CART's Missed Opportunity

The CART/FedEx Series ran their annual race at the Milwaukee Mile yesterday. Kenny Brack who outdueled Michael Andretti won the race. The story was not that Brack had won his second consecutive race; rather it was the resounding click as television sets around the country turned off or to another channel when Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves was involved in a first lap incident with Brack. The incident, which didn't slow Brack, knocked Castroneves from competition.

The incident was so very unfortunate for the CART series which has suffered dismal television ratings for several years. However, the previous weeks Indy 500 had better ratings than in previous years. It was also won by a CART regular, who was followed by 4 more CART drivers and one Winston Cup driver.

But it was Castroneves' enthusiasm and respect for the 500 that was so refreshing. After taking the checkered flag, he stopped his car at the start/finish line, got out and climbed the fence in joy. His thrill was infectious and there was even talk about the Milwaukee race around Indianapolis this past week. That is something that has not been heard since the CART/IRL split.

There was talk of the hated Penske regime. Both pro and con. But there was talk. And there was talk of watching the race. Spurred on by the chance to see a newly famous race driver get a chance to climb the fence again at the Milwaukee Mile. Those hopes were dashed before they came to the second turn.

Obviously CART can't keep drivers out of accidents all of the time. And they certainly had no hand in Sunday's crash. But for a racing league who is trying to avoid losing credibility and add race fans, it was a tough blow to take as the casual fans who were watching Castroneves switched over to the Memorial golf tournament to watch Tiger beat the field again