1998 CART FedEx Championship Series

The 1998 FedEx Championship Series season was the twentieth in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) era of American open-wheel car racing. It consisted of 19 races, beginning in Homestead, Florida on March 15 and concluding in Fontana, California on November 1. The FedEx Championship Series Drivers' Champion was Alex Zanardi, his second consecutive championship, while the series' Rookie of the Year was Tony Kanaan. This was the first of five years of sponsorship by FDX Corporation, who became FedEx Corporation in 2000.

1998 CART season
FedEx Championship Series
Season
Races19
Start dateMarch 15
End dateNovember 1
Awards
Drivers' championItaly Alex Zanardi
Constructors' CupUnited Kingdom Reynard
Manufacturers' CupJapan Honda
Nations' CupUnited States United States
Rookie of the YearBrazil Tony Kanaan
← 1997
1999 →

The season was marred by a deadly crash on lap 175 of the U.S. 500. Adrián Fernández slammed into the outside wall in the fourth turn of Michigan International Speedway. His right front wheel was torn off and hurled over the fence into the stands, killing three spectators (Kenneth Fox, Sheryl Laster, and Michael Tautkus) and injuring six others. Fernández was uninjured.[1]

This was the final season with Bobby Rahal on the CART grid. Other notable events of the 1998 season include first wins for Bryan Herta and future Indycar Series and Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti. Mexican driver Adrián Fernández got his second career win at Twin Ring Motegi, the first race run there by Champ Cars.

Drivers and constructors

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The following teams and drivers competed in the 1998 CART Championship Series season.

Team Chassis Engine Tires No Drivers Rounds Primary Sponsors
  Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard 98i Honda HRK F 1   Alex Zanardi All Target
12   Jimmy Vasser All
  Marlboro Team Penske Penske PC-27 Mercedes IC108E G 2   Al Unser Jr. All Marlboro
3   André Ribeiro All
  Walker Racing Reynard 98i Honda HRK G 5   Gil de Ferran All Valvoline
  Newman-Haas Racing Swift 009.c Ford XB G 6   Michael Andretti All Texaco-Havoline
11   Christian Fittipaldi 1–6, 8–19 Kmart
  Roberto Moreno 7
  Team Rahal Reynard 98i Ford XB F 7   Bobby Rahal All Miller Lite
8   Bryan Herta All Shell
  Hogan Racing Reynard 98i Mercedes IC108E F 9   JJ Lehto All Hogan Motor Leasing
  Della Penna Motorsports Swift 009.c Ford XB F 10   Richie Hearn All Budweiser
43   Hideshi Matsuda 2 BMB Mini-Juke
  Project CART Reynard 98i Mercedes IC108E G 15   Roberto Moreno 1–2 Hawaiian Tropic
  Domenico Schiattarella 3
  Bettenhausen Racing Reynard 98i Mercedes IC108E G 16   Hélio Castroneves All Alumax
  PacWest Racing Group Reynard 98i Mercedes IC108E F 17   Maurício Gugelmin All Hollywood Cigarettes
18   Mark Blundell All Motorola
  Payton/Coyne Racing Reynard 98i Ford XB F 19   Michel Jourdain Jr. All Herdez
34   Dennis Vitolo 1, 4, 6–10, 12, 15–19 SmithKline Beecham 15
Payton/Coyne Racing 3
Banco Cacique 1
  Gualter Salles 2–3, 5, 11, 13–14
  Patrick Racing Reynard 98i Ford XB F 20   Scott Pruett All Visteon
40   Adrián Fernández All Tecate Beer
  Tasman Motorsports Group Reynard 98i Honda HRK F 21   Tony Kanaan All LCI
  Arciero-Wells Racing Reynard 98i Toyota RV8C F 24   Hiro Matsushita 1–3, 5 Panasonic
  Robby Gordon 4, 6–19
25   Max Papis All MCI Worldcom
  Team KOOL Green Reynard 98i Honda HRK F 26   Paul Tracy All KOOL
27   Dario Franchitti All
  Forsythe Racing Reynard 98i Mercedes IC108E F 33   Patrick Carpentier All Player's
99   Greg Moore All
  All American Racing Reynard Toyota RV8C G 98   P. J. Jones 1–15 Castrol
36   Alex Barron 1–12
Eagle 987 13–19
98   Vincenzo Sospiri 16–19
  Davis Racing Lola T98/00 Ford XB G 77   Arnd Meier All BAAN Business Software 8
Hasseröder 11

