• Dario Franchitti (KOOL Honda Reynard) of Team KOOL Green owns a pairof podium results in three career starts on the streets of Houston, toppedby a victory in the inaugural event in 1998,when he led all 70 laps. He alsofinished second to teammate Paul Tracy in 1999, leading three laps. He hasstarted on the outside pole twice, in 1998 and last year.
• Paul Tracy (KOOL Honda Reynard), Dario Franchitti's Team KOOL Greenteammate, drove to victory at Houston in 1999, leading 85 of 100 laps. Healso finished fourth last year. His top start at the venue is third in 1999.
• Jimmy Vasser (Patrick Racing Toyota Reynard) of Patrick Racing isthe defending Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston champion, having led 31laps en route to last year's triumph. He also scored championship pointswith a fourth-place finish in 1998 and has started third twice at the venue,in 1998 and last year.
• Max Papis (Miller Lite Ford Lola) of Team Rahal has earned a pair oftop-five finishes in three career starts on the streets of Houston, fifth in1998 and fourth in 1999.
• Tony Kanaan has scored championship points in all three of hiscareer appearances in Houston, topped by a podium result of third during hisrookie season of 1998. He also finished ninth in 1999 and 10th last year.Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston Advance

• Honda-powered drivers have won four of the five FedEx ChampionshipSeries events contested on temporary street circuits this season, gettingvictories from Helio Castroneves at Long Beach and Detroit, Dario Franchittiat Cleveland and Michael Andretti at Toronto. Honda has also won two of thethree FedEx Championship Series events contested on the streets of Houston,with Franchitti (1998) and Paul Tracy (1999) doing the honors. Honda-powereddrivers have won 21 of the past 26 FedEx Championship Series eventscontested on temporary street circuits, dating to Alex Zanardi's victory atLong Beach on April 5, 1998.
• Reynard chassis have won all five FedEx Championship Series eventscontested on temporary street circuits this season. The wins have come fromHelio Castroneves at Long Beach and Detroit, Dario Franchitti at Cleveland,Michael Andretti at Toronto and Roberto Moreno (Visteon Toyota Reynard) atVancouver.

