This season consisted of 24 events, encompassing all of the ICR2 tracks in addition to several of the circuits from N1 which lend themselves well to ICR2, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This was actually my first full season, but it was preceded by several months of testing, learning circuits, and working on setups; I hadn't felt I was ready to tackle a championship season until I'd done that. Well, the preparation paid off - I won the Cup. Funny how a simulation can give you such a great feeling of accomplishment!

As of the 15th event at Cleveland, the points situation was tight at the top: de Ferran was first (115); Tracy, Fernandez, and I were all tied for second (112); and Zanardi and Vasser were tied for fifth (111). Moore, very strong early on in the season, had dropped to seventh after wheel bearing problems at Cleveland. With the 23rd event at Sears Point, I had clinched the championship, with the standings as follows: Pitkin (219), Zanardi (189), de Ferran (171), Fernandez (171), and Tracy (160). Tracy leaped to third in the points with his 2nd-place finish at Laguna Seca, so that the final season standings read: Pitkin (219), Zanardi (203), Tracy (177), de Ferran (176), and Fernandez (172). Rounding out the top ten were Vasser, Andretti, Moore, Pruett, and Ribeiro.

Below the stats and results from every event have been posted; the names in parentheses indicate race winners. Races labeled with E were non-point exhibition events. I ran against 29 opponents at 97% strength (and default RELS and BLAP settings for each circuit), with arcade damage but all other realism options on (including random breakdowns and random weather), and at 50% race length. Of note: I began using Brad's driver randomizer with the Darlington exhibition race in hopes that it would even the field out a bit and make for a few surprises, and it did just that - I wouldn't even think of running ICR2 without it now.

1 - Indianapolis 250, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (G. de Ferran)
Laps: 100 • Race time: 1:43:19.9 • Lead changes: 11 • Qualified 1st, finished 17th •
Completed 100 laps, led 20
DNFs: C. Fittipaldi, engine • P. Johnstone, engine • B. Rahal, gearbox • R. Gordon, wheel bearing • R. Hearn, accident
After qualifying on the pole and leading a number of laps, my car seemed to fade a bit and I fell to, I think, 5th; after about 19 laps a caution came out and I pitted. I came out back in the field, hoping that my early stop would avail me later. Well, after another round of pit stops during which I and a handful of other cars were off-schedule from the rest of the pack, my prediction came true and I found myself back out in front. With 19 laps to go, I was leading, figuring the race was mine as long as I could hold these guys off and stay out of trouble - but cold tires and a bit too much speed saw me brush the wall and damage the front wing slightly, bringing out the yellow and sending me in for repairs (not to mention back in the pack). The green flew, and I had moved up to 16th (from 23rd) and was still going strong when I was tagged by Johansson, damaging a wheel and taking me back in for repairs. The green flew with one lap to go and I made a mad dash, managing to take 17th - though I must have known I'd never make 12th, beyond which no points are awarded anyway. I guess old habits (read: NASCAR) die hard! The point for my pole, though, put me in 12th in the standings; could've been worse, but it's sure not what I'd expected when I was sitting there in the lead, my pit strategy having worked to perfection, with just 19 laps to go ...

2 - IndyCarnival, Surfers Paradise, Australia (P. Tracy)
Laps: 32 • Race time: 57:39.2 • Lead changes: 3 • Qualified 23rd, finished 23rd • Completed 31 laps, led 0
DNFs: A. Fernandez, turbo • H. Matsushita, accident • J. Vasser, accident
I never got further than 17th position during the race; I held on to that position for several laps but received some damage to the front wing when I got together with Matsushita (you know you're in trouble when you're actually vying for position with Hiro!), which brought me in for repairs and put me back even further in the pack. A tangle with Vasser, of all people - while being lapped - gave me some serious wheel damage and again sent me into the pits; turns out it actually took Vasser out of the running. So not a good day; I was reasonably sure I wouldn't make the top 12 to begin with, but I would have liked to stay within the top 20. As it turned out, I finished where I'd started.

3 - Motorola 100, Charlotte Motor Speedway (S. Pitkin)
Laps: 67 • Race time: 34:38.3 • Lead changes: 0 • Qualified 1st, finished 1st • Completed 67 laps, led 67
DNFs: E. Lawson, gearbox
Despite mediocre performance in practice, I easily pulled away from the pack at the drop of the green and led all the way to the checkered flag, posting my first win of the season. At one point I had acquired nearly a 15-second lead, which diminished as I navigated through traffic, during which I can't deny I had a couple of close calls - Robby Gordon, for one, made it quite clear he didn't want to be lapped. I was extremely cautious in making every pass, and that caution certainly paid off in the end. My only other problem was a loose condition that developed within the first half-dozen laps (and which I had pretty much expected from my practice sessions) - easily countered by sway bar adjustments at brief intervals and the adoption of a slightly higher line through the turns. Our race setup was phenomenal: minimal tire wear, good grip, smooth cornering.