Season Summary

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Schedule

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Rnd Date Race Name Circuit Location
1 March 15   Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota  O  Homestead Motorsports Complex Homestead, Florida
2 March 28   Budweiser 500K  O  Twin Ring Motegi Motegi, Japan
3 April 5   Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach  R  Streets of Long Beach Long Beach, California
4 April 27*   Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix Presented by Toyota  O  Nazareth Speedway Nazareth, Pennsylvania
5 May 10   Rio 400K  O  Autódromo de Jacarepaguá Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
6 May 23   Motorola 300  O  Gateway International Raceway Madison, Illinois
7 May 31   Miller Lite 200  O  Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin
8 June 7   ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix  R  The Raceway on Belle Isle Park Detroit, Michigan
9 June 21   Texaco/Havoline Presents the Budweiser/G. I. Joe's 200  R  Portland International Raceway Portland, Oregon
10 July 12   Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Star Bank  R  Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland, Ohio
11 July 19   Molson Indy Toronto  R  Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario
12 July 26   U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota  O  Michigan Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan
13 August 9   Miller Lite 200  R  Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio
14 August 16   The Chicago Tribune Presents the Texaco/Havoline 200  R  Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
15 September 6   Molson Indy Vancouver  R  Streets of Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia
16 September 13   Honda Grand Prix of Monterey Featuring the Texaco/Havoline 300  R  Laguna Seca Raceway Monterey, California
17 October 4   Texaco Grand Prix of Houston  R  George R. Brown Convention Center Houston, Texas
18 October 18   Honda Indy 300  R  Surfers Paradise Street Circuit Surfers Paradise, Australia
19 November 1   Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota  O  California Speedway Fontana, California

– The Nazareth race was scheduled for April 26, but postponed due to rain.
– The Houston race was scheduled for 153 miles, but was shortened due to poor visibility.
 O  Oval/Speedway
 R  Road/Street course

Race results

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Round Race Pole position Fastest lap Race Winner Race Time Report
Driver Team Chassis Engine
1   Homestead   Greg Moore   Greg Moore   Michael Andretti Newman-Haas Racing Swift Ford 1:33:39 Report
2   Motegi   Jimmy Vasser   Jimmy Vasser   Adrián Fernández Patrick Racing Reynard Ford 1:57:12 Report
3   Long Beach   Bryan Herta   Bobby Rahal   Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 1:51:29 Report
4   Nazareth   Patrick Carpentier   Greg Moore   Jimmy Vasser Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 1:57:20 Report
5   Rio   Dario Franchitti   Alex Zanardi   Greg Moore Forsythe Racing Reynard Mercedes 1:52:14 Report
6   Gateway   Greg Moore   Jimmy Vasser   Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 2:23:02 Report
7   Milwaukee   Patrick Carpentier   Scott Pruett   Jimmy Vasser Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 1:34:17 Report
8   Belle Isle   Greg Moore   Alex Zanardi   Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 1:41:17 Report
9   Portland   Bryan Herta   Patrick Carpentier   Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 1:54:06 Report
10   Cleveland   Jimmy Vasser   Bryan Herta   Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 1:52:22 Report
11   Toronto   Dario Franchitti   Christian Fittipaldi   Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 1:52:24 Report
12   Michigan   Adrián Fernández   Patrick Carpentier   Greg Moore Forsythe Racing Reynard Mercedes 3:00:48 Report
13   Mid-Ohio   Dario Franchitti   Greg Moore   Adrián Fernández Patrick Racing Reynard Ford 1:53:39 Report
14   Road America   Michael Andretti   Alex Zanardi   Dario Franchitti Team KOOL Green Reynard Honda 1:35:30 Report
15   Vancouver   Dario Franchitti   Hélio Castroneves   Dario Franchitti Team KOOL Green Reynard Honda 2:00:37 Report
16   Laguna Seca   Bryan Herta   Tony Kanaan   Bryan Herta Team Rahal Reynard Ford 1:55:13 Report
17   Houston   Greg Moore   Alex Zanardi   Dario Franchitti Team KOOL Green Reynard Honda 1:36:30 Report
18   Surfers Paradise   Dario Franchitti   Alex Zanardi   Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 2:01:51 Report
19   Fontana   Scott Pruett   Greg Moore   Jimmy Vasser Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 3:17:54 Report