• Mo Nunn Racing announced last week that 23-year-old Casey Mears willdrive the Pioneer Honda Reynard beginning with this weekend'sTexaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston. It will be the car's first appearancein a FedEx Championship Series event since a tragic accident at EuroSpeedwayin Lausitz, Germany on Sept. 15 in which two-time FedEx Championship Serieschampion Alex Zanardi lost both his legs. Zanardi continues his recovery atBerlin's Marzahn Hospital. Mears is a veteran of Dayton Indy Lights and IndyRacing League competition, and finished second and third, respectively, inthe 1999 and 2000 Dayton Indy Lights championships. He made his FedExChampionship Series debut for Team Rahal in the 2000 season finale atCalifornia Speedway, finishing fourth. "First of all, I just want to say Iwas shocked, along with the rest of the racing universe, at what happened toAlex [Zanardi}," said Mears, nephew of three-time FedEx Championship Serieschampion Rick Mears. "Alex has an incredible amount of fans and loyalsupporters, and I am definitely one of his biggest. With that, I am verythankful for this tremendous opportunity. Fortunately, we get to start thisrun at race tracks that I am very familiar with. I'm looking forward todriving for Mo Nunn, and I just hope I can help carry on the legacy of AlexZanardi." In addition to his fourth-place finish at California Speedway,Mears also had strong Indy Lights performances at Houston and Laguna Seca,two of the remaining four stops on the FedEx Championship Series trail, lastyear. He won from the pole at Houston and finished second from the pole atLaguna Seca. "Casey's experience at those three events was a big plus forhim in our search for a driver," said team owner Morris Nunn. "Plus, healready has a strong relationship with our sponsor, WorldCom, and it's agreat opportunity for us to showcase a young American driver."
• Champ Car legend Mario Andretti, author Gordon Kirby and publisherDavid Bull will introduce their new biography, Mario Andretti: A DrivingPassion, at this weekend's Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston. The bookis the first comprehensive biography of Andretti's racing life, whichincluded 52 victories in a record 407 Champ Car starts, a record 67 polepositions, and a record 7,587 laps led. Andretti won United States Auto Clubnational championships in 1965, '66 and '69, the 1978 Formula One WorldChampionship, and the 1984 FedEx Championship Series championship. As partof the launch, Andretti and Kirby will participate in a book signing onWednesday, October 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Borders Books and Musicstore at 3025 Kirby Drive on the corner of Alabama in Houston. Furtherinformation on Mario Andretti: A Driving Passion is available from TracyMoore at David Bull Publishing (602) 852-9500.
• With the deadline for voting in the WorldCom Most Popular DriverAward and Sweepstakes just a week away, the top five drivers,alphabetically, are Michael Andretti, Kenny Brack, Helio Castroneves, AdrianFernandez and Paul Tracy. Over 27,000 ballots have been cast in the contest,which continues through Wednesday, Oct. 10. One lucky voter will be selectedto win a trip to the season-ending Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota, Nov. 4at California Speedway, then present the award to the winning driver at theFedEx Championship Series Awards ceremonies on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas, inaddition to driving a replica Champ Car as part of the CART 101 DrivingExperience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Votes may be cast on both the CARTand WorldCom websites, at www.cart.com and www.WORLDCOMRACING.com,respectively.
• Argentine Martin Basso, who currently ranks third in the 2001 ToyotaAtlantic Championship, conducted a successful first-ever Champ Car test atSebring International Raceway last week. The 27-year-old Basso, whocurrently competes for Michael Shank Racing in the Toyota Atlanticchampionship, drove the Dale Coyne Racing Ford Lola during the test, inpreparation for a possible 2002 FedEx Championship Series effort with theteam. "The car feels very responsive and was a pleasure to drive," Bassosaid afterward. "The power and braking forces take some getting used to, butI was very pleased with our progress over the two days. Basso is a two-yearveteran of the Toyota Atlantic series, and earned the series' "Rising StarAward" following a 2000 season which saw him finish fourth in thechampionship with one victory and nine top-five finishes in 12 starts. Healso has experience in both the South American Formula 3 and Formula SuperRenault series. "We have brought several rookie drivers to the CART seriesover the years," said team owner Dale Coyne. "You usually know on the firstday of testing what you have, and given Martin's approach and performancehere at Sebring, I'm confident he will be a solid force amongst what wefirmly believe is the most competitive open-wheel series in the world."
• FedEx Championship Series leader Kenny Brack of Team Rahal will bethe featured guest at the final CART Wheels for Kids event of the 2001season on Thursday morning, Oct. 4, at Houston's Hamilton Middle School.Brack will speak to the students on automobile, helmet and seat belt safetyand will discuss his FedEx Championship Series season, which has includedseries-high totals of four victories and six pole positions. This will bethe seventh appearance of the season CART Wheels for Kids program, which isco-sponsored by CART, Ford Racing, Shell and Simple Green. Previous stopshave come at Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Jackson, Mich., Chicago andColumbus, Ohio.
• CART.com, the official web site of the FedEx Championship Series,established a new record for visitors in one month during September. A totalof 1,690,506 visitors logged onto CART.com last month, eclipsing theprevious record of 1,334,850 visitors established in July, 2000. The sitehas had over 8 million visitors thus far in 2001, and appears to be on paceto break the record of 9,779,085 visitors established last year.

• Qualifying for the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston will air2:30 a.m. ET Sunday on ESPN2. CART 2Day airs 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPN2, whileESPN's live race broadcast begins 2 p.m. ET. Sunday's race will also air onthe CART Radio Network and on CART's official website, which will also carrySaturday's qualifying, at www.cart.com .

MICHAEL ANDRETTI (Motorola Honda Reynard), on the FedEx Championship Seriesstretch run: "We've been quietly scratching our way to the front in thechampionship fight, and we can't afford to finish out of the points thisweekend in Houston. It would be nice to be on the podium and stay up frontfor the championship."

KENNY BRACK (Shell Ford Lola), on changing his luck on FedEx ChampionshipSeries road circuits: "We've had good cars on the road circuits this yearbut we haven't had the best luck. But I feel the Shell team has a good shotat winning on the road. We knew we had a good oval car and the results haveshown that. But the Shell team and the engineers have worked very hard toget the car better for the next three road races. I think we'll have a verycompetitive car at Houston. We had a good trip to Europe as we took over thepoint lead. It's fun when you are running well and leading the points. Weare down to the tough stretch now. Four races in five weeks. Houston is avery tight circuit. It is mentally draining. You cannot make a mistake onthat course. Plus passing is very difficult. So qualifying up in the frontwill be a key. We have qualified pretty well on temporary circuits this yearwith a pole at Mexico, a second at Long Beach, third at Toronto and fourthat Vancouver. We just haven't got to the checkered flag. I hope that willchange at Houston. A win at Houston would be big for our Shell team. We wantto get a win on the roads. With Shell based in Houston, it would be a greatplace to win."