4 - Marlboro 100, Phoenix International Raceway (G. Moore)
Laps: 100 • Race time: 45:14.7 • Lead changes: 1 • Qualified 2nd, finished 11th • Completed 100 laps, led 47
DNFs: B. Rahal, water pump
Well, after leading the first half of the race, I received a bit of front wing damage in passing a backmarker (what else is new?), which brought out a timely yellow and brought the entire field in for tires and fuel. Due to wing repairs my stop was longer than most, and I came out in 11th, as the last car on the lead lap. I tried moving up through the lapped cars ahead of me, but the Herdez car of Jourdain suddenly braked directly in front of me at one point, sending me plowing into him. Coming out of the pits again I was still in the same position, and for the last 15 or so laps of the race I tried to weave through lapped traffic as best I could, hoping I could catch up to the 10th-place car of Tracy to possibly better my finishing position a bit. But it wasn't to be - don't think I've ever seen lapped cars so competitive! At least I finished in the points, though I fell from 4th to 8th in the standings.

5 - Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (M. Gugelmin)
Laps: 52 • Race time: 53:08.0 • Lead changes: 3 • Qualified 1st, finished 28th • Completed 25 laps, led 21
DNFs: A. Zanardi, wheel bearing • P. Tracy, oil pump • S. Pitkin, accident • M. Andretti,
engine
What a disappointment! This was my first-ever race here, and I'd been pleasantly surprised by my performance in practice and shocked that I had actually qualified on the pole, but the end result was my first DNF of the season. After leading 20 or so laps and maintaining a pretty constant 2-second margin over second-place Boesel I bent my RF wing slightly, so decided to pit for repairs and for the fuel I'd need to go the rest of the way. Tire wear was almost negligible, and I chose not to change tires to save a bit of time; but my car felt extremely slick back out on the track (where I had re-entered the race in 23rd position) and three or four laps later while trying to overtake the car in front of me with an outbraking maneuver going into turn 3 my brakes seemed to suddenly fail and I plowed into the wall. With the left A-arm bent to heck, my day was over. Now I'm anxious to get back here (after the season's over) and redeem myself, because I'd been running so well for about the first half of the race and it was just a little slip in concentration that took me out. Next time ...

6 - The Glen 100, Watkins Glen International (M. Andretti)
Laps: 41 • Race time: 45:05.2 • Lead changes: 8 • Qualified 1st, finished 30th • Completed 32 laps, led 22
DNFs: S. Pitkin, header
Despite the fact that I had the fastest car in the field - and actually turned a record 56.614 lap time during the race - mechanical problems forced me out, making me (somewhat surprisingly) the only DNF of the race. I did grab two points for sitting on the pole and leading the most laps, but that's not much of a consolation. I had pitted on lap 16, a bit earlier than I'd originally planned, and having achieved nearly a half-minute advantage over the second-place car during those first few laps I came out in 14th and worked my way into 11th before the rest of the field started to pit. Finally I was behind only Fernandez, and when he pitted I resumed the lead. The only challenge then was in passing backmarkers, which tends to be more difficult here than on other circuits, with certain areas (including the esses and the inner loop) being serious trouble spots. I was leading when the car broke. Another terrible finish for Velocity Motorsports, though at least this time it wasn't due to driver error!

7 - Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix, Nazareth Speedway (G. Moore)
Laps: 100 • Race time: 41:03.2 • Lead changes: 2 • Qualified 5th, finished 21st • Completed 99 laps, led 59
DNFs: R. Moreno, oil pump
I had a great car here, but it wasn't enough. Taking the lead right off, I struggled for the first few laps to keep Moore (the polesitter) behind me as my tires warmed up, but after half a dozen laps I began pulling away, eventually achieving a 6-second lead as I sliced through lapped traffic. I had found, in practice, a good line around turn 2 which would allow me to overtake backmarkers up high; I refrained from a lot of side-by-side running through turn 1, and was pretty cautious around 3 (but did manage to pull off a few passes there as well). I had been making consistently clean passes and keeping my lead for almost sixty laps until, at some point, something went wrong - I honestly don't remember the incident - but I bent the wing a bit and brought out a yellow. I took on right-side tires and enough fuel to finish in addition to making wing repairs, and came out in 13th position. At the restart I vowed to take it easy for a few laps because I was well aware of the push my car would have on cold tires, but P.J. Jones and, I think, Jourdain were running very slowly and side-by-side in front of me, and finally I re-damaged the wing as Jones apparently made a heavy braking maneuver going into 3. No doubt I was a little over-zealous to get by the two of them, but Jones' move was to say the least unexpected. The damage slowed me down considerably for the last 25 or so laps of the race; eventually I was lapped by Moore (and everyone else) and fell to 21st, the last car one lap down, where I finished. Another instance of backmarker problems ...