Final driver standings

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Pos Driver MIA   MOT   LBH   NAZ   RIO   GAT   MIL   DET   POR   CLE   TOR   MIC   MDO   ROA   VAN   LAG   HOU   SUR   FON   Pts
1   Alex Zanardi 3 23 1 2 2* 1 8 1* 1* 1* 1 3* 12 2 4 2 2 1* 3 285
2   Jimmy Vasser 16 7 8 1 6 4 1* 6 8 7 3 2 27 9 26 5 4 24 1* 169
3   Dario Franchitti 9 8 2 21 19 27 4 4 21 3 20* 21 26 1* 1* 4 1* 2 22 160
4   Adrián Fernández 6 1* 4 26 3 18 9 2 24 5 9 23 1 5 15 7 6 6 4 154
5   Greg Moore 2 4 6 3 1 3 13 5 27 25 11 1 22 21 20 21 26 8 2 141
6   Scott Pruett 5 21 12 22 18 5 10 9 2 4 6 4 2 20 3 18 11 4 20 121
7   Michael Andretti 1* 14 21 18* 5 2* 26 10 17 2 2 6 21 15 2 10 28 20 18 112
8   Bryan Herta 8 28 3 8 4 23 11 21 3 13 5 10 25 23 22 1* 8 10 15 97
9   Tony Kanaan  RY  29 6 5 9 27 24 17 8 4 14 22 11 8 4 18 3 3 7 19 92
10   Bobby Rahal 19 17 17 6 8 8 5 11 6 8 4 7 3 8 25 16 23 25 11 82
11   Al Unser Jr. 22 2 29 15 16 19 3 24 5 17 17 22 6 27 5 6 7 22 27 72
12   Gil de Ferran 7 3 20* 4 26 6 22 3 20 6 27 16 9 16 13 19 21 14 17 67
13   Paul Tracy 27 5 25 5 25 26 7 7 28 19 14 9 5 6 11 8 20 23 14 61
14   Christian Fittipaldi 4 25 26 11 21 11 Wth 17 26 11 16 25 13 3 14 9 27 3 7 56
15   Maurício Gugelmin 10 20 10 17 9 16 21 19 7 20 12 13 4* 19 6 27 18 12 5 49
16   Richie Hearn 13 27 23 10 7 28 6 23 10 18 7 5 24 13 16 11 9 18 8 47
17   Hélio Castroneves  R  24 11 9 23 23 7 2 12 13 27 10 12 17 26 24 23 24 21 10 36
18   Mark Blundell 12 10 7 20 11 10 12 22 22 10 26 17 19 7 12 25 14 11 6 36
19   Patrick Carpentier 11 19 28 13 17 15 25 15 9 9 25 8 7 28 27 17 22 9 26 27
20   JJ Lehto  R  14 29 18 16 10 9 19 26 25 28 24 20 15 18 8 28 10 5 21 25
21   Max Papis 26 13 24 14 28 22 16 18 11 12 8 19 14 11 9 12 5 17 16 25
22   André Ribeiro 17 9 22 DNQ 22 20 18 16 15 22 23 28 10 25 7 14 17 13 28 13
23   Robby Gordon 7 13 20 14 23 23 13 27 11 12 23 13 13 16 9 13
24   Michel Jourdain Jr. 28 22 27 12 24 17 15 13 19 26 18 18 28 14 10 24 25 26 12 5
25   Arnd Meier 21 15 15 24 14 21 23 27 12 16 15 14 18 10 28 15 16 27 24 4
26   P. J. Jones 20 30 11 19 13 12 14 25 16 21 19 24 20 22 21 3
27   Alex Barron  R  18 24 14 DNQ 12 14 DNQ 20 14 15 28 15 16 24 19 20 12 19 13 2
28   Gualter Salles 12 13 20 21 23 17 1
29   Vincenzo Sospiri  R  22 15 15 23 0
30   Hiro Matsushita 23 16 19 15 0
31   Roberto Moreno 15 26 24 0
32   Domenico Schiattarella 16 0
33   Dennis Vitolo 25 25 25 DNQ 28 18 24 26 17 26 19 DNQ 25 0
34   Hideshi Matsuda 18 0
Pos Driver MIA   MOT   LBH   NAZ   RIO   GAT   MIL   DET   POR   CLE   TOR   MIC   MDO   ROA   VAN   LAG   HOU   SUR   FON   Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th–6th place
Light Blue 7th–12th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 12)
Purple Did not finish
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
 RY  Rookie of the Year
 R  Rookie