GIL de FERRAN (Marlboro Honda Reynard), on the challenges of racing atHouston: "With a lot of ninety degree corners, Houston is a place where youcannot make a mistake. The street course is a little bumpy in places aswell, which makes it difficult to drive and to get the right set-up. I knewlast year's race would be a key to the championship and it was important forMarlboro Team Penske to take the pole and finish on the podium [de Ferranfinished third after starting on the pole]. Once again, with the pointsbattle so close [de Ferran is six points out of first place in thechampionship], Houston will play an important role in the fight for the CARTchampionship."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (Marlboro Honda Reynard), on the demands of the Houstonstreet course: "The Houston street circuit is tough on brakes and equipment.There is only one straightaway with a top speed of about 175 miles per hour,which does not allow for a lot of air to cool the brakes, so we have to makesure they don't overheat. The track is bumpy at the braking points whichmakes it a challenge for both the driver and the engineers to find the rightset-up. Marlboro Team Penske has been doing relatively well on streetcircuits so we are hoping for a good result this weekend. Last year, I hada good run for the pole but got held up in traffic on the last turn of mylast qualifying lap. In the race, we lost time in the pits when the Teamhad to recock the fuel valve, which cost us track position. We were able tobring it home in the points [Castroneves finished fifth], which we need todo again this year to stay in the hunt for the championship."

CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI (Kmart Toyota Lola), on the importance of theTexaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston to Newman/Haas Racing: "We have beenmore competitive on street courses this season so I am looking forward toracing in Houston, not only for that reason but also because it is aTexaco/Havoline event and [team owner] Carl [Haas] is involved. Our chancesof winning the championship are slim to none right now but we are workingtoward being more competitive the rest of this season and possibly getting awin, as well as focusing on next season. I think we will be strong in allfour of the remaining events. I have run in the top five or six in all ofthe [previous] events in Houston, but it would be nice to finish on thepodium and keep improving our car. We need a good finish but first we needto finish in general because we have not done that as much this year."

CRISTIANO da MATTA (Texaco/Havoline/Kmart Toyota Lola), on the Newman/Haasteam's improvement on road and street circuits: "We started off the seasonstrong with a first- and second-place finish and then had some things out ofour control happen and were not as competitive at a few places mid-season,but have made a huge improvement with our road and street course set-ups, soI think we will run well in Houston. The Newman/Haas cars have run well inHouston the last couple of years and I look forward to going anywhere theircars run well. It is an important race for me because I am theTexaco/Havoline driver and you always want to do well for your sponsorseverywhere you go, but racing in their hometown at a race in their namepushes you even harder. I don't think it is extra pressure so much as it isextra motivation. The championship is not in my mind right now, although weare still mathematically in it, but it would take a lot of luck and otherguys not finishing races. Winning the championship depends on so manyfactors other than just my performance, which puts everything up in the air.We will take each event separately, race by race. Finishing in the top fiveis my goal right now. Being that it was my first year with this team and wehave scored three podium finishes, including a win, is good, although we arenowhere near satisfied with those results."

PAUL TRACY (KOOL Honda Reynard), on Team KOOL Green's success in Houston:"The streets of Houston have been pretty good to Team KOOL Green over theyears and I hope it turns out that way again this weekend. We've had goodcars and bad luck this year, but I think we've got a good shot at successhere. This is also the fourth race [of five] where we're raising money forthe 100 Black Men of America, so it would mean even more if we do well.Dario [Franchitti, teammate] and I have both won here before, and wefinished one-two in 1999, so it could be a nice donation for the 100 onSunday."

DARIO FRANCHITTI (KOOL Honda Reynard), on the keys to a successfulperformance in Houston: "Qualifying up front and avoiding mistakes is thekey to success in Houston. You have to be on the top of your game at astreet circuit like this because it challenges you on every lap. Team KOOLGreen has had a lot of success on the streets of Houston and I've qualifiedin the front two rows every year. So maybe we can turn our luck around andcome out of Houston with a great finish. Another win this season would begreat not only for the team, but it would also mean a nice bonuscontribution to the 100 Black Men of America program."

