CART Announces Record 20-Race Schedule for 1999 FedEx Championship Series
28 September 1998
CART Announces Record 20-Race Schedule for 1999 FedEx Championship Series
CHICAGO, Sept. 28 -- An August visit to the newly constructed
Chicago Motor Speedway and the movement of several dates within the lineup of
events highlight the CART record 20-race FedEx Championship Series schedule
for 1999 announced today by Championship Auto Racing Teams'
Chairman and CEO Andrew Craig.
Next year's 20-race: schedule marks the largest number of races the
open-wheel sanctioning organization has conducted in a single season since it
began racing in 1979.
"The demand for our races has never been greater," said Craig. "We have
several more proposals for races than we can accommodate at this time and that
obviously presents CART with exciting opportunities in the future."
In adding Chicago to its schedule, CART is entering the third-largest
market area in the United States. The oval under construction at Chicago
Motor Speedway is being built specifically with the Champ Cars in mind. The
track is banked only slightly -- six degrees -- in the corners and is the
widest track, at 70 feet, on the Champ Car circuit to accommodate exciting,
side-by-side racing among the cars and drivers that comprise the world's most
competitive open-wheel series.
The new racing venue is being built on the site of Sportsman's Park, a
longtime horse racing facility in Cicero, Ill. The mile track will be placed
alongside a new and improved seven-furlong horse race track.
"We are very pleased to have the opportunity to bring the FedEx
Championship Series to one of the world's most important cities," said Craig.
"There hasn't been a facility suitable for Champ Cars in the Chicago area
until now. We are confident our brand of exciting, high-horsepower,
open-wheel racing will become a real favorite with the people of the Windy
City."
"With up to 12 races on ABC, we have worked to maximize the number of
network broadcasts. Twelve races on network will represent a record number
for the series," said Keith Allo, vice president of Broadcast Services for
CART. "There is not a weekend without a full slate of major sports
attractions and, in constructing our 1999 schedule, we have looked for every
opportunity to minimize conflicts. As a consequence, a number of races move
to new dates for 1999."
After its third annual Spring Training session on Feb. 2-4 at Miami-Dade
Homestead Motorsports Complex in Florida, the FedEx Championship Series kicks
off its 1999 season March 21 at the same facility with the Marlboro Grand Prix
of Miami Presented by Toyota.
From there, the FedEx Series moves to Twin Ring Motegi in Japan on
Saturday, April 10, for the series' second visit to the oval where Adrian
Fernandez won the inaugural event earlier this year. After flying back across
the Pacific, the Champ Cars return to the streets of Long Beach for the 25th
anniversary of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18.
The race for the PPG Cup continues with the May 2 Bosch Spark Plug Grand
Prix Presented by Toyota at Nazareth Speedway in Pennsylvania. The fourth
annual Rio 400 on the Emerson Fittipaldi Speedway at the Nelson Piquet
International Raceway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is set for Saturday, May 15.
May 29 marks, the third running of the Motorola 300 at Gateway International
Raceway in Madison, Ill., the third and final Saturday race of the year across
the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis.
Milwaukee is the next stop as the Miller Lite 200 is slated for June 6 at
the historic Milwaukee Mile, The Champ Cars then visit Portland, Ore., for the
Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco/Havoline on June 20. The Medic
Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Star Bank is set for June 27 at
Burke Lakefront Airport on Ohio's North Coast.
July 11 finds the FedEx Championship Series returning to Wisconsin for the
Texaco/Havoline 20O at Road America and, on July 18, it's the Molson Indy
through the streets of Exhibition Place in Toronto. The month winds up with
the fourth annual U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota at Michigan Speedway on
July 25 in the Irish Hills west of Detroit.
The FedEx Championship Series' annual stop in Detroit occurs Aug. 8 at the
Raceway on Belle Isle and the series returns to Ohio the following weekend
with the Miller Lite 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Aug. 22 marks the
inaugural race at the Chicago Motor Speedway.
After a weekend off, the schedule resumes with the Sept. 5 Molson Indy
Vancouver and the Champ Cars make their 17th annual visit to Laguna Seca
Raceway in Monterey, Calif., for the Honda Grand Prix of Monterey featuring
the Texaco/Havoline 300 on Sept. 12. The Texaco Grand Prix of Houston closes
out the month on Sept. 26.
The final two races of the year find the Champ Cars on the streets of
Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia for the 1999 Honda Indy on Oct. 17.
The season concludes with the Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota on Oct. 31 at
California Speedway in Fontana, where CART kicks off its "Million Dollar
Payday" program in just a few weeks.
ABC and ESPN will air all of the 20 events in the U.S. in 1999. A
schedule of air times, as well as local event start times, will be released
after they are finalized. Additionally, FedEx Championship Series events air
in more than 190 countries around the world.
1999
FEDEX CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
SCHEDULE
Date Race/Venue/Location TV
March 21 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota ABC
Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex
Homestead, Fla. USA
April 10* Japan 500 ABC or ESPN
Twin Ring Motegi
Motegi, Japan
April 18 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ABC
Long Beach, Calif. USA
May 2 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix Presented by Toyota ESPN
Nazareth Speedway
Nazareth, Pa. USA
May 15* Rio 400 ABC
Emerson Fittipaldi Speedway at
Nelson Piquet Intl. Raceway
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
May 29* Motorola 300 ABC
Gateway International Raceway
Madison, I11. USA
June 6 Miller Lite 200 ABC
The Milwaukee Mile
West Allis, Wis. USA
June 20 Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented
by Texaco/Havoline ABC
Portland International Raceway
Portland, Ore. USA
June 27 Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland
Presented by Star Bank ESPN
Burke Lakefront Airport
Cleveland, Ohio USA
July 11 Texaco/Havoline 200 ABC
Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wis. USA
Date Race/Venue/Location TV
July 18 Molson Indy ABC
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
July 25 U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota ABC
Michigan Speedway
Brooklyn, Mich. USA
Aug. 8 Grand Prix of Detroit ABC
The Raceway on Belle Isle
Detroit, Mich. USA
Aug. 15 Miller Lite 200 ESPN
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Lexington, Ohio USA
Aug. 22 Chicago Grand Prix ESPN
Chicago Motor Speedway
Cicero, I11. USA
Sept. 5 Molson Indy Vancouver ESPN
Concord Pacific Place
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sept. 12 Honda Grand Prix of Monterey
Featuring the Texaco/Havoline 300 ESPN
Laguna Seca Raceway
Monterey, Calif. USA
Sept. 26 Texaco Grand Prix of Houston ABC
Houston, Texas USA
Oct. 17 1999 Honda Indy ESPN
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Oct. 31 Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota ESPN
California Speedway
Fontana, Calif. USA
* Saturday race. Local starting times and television air times to be
released at a later date.