8 - Talladega 100, Talladega Superspeedway (S. Pitkin)
Laps: 38 • Race time: 25:24.7 • Lead changes: 3 • Qualified 1st, finished 1st • Completed 38 laps, led 35
DNFs: G. de Ferran, mechanical • J. M. Fangio II, halfshaft
In order for the opposition to be really competitive I had to increase the RELS value in the TALADEGA.TXT file to 130% - even so I was able to qualify on the pole and easily pull away from the field as the race progressed. I pitted with about 12 laps remaining, along with several other cars from the front of the pack, and took on only fuel since tire wear was negligible. I came out in 14th, with all the cars in front of me except Moore still needing to pit. Moore had gotten out of the pits just ahead of me, but his car appeared to be acting strangely and he must have had to come in again, because a couple laps later I found myself back on the point. From there it was a simple matter to pull away from the second-place car of Jourdain (a surprisingly strong performance for him) and take the checkered flag. Interestingly, a lot of the top drivers finished poorly, including Moore (27th), Zanardi (23rd), Fernandez (20th), and Herta (19th).

9 - Miller 100, The Milwaukee Mile (G. Moore)
Laps: 100 • Race time: 42:37.8 • Lead changes: 7 • Qualified 1st, finished 14th • Completed 100 laps, led 12
DNFs: E. Lawson, engine
That high I was on from our win at Talladega didn't last long; we almost managed to finish in the points here, but ended up falling just a bit short. After leading the first 5 or 6 laps the rear end came loose on me in one of the turns, and though I collected it quickly and continued on without a problem, it gave second-place Moore the opportunity to get by me. From there I followed him for the next 50 laps or so, and while I could catch up to him and get right up on his wing, I had difficulty passing him. Eventually backmarkers and some luck allowed me to get by, but after a half-dozen laps he took the position back from me. I had started the race with medium compounds on both the RF and RR, but after 60-odd laps the RF was worn almost to the danger point, so I pitted and took on right-sides, changing the RF to a harder compound. In coming back out I realized just how much of an impact the full load of fuel and the reduced grip at the RF had on my handling; the understeer was terrible. Though I was up in 5th or 6th after pit stops had sorted the field out again, the car was too tight to hang on to the position for long, and I was passed by several cars. After a yellow I got a good run on the restart and made it into 12th, but it didn't last long and I ended up in 14th, the last car on the lead lap. It was a fun race, if not too rewarding points-wise ...

E - MCI Southern 100, Darlington Raceway (exhibition race) (M. Blundell)
Laps: 73 • Race time: 36:59.3 • Lead changes: 5 • Qualified 6th, finished 11th • Completed 73 laps, led 4
DNFs: B. Herta, engine
What a great place to run IndyCars! The AI here are great, and the racing was intense. I managed to take the lead for a fleeting 4 laps fairly early in the race; I'd been running in third for several laps, managing to keep up with the cars in front of me but making little progress as to overtaking them, until traffic slowed them down and (miraculously) allowed me to squeeze by. The first yellow came when I was tagged by Johnstone (who was, literally, driving like a madman, veering this way and that apparently without regard for competitors ... I honestly don't think I've ever seen an AI car so aggressive!). I pitted, took on four tires and fuel and straightened the front wing, and came back out in 13th. It was all I could do to advance to 12th, when Rahal spun with 30 laps to go, bringing out the second yellow and moving me up one more spot. For the rest of the race I struggled to get into and stay in the top ten, managing to make it into 10th a couple of times but always getting shuffled back into 11th. What made this race so entertaining and realistic was the equivalence of the cars - if you took a position on the track, you earned it!

10 - ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix, The Raceway on Belle Isle (A. Fernandez)
Laps: 38 • Race time: 51:56.7 • Lead changes: 8 • Qualified 17th, finished 22nd • Completed 32 laps, led 3
DNFs: G. Moore, fire • S. Pitkin, wheel
Though I know the course well, and can turn consistently good laps, it's so narrow (and those walls are so unforgiving) that I knew it would just be a matter of time before I bent up a wing or worse. Within five or six laps I'd worked my way to the front of the pack and taken the lead from Pruett, keeping it for 3 laps before de Ferran took it away. At some point I lightly damaged the front wing - I think around lap 10 or 11 - but stayed out till lap 15 (my original plan) so that I could take on enough fuel to finish in addition to the repairs. I came out in 14th, made it up into 12th, and a couple of laps later tangled with someone (I don't recall whom) and damaged a wheel. From there to the end of the race I had nothing but problems with that wheel. I had it repaired only to damage it again; the second time it took only a touch of the wall to do serious damage. I ended up falling two laps down, making up one of them, and with a third wheel incident I decided to call it a day, knowing there'd be no way I could finish anywhere close to the points. The only other DNF (only 23 cars made the field) was, strangely enough, Moore - the only guy who had a more dismal day than I did! Once again I had a good car and a good run going, but even after my many practice sessions I knew I'd have some sort of misfortune. I did, however, make some darn good passes; as is usually the case, the importance of patience can't be overstated here.