SCOTT DIXON (Enron Powerware PacWest Toyota), on rebounding from a toughEuropean trip: "We're coming off a pretty difficult two weeks in Europe sothis final stretch of races, beginning with Houston, will prove to be veryimportant to us for several reasons. We definitely need a good showing inHouston to strengthen our position for a final run at the championship, butI would also like to maintain my hold on Rookie of the Year, which I thinkwould be a great accomplishment for my team and me if we can win it. A goodresult on a street course would really help me since three of the last fourraces are on street or road circuits. The weekend is also very importantfrom a sponsorship standpoint. Enron Corporation has signed on to be theprimary sponsor on my car this weekend so I really want to put on a goodshow for them since they are headquartered in Houston and maintain such ahigh profile in the city. Because of Enron's involvement with us thisweekend, we will also proudly display United Way and Houston Astros signageon the Number 18 car. Enron will have a lot of employees and guests inattendance, so I plan on representing them well and hopefully we cancontinue our relationship with them in 2002 and for years to come."

PATRICK CARPENTIER (Player's/Indeck Ford Reynard), on the assortedchallenges of racing in Houston: "You have to be prepared for everything inHouston. In the three years I've raced on the Houston street circuit, we'vehad to contend with all the elements - rain one year and hot, humidconditions the next - so you have to make sure you're in peak shape, bothmentally and physically. Fortunately, the week off after we got back fromthe races in Europe has done a lot to get me re-charged to tackle theHouston course. I'm still looking to finish my first race on the Houstontrack. Team Player's has been unlucky there in the past, but this year thecar has been consistently reliable, so that's a good sign we can turn ourfortunes around in Houston.

"The last time Team Player's ran on a street course was in Vancouver beforethe two races in Europe, and we were one-two on the starting grid. It wouldbe nice to do that in Houston. That's certainly the goal going into therace, and we'll be helped by the fact both Alex [Tagliani, teammate] and Iwill be in the faster qualifying group. Because the track in Houston is atemporary street course, there's quite often a lot of oil and dirt that worktheir way into the surface from the street cars that use it year round. Thatmakes it quite slick if you're in the slower qualifying group, before a lotof rubber is laid down."

ALEX TAGLIANI (Player's/Indeck Ford Reynard), "It was good to get back homeafter the races in Europe. I was able to catch my breath, rest up and nowI'm focused on the race in Houston. The way I see it, we're into the final sprint of the season, with four racesto go, and I'm going to give it everything I have to come up with a winbefore it's over. The Team Player's crew has given me a great car on roadand street courses all season long and I'm convinced that in one of theselast four races, everything is going to fall into place and we're going totake that checkered flag. Houston is probably the slowest of the streetcourses we've raced on this season. At least, it's the only street coursewhere qualifying [speeds] will be under 100 miles an hour. It's a racingsurface that changes almost from minute to minute, so you really have tokeep your wits about you and be able to adapt to these changes. You alsohave to be patient because you'll get some opportunities to pass, especiallyon the long backstretch between Turns 4 and 5. But it's the type of circuitwhere good pit strategy and the ability to gain on re-starts after cautionsare key factors in being able to finish at the front."

TONY KANAAN (Hollywood Honda Reynard), on returning to competition in theUnited States: "Well, it's back to business in the States. I never felt sogood to get back home as I did after Germany and England. That was one ofthe most frightening and heartbreaking two weeks in my life, first with thetragedies in New York and Washington, and then with one of the most violentaccidents I have seen in my 15 years of racing ending the career my teammateand one of my best friends [Alex Zanardi]. The President says it's good forAmerica to get back to work, to get everything back to normal after theterroristattacks. That's the best medicine, just like it will be for our team tocarry on. I welcome my new teammate, Casey Mears. I drove against him inIndy Lights [in 1997] and he's going to be a good addition to our team. Myother teammate was 'Uncle Alex,' but now it feels like I'm 'Uncle Tony' toCasey, although I'm not too much older than he is! I have to say I hope itdoesn't rain in Houston on qualifying day. It was a shame in Germany and inEngland that I had the fastest car in practice and in the warm-up session,but we had to start according to the point standings [because of rain inGermany and water seepage on the track in England]. The result in Englandwould have been much different, for sure. I really wanted to win that onefor Alex. Hey, he's going to be okay and that is motivating all of us towin one before the end of the year."

ADRIAN FERNANDEZ (Tecate/Quaker State/Telmex Honda Reynard), on competing inHouston, near his native Mexico: "I have had a lot of support from the fansin Houston over the years which is always nice. I also have a lot of friendsthere. When I was a little kid, I was in an exchange program to learnEnglish. I would stay with a family in Houston for a month and their childwould stay with my family in Mexico. I always enjoy going to Houston. Thiswill be a busy weekend for us. Most of my sponsors - Tecate, Quaker Stateand Telmex - are coming this weekend. I am really looking forward tofinishing this race. Unfortunately, we have had a few engine problemsrecently that haven't let us earn any points. Hopefully, our time will comeat Houston."

