Being Your Own Boss - Adrian Fernandez, racing car driver - Interview

Auto Racing Digest, Sept, 2001 by Pete Pistone

The dream has come true for Adrian Fernandez, but is the CART star stretching himself too thin?

WHO HASN'T DREAMT OF being his or her own boss? What a world it would be to not have anyone to answer to, to be able to call your own shots, and to be able to take control of your career without interference. CART driver Adrian Fernandez fulfilled that dream this season with the creation of his own race team.

Fernandez has worked, albeit successfully--entering this season he has seven career CART victories--for some of the highest-profile owners in the sport, including Rick Galles and Pat Patrick. But after seven years of driving someone else's Champ Car, Fernandez took the plunge into the depths of owner-driver this season and couldn't be happier. "It's been the biggest challenge of my professional life," says Fernandez, "But, by far, it has been the most rewarding as well."

Fernandez's career as a driver has been on the rise ever since he broke into CART in 1993. After competing in five races for Galles in his first season, the Mexico City native notched seven top-10 finishes--including a fifth place at Road America--the following season. Fernandez stayed with Galles for the '95 campaign and again registered seven top-10s, highlighted by his first podium finish: third place at the Michigan 500. "Rick was instrumental in building my career," says Fernandez. "My years with that team during my formative time on the CART circuit were very important."

Despite the early success with Galles Racing, Fernandez decided to make a move prior to the 1996 season when he joined the Tasman Motorsports team. The new partnership paid immediate dividends when Fernandez scored his first career CART victory with a win in Toronto. "It sounds trite to say such a thing, but that first win is so special," says Fernandez. "I'll never forget the feeling as I took the checkered flag and the sound of the team and crew celebrating on the radio. It was definitely a highlight of my racing life."

Fernandez finished with six other top-10 finishes that season and ended the year 12th in the championship points standings. Unfortunately, the following year was a disappointment Fernandez could only manage two top-10 finishes and struggled, finishing 18th in the points.

Maybe there's something to this silver lining thing, because after suffering through such a tough season in 1997, Fernandez had what could only be called his breakout year in '98. Fernandez joined the Patrick Racing team and promptly won two races (Japan and Mid-Ohio) and went on to a fourth-place finish in the standings. "That season was the second-biggest highlight of my CART career," says Fernandez. "It was such a joy to work with Pat Patrick and that entire team. We just seemed to click right from the minute we came together. The momentum kept building and we really felt we had a chance to win every race, which is such an incredible feeling for a driver."

Fernandez missed four races in 1999 after suffering a fractured wrist in a Detroit practice accident. Despite the absence he still enjoyed a strong season, posting two victories--including a $1 million win at the season-ending Marlboro 500 in Fontana. "To win one million dollar for one race was something I never dreamed could happen," says Fernandez. "I can't say it totally made up for being injured and missing four races that year, but it was certainly a great way to end the season."

But the culmination of years of hard work came in 2000 when Fernandez finished second in the season points standings. Victories in Brazil and Australia--coupled with podium finishes at Toronto, Road America, and Vancouver--carried Fernandez to a career-high 158 championship points and a spot on the five-member CART All-Star Team.

After being so close to the top, staying with Patrick Racing and making a charge for the championship would have been logical, but Fernandez, however, was determined to find a new challenge. That turned out to be adding "team owner" to his business card.

The rigors of running a race team--added to the pressure of performing well on the track--could overwhelm for even the heartiest of souls. So why would anyone in this day and age take on the responsibilities of being both a driver and an owner? "It's something I've always wanted to do, and at the end of the season the opportunity presented itself," says Fernandez. "When the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place, I knew this was the right thing to do. The key was finding the right pieces."

A major part of putting that puzzle together was hooking up with team manager Tom Anderson. The former managing director of the four-time CART champion Chip Ganassi Racing Team, Anderson wanted the challenge of starting a new operation. "It was the next logical step for me," says Anderson. "I didn't want to move to another team and be the team manager or managing director again. I thought the level I had achieved within the Ganassi organization helped me to decide to take the next step in my life."