11 - Coca-Cola Classic 100, North Wilkesboro Speedway (S. Pruett)
Laps: 160 • Race time: 50:41.9 • Lead changes: 6 • Qualified 6th, finished 9th • Completed 160 laps, led 125
DNFs: M. Andretti, fire • A. Ribeiro, engine • C. Fittipaldi, gearbox • G. de Ferran, fuel pump • M. Blundell, accident
This turned out to be one of the most exciting races I've ever run - with RELS at 130% and 160 pretty grueling laps, it wasn't any joy ride, but what an experience! I knew from practice that on cold tires and with a full tank of fuel my car pushed in the corners, but that would give way within a half-dozen laps to a pretty neutral feel; so I planned for this during the race, adjusting the front sway bar as needed. I got a great jump at the start and was in first within a lap; from there I gradually gained up to about a 7-second lead over the next thirty laps as I threaded my way through traffic, most of whom (initially) didn't make it overly difficult to get around them. I found that I could pass both high and low, depending on the opponent's line and other cars, and I did both consistently. Then the inevitable happened - as I was trying to get around Christian Fittipaldi on the low side, he suddenly came down the track and touched me. I spun with front wing damage, and decided to pit for repairs, 4 tires, and fuel. (I knew the fuel would get me the rest of the way, but that I would be pushing it with the tires ...) By this time I had lapped two-thirds of the field, so I ended up back out on the track in, I think, 15th, the last or next-to-last car on the lead lap. Well, after running contentedly there for a while, passing backmarkers, someone spun and brought out a yellow, whereupon the field went in for their scheduled stops. Of course, as I had planned, this put me back out in front. To cut a long story short, I stayed there for the next 50 or so laps even with wing damage, managing to get by the slower backmarkers and still keep anywhere from a 2- to 6-second lead over the second-place car of Little Al as my tires wore into the yellow, and then an incredible accident occurred (probably the most amazing AI crash I've ever seen - you have got to see this replay!) which brought out a yellow with twelve laps remaining. I'd been fine running on warm tires, but they cooled under the yellow and when the green came out again that awful push (worsened due to the damage) was back, and 8 cars (and a few lapped cars) got by me. I have no doubt that if the race had stayed green to the finish, I would have won or at least had a podium finish. But somehow I don't mind - I did finish in the points, and got a point for leading the most laps (moving me back up to 8th from 10th in the standings) - and anyway, it was just one incredibly intense and very satisfying race. If you haven't converted North Wilkesboro to ICR2 yet, do it!

12 - Budweiser 100, Portland International Raceway (S. Pitkin)
Laps: 51 • Race time: 58:40.7 • Lead changes: 4 • Qualified 1st, finished 1st • Completed 51 laps, led 48
DNFs: E. Lawson, gearbox • B. Rahal, engine • G. Moore, suspension • M. Blundell, accident • A. Unser, Jr., oil pump • J. M. Fangio, electrical
Whew! Seemed like the race lasted longer than an hour, but I just love running here. There's not much to tell; I led most of the race (usually by a significant margin, up to about half a minute), only giving up the lead to pit for fuel on lap 33, at which time I fell to 3rd; but of course, the guys ahead of me (Zanardi and Pruett) had yet to pit, and when they did so a couple laps later, I came back into the lead. From there, as before, the primary chore was in passing backmarkers. I had damaged the front wing a few laps before, driving a bit too hard into turn 1 trying to outbrake a lapped car, and the damage noticeably slowed me down. But Blundell was the guy who gave me the most trouble; we touched wheels with 13 laps to go, sending him careening into a wall and taking him out with severe A-arm damage, and bringing out the yellow. The race resumed with 10 laps to go, and even with the damage I managed to pretty easily keep a good 10- to 15-second lead over second-place Pruett, though my car was extremely loose and a couple of times I nearly lost it. The interesting part is that, for about 5 laps before the yellow, I had watched second- and third-place Zanardi and Pruett gaining on me by a few tenths of a second every lap; when the yellow came out, I knew my cushion would be gone, and I was afraid with my damage that I wouldn't be able to keep them behind me. Turns out there were a handful of lapped cars between them and me, and when the green came out again I found myself miraculously pulling away - all I can imagine is that they were having difficulty getting by the lapped traffic. Zanardi's problems apparently went further than that, because he ended up finishing 8th after having run right up front the whole race. Anyway, this brought me up a notch in the points, and with Moore a DNF the standings are much tighter at the top - I'm only 21 points behind Moore, and with 12 races to go (at some of my better tracks), anything is possible!

