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Sporting News, The, Nov 16, 1998

The 1998 CART season was one of hellos and goodbyes. It was also a season of early promise, late emergence and last act redemption.

The Champ Car series will say goodbye to two of its best drivers: Two-time champion Alex Zanardi, who returns to Formula One, and three-time CART champion Bobby Rahal, who retires as a driver to concentrate on his role as an owner.

Rahal said he had "seen more than one driver overstay his welcome." But as a driver he wanted one last competitive season, which he got. For Rahal the owner, it was a case of "completing the circle" and leaving the team structured to move along after his retirement. With teammate Bryan Herta finishing the season with a string of top-five qualifications and a victory at Laguna Seca, Rahal felt "Herta's win took a lot of the pressure off of him" and helped Herta to "assume his rightful place" as team leader in '99 alongside new teammate Max Papis. For defending champion Alessandro Zanardi it was more of the same.

The season brought flashes of potential success from some drivers, such as Michael Andretti, who got his first--and only--victory early in the year in his American built Swift. Vancouver's Greg Moore, too, started strong, leading the championship standings for much of the early season, only to let midseason inconsistency rob him of title hopes and leave him in fifth place in the title chase by season's end. As Moore faded, it was Scotland's Dario Franchitti who picked up the slack in his Honda-powered Reynard. The 25-year-old Franchitti, in his first full CART season, showed maturity and versatility in winning a series-leading five pole positions and combining that with three wins to finish third in the FedEx Championship.

The '98 campaign was also loaded with other highlights and lowlights: Team Penske will have to wait until next year for CART victory number 100. The scary moment when Alex Barron's Eagle ramped over the top of Team Rahal's Herta. There also was the excitement of a record-breaking 62 lead changes at Michigan 500. Sadly, it also was the nadir for the campaign as the race was ended early after the crash of Adrian Fernandez's car killed three spectators. Fans also had the chance to see Tony Kanaan battle an excellent field of CART newcomers as he captured the 1998 Rookie of the Year.

Kanaan, a personable Brazilian whose preseason goal was winning the Trueman Award, characterized his rookie title as "a mini-championship." His other goal was finishing in the top 10 in the overall standings. He credited a "never give up approach" and consistency in reaching those goals.

But in the end, it was, as Yogi Berra said, "Deja vu all over again." Team Target Ganassi again won the championship in their Honda-powered Reynards. Greg Moore was again a race-winning contender with his strong second-place finish in the final race. And the PacWest team finally got their effort back on track in the final race in Fontana, where 1997 Marlboro 500 pole winner Mo Gugelmin finished fifth and inaugural Marlboro 500 race winner Mark Blundell finished sixth.

PPG Cup final Driver Points Standings

Rank     Driver                       Overall      Road     Oval

1        Alex Zanardi                   285        184      101
2        Jimmy Vasser                   169         65      104
3        Dario Franchitti               160        138       22
4        Adrian Fernandez               154         94       60
5        Greg Moore                     140         27      113
6        Scott Pruett                   121         85       36
7        Michael Andretti               112         55       57
8        Bryan Herta                     97         70       27
9        Tony Kanaan (R)                 92         78       14
10       Bobby Rahal                     82         46       36
11       Al Unser Jr.                    72         42       30
12       Gil de Ferran                   67         27       40
13       Paul Tracy                      61         31       30
14       Christian Fittipaldi            56         34       22
15       Mauricio Gugelmin               49         32       17
16       Richie Hearn                    47         15       32
17       Hello Castro-Neves (R)          36          8       28
18       Mark Blundell                   36         18       18
19       Patrick Carpentier              27         18        9
20       J J Lehto (R)                   25         18        7
21       Max Papis                       25         25        0
22       Andre Ribeiro                   13          9        4
23       Robby Gordon                    13          3       10
24       Michel Jourdain Jr.              5          3        2
25       Arnd Meier                       4          4        0
Manufacturer's Championship

Rank     Manufacturer                 Overall     Road     Oval

1        Honda Turbo V8                 365        220      145
2        Ford Cosworth XD               293        175      118
3        Mercedes-Benz IC 108E          225         90      135
4        Toyota                          41         29       12
Nation's Cup

Rank     Nation                       Overall     Road     Oval

1        United States                  303        157      146
2        Italy                          285        184      101
3        Brazil                         203        125       78
4        Canada                         181         60      121
5        Scotland                       160        138       22
6        Mexico                         158         97       61
7        England                         36         18       18
8        Finland                         25         18        7
9        Germany                          4          4        0
10       Japan                            0          0        0
Pole Positions

Rank       Driver                  Overall     Road     Oval

1          Dario Franchitti           5          4        1
2          Greg Moore                 4          2        2
3          Bryan Herta                3          3        0
4          Jimmy Vasser               2          1        1
4          Patrick Carpentier         2          0        2
6          Michael Andretti           1          1        0
6          Scott Pruett               1          0        1
6          Adrian Fernandez           1          0        1
Rookie of the Year

Rank       Driver                  Overall     Road     Oval

1          Tony Kanaan               92         78       14
2          Helio Castro-Neves        36          8       28
3          J J Lehto                 25         18        7
4          Alex Barron                2          1        1
5          Vincenzo Sospiri           0          0        0
Constructor's Championship

Rank       Constructor            Overall      Road     Oval

1          Reynard                  408        241      167
2          Swift 009.c              167         91       76
3          Penske                    72         42       30
4          Lola T-9800                4          4        0
5          Eagle 987                  1          1        0