last year, CART had one round of qualifying with the drivers split into two sessions. This year, the Champ car series has gone back to qualifying over two days with all the drivers taking part in each of the 60-minute sessions. The drivers are allowed a maximum of 15 laps each day.

Until Saturday, the first 30 to 40 minutes of each session have featured an empty track. The last 20 minutes then turned into a melee, with drivers trying to find a clean lap through heavy traffic.

''You really have to wait for the right opportunity,'' Tracy said before Saturday's session. ''The cars are so finely balanced now and grip is so important. The track condition is so important and you're splitting hairs. I mean, tenths of a second are four or five spots.

''You can't afford to go out there and be the first one, unless you really know you don't have a chance anyway. We've got an hour qualifying session that comes down to basically 16 or 17 minutes in most cases.''

That all changed when Cristiano da Matta, who had mechanical problems Friday, decided he had to go out early to be assured of a clear track. Soon the street circuit was full of cars and stayed fairly busy through the entire session. The series leader wound up winning the pole.

''On this track, it's so easy to get a red flag and a lot of traffic,'' da Matta said. ''We just had to take the chance. The track wasn't the best, but it was good enough.''

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