13 - Delaware 100, Dover Downs International Speedway (A. Fernandez)
Laps: 100 • Race time: 34:57.0 • Lead changes: 5 • Qualified 1st, finished 2nd • Completed 100 laps, led 93
DNFs: B. Herta, electrical • M. Papis, engine • G. de Ferran, water pump • P. Tracy, electrical
Another spectacular race! Zanardi got by me at about lap 19 and began to pull away, but four or five laps later I saw him slowing on the apron, going into the pits with some problem, and I retook the lead. (Interestingly, he came back out a lap down; I ended up lapping him three more times over the course of the race.) From there to the end, my main concern was Fernandez, who could keep up with me even through traffic. Finally, he caught up and passed me around lap 40; the very next lap he got a bit caught up behind backmarker Boesel and I went to his inside, and - surprise! - Boesel spun right in front of us! I cut low, almost losing control, and got by; Fernandez had to mash the brakes, and, though apparently sustaining no damage, he dropped back to second. The yellow had come at a perfect time to take on fuel and right-side tires, and when we came back out I was still in front with Fernandez behind me. The second half of the race was an exercise in passing backmarkers, and as my tires warmed up and I began to find a good line around the track (taking turns 1 and 3 a bit high, to help counter my oversteer condition), I found I could pass both high and low, though I preferred high. As my fuel load went down, I continued to pick up more and more speed at the end of the straights, till a half-dozen laps from the end I was hitting 201. By about lap 90 I noticed that Fernandez was gaining on me again, and as we came around to complete lap 98 he got by me in turn 4. With one lap remaining, I got by him up high with heavy traffic ahead of us, but I couldn't keep the position and he reclaimed the lead to take the checkered flag. What a finish! Incidentally, Zanardi finished 19th after starting 3rd, dropping him from 2nd to 5th in the points. And I'm now up to 4th - it was a good day!

14 - Molson Indy Toronto, Exhibition Place (G. de Ferran)
Laps: 51 • Race time: 52:38.9 • Lead changes: 0 • Qualified 10th, finished 27th • Completed 21 laps, led 0
DNFs: S. Pitkin, handling
Well, not unexpectedly, this was my most miserable race to date. After having started 10th and worked my way into 3rd within the first couple laps, I was passed by Zanardi and spent the next dozen laps battling with him, swapping the position a couple of times. My car then began to fade, and I realized just how bad my setup really was - this had to be the worst car I've ever had on a street course. I was terrible braking and cornering; my usual technique didn't seem to work, and grip was seriously lacking. I ended up bending up a front wing, going in for repairs and fuel, coming back out way back in the field, doing some more damage, coming back in, and finally ending up with a damaged wheel. It was repairable, but I was a lap down as it was, and the car handled so poorly I decided just to call it a day. There was no way I'd finish in the points. So this race dropped me back to 6th in the standings, but the points are tight at the top, with only 14 points separating me from first-place Vasser. I really dislike the street courses, primarily because there are no escape roads, and the other guys never seem to have problems ... nobody ever bends up a wing or anything. But with tracks like Cleveland, Michigan, Pocono, Loudon, and Atlanta coming up, I should be able to accumulate some points ...

15 - Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland, Burke Lakefront Airport (P. Tracy)
Laps: 42 • Race time: 47:46.3 • Lead changes: 6 • Qualified 1st, finished 3rd • Completed 42 laps, led 13
DNFs: G. Moore, wheel bearing • J. M. Fangio II, suspension • S. Goodyear, halfshaft • R. Boesel, engine • P. J. Jones, suspension • M. Jourdain, Jr., water pump
I love this place! The race wasn't exactly a thrill a minute, but as always here it was a test of consistent driving and once in a while backmarker strategy. I led the first 8 or 9 laps until I got my right-side tires in the grass, causing me to spin and allowing Zanardi to get by me. I righted myself quickly and took up pursuit, but his car was fast, and it was all I could do to keep to within 6 or 7 seconds of him. After a few laps I began to gain some ground on him, figuring he must have been working backmarkers - sure enough, that was the case. He seemed to be having a great deal of trouble with Matsushita, and on lap 27, driving hard into turn 1, I overtook him to reclaim the lead. I pitted one lap later, taking on four tires and fuel, coming out in 18th. Within a couple of laps the pit stops had sorted the field out again, and again I found myself at the point. With about 8 laps to go I tangled with Hearn while trying to get past him in turn 9 - more backmarker trouble! - and that allowed Tracy to take the lead. A few laps later I came into turn 10 too hot and did minor damage to the right front wing, slowing me down enough for the remaining couple laps to allow de Ferran by as well. So all in all a good race - I didn't lead the most laps, unfortunately (Zanardi led 18 compared to my 13), but I'm now tied with Tracy and Fernandez for second in the standings, so I can't complain! Interestingly, Zanardi must have had some sort of trouble, as he finished way back in 14th after being up front for so long. Also notable: it seems the All American Racers both had suspension woes today!

E - Showdown at Sundown, Richmond International Raceway (exhibition night race) (B. Rahal)
Laps: 133 • Race time: 41:00.1 • Lead changes: 6 • Qualified 6th, finished 28th • Completed 12 laps, led 9
DNFs: S. Pitkin, wastegate failure • G. de Ferran, engine • M. Jourdain, Jr., suspension
Well, I was looking forward to running a night race here - my car, though it had a tendency to get awfully loose, would have been the car to beat - but I never got the chance. After squeaking past the guys in front of me within the first couple of laps to take the lead, I suddenly slowed ... wastegate failure! I'd only completed 12 laps. So Rahal retook the lead and pretty much kept it through the rest of the race, winning by about a 5-second margin over second-place Pruett. On lap 125 Tracy, interestingly enough, lost the rear end and just lightly brushed the wall (he still ended up finishing 6th), which brought out a yellow and bunched the field up again; the race ended in a 3-lap shootout. Only 5 cars finished on the lead lap. I suppose I should be thankful that I had this problem in an exhibition race, but I really was running well here and I enjoy the track immensely, and a win never does the morale any harm! As expected, traffic was a major player, as evidenced by Rahal's difficulty negotiating backmarkers; I just wish I could have been up there with him while he was doing it!

16 - U.S. 250, Michigan International Speedway (S. Pitkin)
Laps: 125 • Race time: 1:9:38.0 • Lead changes: 11 • Qualified 1st, finished 1st • Completed 125 laps, led 70
DNFs: G. de Ferran, engine • J. Magnussen, header • S. Johansson, suspension • S. Pruett, halfshaft
This was a much more intense race than the stats above might indicate. I did have a fast car with my boost at position 9, but fuel conservation was key here and in conservation mode it was all I could do to hold on to my position. I knew I could run exactly 40 laps on a tank of fuel running full rich, but with the race being 125 laps, and not being able to count on a caution, I knew I'd have to lean the mixture down at some point. I gambled and it paid off exactly as I'd hoped, with a gallon still left in my tank at the finish. My plan was to run full rich until my first stop - both stops were under green, by the way - then take on four tires and fuel and run at setting 7, which would give me 42 to 43 laps to the tank, until my second stop. I ended up running at 7 (losing some positions in the process) until I had about 10 gallons left, at which time I turned it up to position 8. Pitting again at lap 83 (and coming in on little more than vapors), I decided to run full rich to the end, hoping for at least 3 laps of caution. If I didn't get them, I could always cut back on the boost with half a tank left, or make a quick splash-and-go stop; luckily, though, I got them. The biggest problem with my car was running on cold tires; I knew that I'd be slow for two or three laps after each pit stop and yellow, and that I'd almost invariably lose one or more positions. (Sway bar adjustments at regular intervals were a necessity during the course of each fuel run, in particular over the first 20 laps or so.) Leading with 30 laps to go I was sure something in the car would break - I needed the win so much, and with de Ferran withdrawing at lap 101 I knew I'd have a very good shot at leading the points - but it held out, and I won with about a 6-second advantage on Fernandez. I've had so many bad breaks at this track in the past ... this is a pretty important win for me.

17 - Pennsylvania 250, Pocono Raceway (B. Rahal)
Laps: 100 • Race time: 1:27:19.6 • Lead changes: 11 • Qualified 1st, finished 9th •
Completed 100 laps, led 29
DNFs: A. Fernandez, oil pump • C. Fittipaldi, electrical • G. Moore, electrical
Once again fuel was the major factor. I led the first 29 laps, relinquishing it just a couple laps before my first stop as the next three cars behind me seemed to get their second wind and managed to draw right back up to me and get by. I knew I'd have to go to fuel conservation mode at some point, and that, barring a yellow, it would be a question of five laps at speed. So I turned the boost down to position 6, which slowed me down considerably - I came out of the pits (after taking on only right-side tires and fuel) in 5th, and over the course of the fuel run lost five more spots. When I came in for the second time, I planned on running at position 9 for a few laps to avoid being lapped; but within a handful of laps, as I was passing backmarkers, I tangled with Matsushita and brought out the first yellow of the race. The rear wheel was damaged, and I pitted for repairs and fuel. Fuel conservation would no longer be an issue, so I would at least be able to go flat-out. By this time only 11 cars remained on the lead lap, and I came out of the pits as the 11th, at the back of the pack. I could see that there were only a couple lapped cars between myself and the 10th-place car of Little Al, so I knew I'd have a shot at bettering my position a bit. I ended up passing both him and Pruett over the last 20 laps to finish 9th. I had a fairly fast car as the tires were warmed up, which took two or three laps; when the fuel load began lightening it became very fast, especially through turns 2 and 3. Turn 1 has always given me problems, and I scrubbed off some speed there, but any ground I'd lost I was always able to gain back on the straightaways and in the tunnel turn.