MAX PAPIS (Miller Lite Ford Lola), on the demands the Houston road courseplaces on cars and drivers: "Last year's race was very hard on the cars anddrivers. The Houston track is so tight and hard to pass. A driver can'tplace a wheel wrong or his car is in the wall. I think you've seen that thepast few years on the Houston track. I wish the track was a little wider forsome more passing. But it's a street circuit and you have just enough roomfor two cars. So qualifying well is very important. Houston is a great racefor the fans. They are very friendly and excited about our racing. And Ilike the town a lot. I've had some good runs there in the past. I took theToyota car to its highest finish [fifth at the time] in the rain in 1999.And I just missed the podium in 2000 [fourth]. Now it's time to get to thatimportant podium."

CASEY MEARS (Pioneer Honda Reynard), on making his inaugural appearance ofthe 2001 FedEx Championship Series season this weekend: "Right now, I haveto say I'm going into this with an open mind about everything. Obviously,we haven't had the opportunity to do any testing. But I feel really goodabout this weekend because I won at Houston last year [in Indy Lights]. Ican't wait to get to the track and get started. But, realistically, it'sgoing to take some time to get up to speed in a Champ Car and get to knowthe team better. Tony [Kanaan] ran really strong here last year despitebeing down on horsepower, so I know the team has a good feel for set-upthere. I go into every race with the intention of winning it. But, giventhe timeframe, I think a realistic goal would be a top-10 finish. I haven'trun a temporary street course in a Champ Car. But I have run on roadcourses. I tested at Mid-Ohio with Walker last year. I alsoran Putnam Park twice with PacWest. And I ran at Firebird with Ganassi lastyear. So I definitely know my way around in a Champ Car. I got to spendsome time with Morris [Nunn] in Indy over the [last] weekend and we hit itoff really well. I'm excited to work with him. I've heard so many goodthings about him from so many drivers. It'll be great to experience it formyself."

MAURICIO GUGELMIN (Nextel PacWest Toyota), on the importance of qualifyingwell in Houston: "It will be nice to get back to the streets. Houston hasalways been a tough track for me, and aside from a sixth-place finish in1999, I've really struggled here - as have a lot of others. The track isvery bumpy and it's important to qualify as high as possible although it'snot impossible to pass or charge to the front from the back. I think wehave a pretty reliable street course set-up, so it will important to put upgood times early and build off that over the course of the weekend. Thereliability of the Toyota engine will certainly help me this weekend since Ihaven't had that here in the past. Keeping the car intact is also key sincethis track has always seen a lot of 'off's' in the past. Even though I'mnot in the championship battle this year, I still need to gather up as manypoints as I can, and with Nextel's interest in this market, I would like torepresent them well and put in a good effort for them since they have beenso good to me."

MICHEL JOURDAIN JR. (Herdez Ford Lola), looking forward to a return tostreet-course competition: "I am excited about returning to the streets ofHouston. The last street course we ran on [in Vancouver], I had a good carand I was pretty happy with my sixth-place finish there. I feel we have agood car on the street courses so I'm looking forward to Houston. The waythe schedule finishes works out pretty well for us and I think we'll have avery strong end of the season. All the tracks we have left in the seriessuit us and I'm confident we'll do well on all of them."

SHINJI NAKANO (Avex/Alpine Honda Reynard), on his enjoyment of Houston: "Ilike Houston, both the circuit and the city. My best race last year was atHouston, so I have good memories from there and a good feeling about thisweekend. Houston is a street circuit, so you need to find a setup whichgives you good traction and braking stability. Those are the most importantthings."

TORA TAKAGI (Pioneer/DENSO Special Toyota Reynard), looking forward to morepractice time in Houston : "I am really looking forward to racing inHouston, as the European races were frustrating as far as the schedule forpractice was concerned. I finished in sixth place in Germany, but thingscould have been even better if we had had proper practice or qualifyingtime, but our car has been performing really well nonetheless. In Houston,even if we have rain, we can go out to the track with wet tires, and if wehave a good setup like at the last street race at Vancouver, we should goquite quick early on and finish even better than the seventh place we hadthere."

FAST FACTS FOR THE TEXACO/HAVOLINE GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON