IN SIGHT Sam Snorish Jr. FOCUS: GIL DE FERRAN De Ferran Poor Gil de Ferran. He won two consecutive CART championships before heading to the Indy Racing League with Roger Penske in 2002. De Ferran was in the thick of the title battle with teammate Helio Castroneves and defending IRL champ Sam Hornish Jr., but an injury in the season's penultimate race at Chicagoland dashed his hopes. Fast forward to 2003 and things begin to look up with a runner-up finish in the season-opener at Homestead, Fla. But another race, another injury. This time it's Phoenix, and a concussion and fractures to his neck and lower back caused him to miss the next race (in Japan) and likely again miss out on a championship race. But none of that matters. Not this month. Because now it's Indy time and de Ferran is back. "For me, Indianapolis will be like a second start to my season," said de Ferran, who has been cleared to practice and race at The Brickyard. De Ferran was 15th in Sunday's practice but notched the fourth-best speed in Monday's session. "You've got to get your timing readjusted," de Ferran said. "I haven't gone 200 mph for awhile, so it's just getting your timing. Certainly, I'm not as fit as I was six weeks ago, prior to the accident, but I feel like I'm in good enough shape to drive and go fast." Castroneves has won two consecutive Indy 500s. De Ferran finished 10th last season after some pit woes -- he lost his left-rear tire following a pit stop -- but scored a runner-up finish to Castroneves in 2001. De Ferran certainly has the experience to win here. And he's got a good engine, as Penske is Toyota-powered -- though the team is still debating about whether to run a Dallara chassis or a G Force -- and Toyota has won two of the first three races this season. But Roger Penske having a strong car is a given. At this point, it's more about de Ferran finding his comfort levels. And he's doing that. "I'm very happy with the way things are progressing," de Ferran said Monday. "I particularly enjoyed the middle part of the afternoon, as I was mostly running by myself. It really gave me the opportunity to get into my own groove and continue to get my rhythm back. "At the end of the session, we got a couple of quick laps in, which put us in the top five for the day." So might de Ferran be on track to steal a page from his charasmatic teammate's book and do some fence-climbing a few Sundays from now? "It's only Monday. The most important thing is to keep focused, keep our head down and keep working." PIT PASS Welcome back, Bryan: Bryan Herta, where have you been? The talented Michigan native has been unable to crack the regular CART and IRL lineups over the past couple of years, despite the fact he has two wins and seven poles in an eight-year CART career -- not to mention his 1993 Indy Lights championship. Herta will fill in for Dario Franchitti for next month's IRL events at Texas Motor Speedway and Pikes Peak International Raceway and will serve as a back-up driver to Robby Gordon, who is replacing Franchitti at Indy. Franchitti was injured in a motorcycle accident last month. "This is a fantastic opportunity," said Herta, who spent 2002 in a Panoz LMP 01 in the American Lemans Series where he finished 10th. "I was pleased when Michael (Andretti) called and asked if I could drive for Andretti Green Racing until Dario gets better. I'm excited to drive for a high-caliber team like Andretti Green." Andretti, who is retiring following this year's Indy 500, felt team chemistry was an important aspect in finding a replacement for Franchitti. "I think Bryan is a very talented driver," Andretti said. "He will also fit in well with the team. One of the most important parts of a team is its chemistry. I feel his personality and the way he carries himself is going to be a great fit for the team." It's Spring Cleaning time. Both Jeff Green and Steve Park lost their Winston Cup rides this week. Green has struggled in 2003, notching just one top-10 finish in 11 starts and sitting 32nd in points. But he was the best RCR driver in 2002, as his overall 17th-place finish was better than teammates Robby Gordon (20th) and Kevin Harvick (21st). And Green really hasn't been terrible this season -- it's just that he hasn't been all that great, either. After two consecutive 30th-or-worse finishes to start the season, Green finished between 19th and 29th in seven of the next eight races -- the one exception being his lone top-10 of the year, a seventh-place at Texas. But team frustrations with his lack of productivity apparently came to a head after his 40th-place finish at Richmond on Saturday. Of course, the poor finish was caused by Harvick wrecking Green. And the firing might have been caused by Green ripping Harvick. It's one thing to get spun out. It's another thing to get spun out by your teammate," Green said after the incident. "Can't hardly swallow that. Tough to be teammates when it seems like there's only one car at RCR. "I'm trying to be the best teammate I can be and some other people don't be -- that's what I told (Richard)." And it does seem that Harvick is the crown jewel of the RCR stable. After all, if all of Harvick's troubles and controversies over the past couple of seasons -- including a suspension -- aren't enough to get him canned, then nothing is. Of course, Harvick, who shined after taking over for the late Dale Earnhardt after Daytona in 2002, is currently in the top-10 in points. That's a sure way to keep your job. Park, meanwhile, had been dealing with rumors of his dismissal for what seems like a couple of years. But after winning the pole at Fontana a couple of weeks ago, Park took the critics to task. "Amid all the media rumors about me losing my job ... our contract's up at the end of the year," Park said heatedly after winning the pole. "I guarantee you I plan being in that car until the end of the year. "I don't race for 20th. I race to win. If I don't have the confidence in my team and myself, I need to go somewhere else. We need to win races and we're not going to quit this year until we have. That will quiet all the critics." Park failed to lead the first lap of that race and finished 40th after crashing out. Last weekend at Richmond? Another crash. Finshed 43rd. First Green. Then Park. Looks like RCR and DEI are taking out the trash. But one person's trash is another's treasure. Could Park's dismissal have anything to do with Green's availability? Seems so. DEI snatched up Green to replace Park, clearly believing the move was an upgrade. And DEI must also thing Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip are easier to deal with than Harvick and Gordon. After all, it's not terribly likely that Green was the bad apple in that bunch. Park, meanwhile, didn't have any issues with his teammates. But might he have to deal with some soon? Will Park land a ride with RCR? Not as likely. But Park might just be able to add a zero to his car number, as Jerry Nadeau's No. 01 car does need a driver. As for RCR's opening, the team is expected to name a replacement for Green sometime this week -- possibly Friday. EXHAUST FUMES Good for F1?: Ferrari has its new car and Michael Schumacher has two consecutive wins (one in the new ride). It appears Ferrari is back on track, and Schumacher couldn't be happier. "This new car is something very special," Schumacher said. "We are happy to be here with the new car because I think the old car wouldn't have been able to make it." Well, not sure we believe that. But McLaren struggled and Williams still seems to be a step behind. So despite all of the off-season rules changes, are we about to see more Ferrari dominance? After all, here's what Ferrari boss Jean Todt had to say about the old F2002 car: "It was a car which will always have a place in the history of Ferrari and of Formula One itself." And the new car is better? "I am so much in love with this car," Schumacher said. "It's fantastic what they've done." Sure, there will be good stories -- like Fernando Alonso at home in Spain -- throughout the rest of the year. But if the new Ferrari is as good as it seems, a Schumacher runaway might be on the horizon. Again. Let the Tifosi celebrations begin. OVERHEARD Tony Kanaan On returning from his injury: "It feels good, I tell you. I felt better the first two laps I did than my win at Phoenix. I'm very happy to be back." Joe Nemechek On his win at Richmond: "We just needed something not to go wrong." Kyle Petty On Jerry Nadeau's wreck: "It's not the safest sport. But we know that, and we accept that."

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