18 - Lexington Grand Prix, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (M. Andretti)
Laps: 41 • Race time: 52:07.5 • Lead changes: 2 • Qualified 1st, finished 22nd • Completed 40 laps, led 5
DNFs: P.J. Jones, engine • S. Pruett, engine • J.M. Fangio II, engine
I nearly had a podium finish here - I ran second for most of the race, fell to third after a little excursion into the grass, and would have finished there but for the smallest lapse of concentration that took me off and into the wall at turn 4 and seriously damaged my front wing. From there all I did was backslide, finally ending up 22nd and (just barely) a lap down. I can't say I drove a fantastic race, even before that shunt; I led the first 5 laps, but a minor off allowed Andretti to get by me and take the lead, which, though I fought back for a lap or so, he would retain for the remainder of the race. I stayed in second until my pit stop on lap 26; I came out 15th and lost a few more positions on cold tires and a full tank, but moved right back up to second when everyone else pitted. (Andretti's cushion, though, was great enough to give him a 25-second lead even after his stop.) Then, as mentioned, I fell to third, and just 6 laps from the end came my turn 4 incident, which effectively took me out of the points. Thanks to a great qualifying setup from my buddy Domm Leuci, I captured the pole here (my 12th of the season) - my luck just didn't hold out through the race. I've dropped to second in the points, with Zanardi 2 points up on me, but we're still in the running with six races to go!

19 - Texaco/Havoline 100, New Hampshire International Speedway (S. Pitkin)
Laps: 100 • Race time: 40:41.9 • Lead changes: 0 • Qualified 1st, finished 1st • Completed 100 laps, led 100
DNFs: M. Jourdain, Jr., gearbox • R. Gordon, oil pump • R. Hearn, engine
I'm almost in shock that I actually pulled off this win (not to mention leading every lap), with so many opportunities for mishaps in passing backmarkers and with de Ferran and Zanardi breathing down my neck for the last 40 laps - my eyes all the while monitoring my badly-wearing right front tire. I couldn't give up track position to change it; I had led from lap one, even through the pit stops, and I wanted to keep that lead, even though there were only seven cars on the lead lap and I would have fallen to no further than 7th. A 7th-place finish would have been better than not finishing at all because of a blown tire, that much I knew ... but I chose to stay out, and for the last few laps, putting a few lapped cars between myself and second-place de Ferran, I nursed the car around the corners. My race setup, while it lacks straightaway speed, is phenomenal in the corners, provided the sway bars are adjusted properly and I use a medium compound on the RF for better traction. I guess I should praise Firestone for bringing such a great tire here - I worried about that RF for the last 40 laps of the race, and by the time I took the checkered flag the wear indicator showed just a sliver of red. Of interest, I noticed Zanardi (my primary contender in the points race, who was leading the standings going into this event) had dropped from 3rd to 4th near the end, then to my dismay that he had returned to 3rd; but in the final standings it turns out he finished 4th - that's 2 more points' worth of a lead for me! I also discovered in practice that it was generally preferable to pass backmarkers on the high side in the corners; once in a while an outbraking maneuver down low was called for, but there's always that danger of sliding up into somebody ...

20 - Grand Prix of Atlanta, Atlanta Motor Speedway (B. Rahal)
Laps: 66 • Race time: 33:50.2 • Lead changes: 4 • Qualified 14th, finished 4th • Completed 66 laps, led 22
DNFs: A. Unser, Jr., electrical • C. Fittipaldi, engine
Well, a 4th-place finish and 12 points are a welcome extra cushion in the standings, which I'll no doubt need throughout the last four events. My car was very loose in the middle of the turns, which I'd come to expect from practice; I had both sway bars at their extremes in trying to counter it, and even then I had to take each corner carefully, rolling out of the throttle such that I was pretty much "on the edge" in those loose spots but still managing to get good exit speed. By lap 5 I'd worked my way through traffic to 5th, but it took me until lap 23 to finally take the lead from Rahal (after he got caught up behind a couple backmarkers). I led until a caution came out just a couple of laps later, at which time I pitted and took on right-sides and fuel, coming out still in first and managing to lead about 20 more laps before Rahal got by me. In trying to pass one lapped car - Magnussen, I think it was - we touched and I spun, fortunately sustaining no damage and remaining in second position as the yellow came out for the second time. (Thank goodness the sim doesn't take flatspots into account!) As we went green, four cars got by me (my car was terrible on cold tires), but I fought back and reclaimed 4th, holding it till the end despite heavy opposition from Pruett and Zanardi. So I've now got a 14-point advantage on Zanardi, but that'll no doubt disappear quickly over the course of the final four events of the season.

21 - Molson Indy Vancouver, Concord Pacific Place (M. Blundell)
Laps: 51 • Race time: 50:42.7 • Lead changes: 6 • Qualified 1st, finished 28th • Completed 47 laps, led 20
DNFs: S. Pitkin, accident • G. de Ferran, engine
Little did I know how quickly that cushion in the points would disappear! I actually set a new personal record in qualifying - 56.229 seconds - and ran a flawless first half of the race, opening up a pretty good lead on most of the pack within a half-dozen laps and having a pretty good duel with Blundell for the lead; but at about the halfway point Blundell put me right into the turn 7 wall - with no warning - which gave me wing damage and lengthened my pit stop enough to put me back in the pack when I rejoined the race. From there it was all downhill, until another car pushed me into the outside wall at turn 3 and damaged a rear wheel so that I couldn't even limp back to the pits. At that point, it was moot, anyway ... I was well out of the points with no hope of catching up. What's so frustrating is that I was driving a better race here than even I had thought I was capable, turning fast and consistent laps and keeping my car off the walls (not to mention leading!), and was taken out by something completely beyond my control. But you only need to watch one or two real-life CART races to realize ... that's racin'! I wish I could say, "We'll get 'em at Sears Point," but I have my doubts about that. We've still got a lot of practicing to do there before the race, and with Zanardi trailing me by only one point now, the pressure's on.