Nations' Cup

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  • Top result per race counts towards Nations' Cup.
Pos Country MIA   MOT   LBH   NAZ   RIO   GAT   MIL   DET   POR   CLE   TOR   MIC   MDO   ROA   VAN   LAG   HOU   SUR   FON   Pts
1   United States 1 2 3 1 4 2 1 6 2 2 2 2 2 8 2 1 4 4 1 303
2   Italy 3 13 1 2 2 1 8 1 1 1 1 3 12 2 4 2 2 1 3 286
3   Brazil 4 3 5 4 9 6 2 3 4 6 10 11 4 3 6 3 3 3 5 203
4   Canada 2 4 6 3 1 3 7 5 9 9 11 1 5 6 11 8 20 8 2 182
5   United Kingdom 9 8 2 20 11 10 4 4 21 3 20 17 19 1 1 4 1 2 6 168
6   Mexico 6 1 4 12 3 17 9 2 19 5 9 18 1 5 10 7 6 6 4 158
7   Finland 14 29 18 16 10 9 19 26 25 28 24 20 15 18 8 28 10 5 21 25
8   Germany 21 15 15 24 14 21 23 27 12 16 15 14 18 10 28 15 16 27 24 4
9   Japan 23 16 19 15 0
Pos Country MIA   MOT   LBH   NAZ   RIO   GAT   MIL   DET   POR   CLE   TOR   MIC   MDO   ROA   VAN   LAG   HOU   SUR   FON   Pts

Chassis Constructors' Cup

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Pos Chassis Pts Wins
1   Reynard 98I 409 18
2   Swift 009.c 167 1
3   Penske PC-27 72 0
4   Lola T98/00 4 0
5   Eagle 987 1 0
Pos Chassis Pts Wins

Engine Manufacturers' Cup

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Pos Engine Pts Wins
1   Honda 365 13
2   Ford XB 293 4
3   Mercedes 226 2
4   Toyota 41 0
Pos Engine Pts Wins

Driver breakdown

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Pos Driver Team Entries Wins Podiums Top 5s Top 10s Poles Points
1   Zanardi   Chip Ganassi Racing 19 7 15 16 17 0 285
2   Vasser   Chip Ganassi Racing 19 3 5 8 15 2 169
3   Franchitti   Team KOOL Green 19 3 6 9 11 5 160
4   Fernandez   Patrick Racing 19 2 4 8 14 1 154
5   Moore   Forsythe Racing 19 2 6 8 10 4 141
6   Pruett   Patrick Racing 19 0 3 8 11 1 121
7   Andretti   Newman-Haas Racing 19 1 5 6 9 1 112
8   Herta   Team Rahal 19 1 3 5 10 3 97
9   Kanaan   Tasman Racing 19 0 2 5 10 0 92
10   Rahal   Team Rahal 19 0 1 3 10 0 82
11   Unser Jr.   Marlboro Team Penske 19 0 2 4 7 0 72
12   de Ferran   Walker Racing 19 0 2 3 7 0 67
13   Tracy   Team KOOL Green 19 0 0 3 8 0 61
14   Fittipaldi   Newman-Haas Racing 18 0 2 3 5 0 56
15   Gugelmin   PacWest Racing 19 0 0 2 7 0 49
16   Hearn   Della Penna Motorsports 19 0 0 1 8 0 47
17   Castroneves   Bettenhausen Racing 19 0 1 1 5 0 36
17   Blundell   PacWest Racing 19 0 0 0 6 0 36
19   Carpentier   Forsythe Racing 19 0 0 0 5 2 27
20   Lehto   Hogan Racing 19 0 0 1 5 0 25
20   Papis   Arciero-Wells Racing 19 0 0 1 3 0 25
22   Ribeiro   Marlboro Team Penske 18 0 0 0 3 0 13
22   Gordon   Arciero-Wells Racing 15 0 0 0 2 0 13
24   Jourdain Jr.   Dale Coyne Racing 19 0 0 0 1 0 5
25   Meier   Davis Racing 19 0 0 0 1 0 4
26   Jones   All American Racing 15 0 0 0 0 0 3
27   Barron   All American Racing 17 0 0 0 0 0 2
28   Salles   Dale Coyne Racing 6 0 0 0 0 0 1
29   Vitolo   Dale Coyne Racing 11 0 0 0 0 0 0
29   Sospiri   All American Racing 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
29   Matsushita   Arciero-Wells Racing 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
29   Moreno   Newman-Haas Racing
  Project CART
3 0 0 0 0 0 0
29   Schiattarella   Project CART 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
29   Matsuda   Beck Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Glick, Shav (July 27, 1998). "Three spectators die at U.S. 500". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012.

See also

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