De Ferran Could Be First Driver To Win '500,' Season Title in Same Year Since 1995
By Paul Kelly
indy500.com
Friday, October 10, 2003
The Chevy 500 will be a milestone race in Gil de Ferran's illustrious career, for many reasons.
First, it will be de Ferran's final race, as he is retiring after the Oct. 12 event at Texas Motor Speedway. Second, de Ferran is one of five drivers still in the running to win the IRL IndyCarTM Series championship in the season finale, which will be televised live at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) Sunday on ESPN.
And if de Ferran can win the title at Texas, he will be the first driver since 1995 to win the Indianapolis 500 and a series championship in the same year. Jacques Villeneuve won at Indy and captured the CART title in 1995. Current IndyCar Series star Al Unser Jr. achieved the same feat in 1994.
De Ferran is fifth in the chase for the series championship, just 30 points behind Marlboro Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon, tied atop the standings with 467 points.
The title math is simple for de Ferran: He needs to win or finish second at Texas to have any shot of becoming the latest driver to pull off the 500-season title "double" in the same season. But even with a victory, he still needs substandard finishes from Castroneves, Dixon, third-place Tony Kanaan and fourth-place Sam Hornish Jr. to win the title.
"Although we're still mathematically in the championship hunt, we're definitely the long shot, so it'll be important to go into the Texas weekend as focused and prepared as possible," de Ferran said. "I never like being dependent on other drivers' results, but in this case we're going to have to hope that a few of my colleagues have less than perfect luck if we want a chance to win the title.
"I'm also looking forward to Texas because it will be my last time competing in open-wheel racing. After winning the Indianapolis 500 earlier this year, it would be ideal to end my career with the championship, as well."
While no driver ever has won the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series title in the same season, Castroneves could become the third driver to win the IRL crown and Indianapolis 500 during their career. Castroneves won in 2001 and 2002 at Indianapolis. Buddy Lazier won in 1996 at Indy and won the IndyCar Series title in 2000, while Kenny Brack won the IRL title in 1998 and followed with an Indianapolis 500 victory in 1999.
Castroneves has control of his title chances. He will win the championship and the accompanying $1-million bonus if he wins the race, regardless of the results of the other four title protagonists. He also can finish as low as 22nd and still capture the title depending on where Dixon, Kanaan, Hornish and de Ferran finish.
"We are just going to go for it and give it our all," Castroneves said. ***
2004 IMS tickets: Tickets and information on all three events in 2004 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and United States Grand Prix - are available by contacting the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY, (317) 492-6700 or logging on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.
Related Stories
- Indianapolis 500 Veteran Weld Dies At 64
- Winning Indianapolis 500 Riding Mechanic Dunham Dies At 96
- ABC, IMS Extend Indianapolis 500 Partnership Through 2012
| Indianapolis 500 Talkback | Post Comment |
|
|
|