22 - NAPA Wine Valley 100, Sears Point Raceway (S. Pitkin)
Laps: 40 • Race time: 58:23.5 • Lead changes: 3 • Qualified 1st, finished 1st • Completed 40 laps, led 32
DNFs: J. Vasser, suspension • M. Blundell, wheel bearing
Going into this race I'd initially had low expectations - it was the one circuit I had never tested on, even though I knew it well from my NASCAR days - but after some setup work (actually modifying a Mid-Ohio setup) and a surprising qualifying run, I began to feel a bit more confident. I knew starting the race up front would be beneficial, and in fact I led most of it (only relinquishing the lead to pit, and by then I'd managed enough of a lead that I only fell to second when I came back out). My race wasn't completely clean; I had a couple of offs, one of them occurring sometime around lap 12 and giving me front wing damage. But the lost downforce didn't affect my car to any serious degree, so I didn't opt for repairs; my lap times were only diminished by a small amount. Backmarkers weren't too much of a problem, as long as care was taken in getting by them. (I'd discovered in practice that the AI here are pretty poor.) In looking at the results, it's interesting to note that the 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-place finishers (de Ferran, Fernandez, and Rahal) all started in those positions on the grid. Zanardi started 6th to finish 5th; so I've now got a more comfortable 3-point lead in the standings moving into the last two races, but that's not much of a comfort zone.

23 - Texaco/Havoline 100, Road America (S. Pitkin)
Laps:25 • Race time: 45:03.8 • Lead changes: 4 • Qualified 1st, finished 1st • Completed 25 laps, led 21
DNFs: A. Unser, Jr., electrical • R. Boesel, wastegate • S. Pruett, gearbox
Well, that does it - regardless of what happens at Laguna Seca, I've got the Cup! I'm pretty amazed. This whole weekend was really somewhat of a surprise. I took the pole, led the most laps, and won the race - my first real win at Road America. I owe it to my new race setup, which I actually adapted from the qualifying setup I'd used earlier at Mid-Ohio; handling and tire wear were excellent. My only concerns (outside of those mechanical problems everybody dreads) were a noticeable loss of traction after about 18 laps on worn tires (which was to be expected) and a bit of an early-redline issue with a light fuel tank. I kept on top of both, and only needed to take on fuel on my single pit stop, after which I came back onto the track in 15th position. Within a couple of laps the rest of the field had pitted and sorted itself out, and I found myself in 4th right behind Fittipaldi, Tracy, and de Ferran, all of whom had just left the pits that lap. They were obviously slower with a full fuel load, and I was able to get by all of them over about a lap and a half. From there I just had to concentrate on taking corners a little more conservatively than I had earlier in the race, and hope that the engine would hold out. So I'll enjoy Laguna Seca - the championship's mine!

24 - Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey, Laguna Seca Raceway (A. Unser, Jr.)
Laps:42 • Race time: 51:51.9 • Lead changes: 2 • Qualified 3rd, finished 26th • Completed 24 laps, led 0
DNFs: S. Pitkin, accident • B. Rahal, fuel pump • S. Johansson, header
I turned a new personal fastlap in qualifying to start third on the grid, and had high hopes after those last couple races that for once I might have a good finish here. Instead I was the first car out - a little overcooking coming into the Andretti hairpin, damaged suspension, and my day was over. But there was some great racing while it lasted. I held my position in 3rd for several laps until I spun in the middle of the corkscrew, letting two cars by and doing a bit of damage to the front wing. My lap times slower, I began to lose ground to the leaders, though I managed to stay in 5th. On lap 19 I pitted, taking on fuel and repairing the wing, and came out in 18th. I battled my way in the next 3 laps into 14th, counting on gaining a lot of ground when everyone else pitted; but a tangle with someone, I don't recall whom, put me back four positions and again damaged the wing, and from there I fell two more spots before crashing out of the race. Watching the rest of the event as a spectator was interesting, nonetheless: on lap 32, Rahal, who had dominated the event from the start, pitted and withdrew with fuel pump problems, and the 2nd-place car of Tracy look the lead, his teammate Little Al behind. With two laps to go, Tracy tangled with Ribeiro in turn 11 while trying to lap him, allowing Unser to get by. Little Al would go on to take the win, with Tracy less than a second behind. So it was a disappointing day for me, but the season is finally over, and I've won my first PPG Cup for Velocity. Feels good!