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LEXINGTON, Ohio -- CART'S driver lineup is about to have some major changes in 2001, with active victory leader Michael Andretti possibly heading to the rival Indy Racing Northern Light Series.
Andretti confirmed this weekend he likely will not return to Newman-Haas Racing in 2001 and has two very good offers on the table -- one from a team in CART and the other in the IRL.
CART team owner Chip Ganassi also announced this morning that long-time driver Jimmy Vasser would not be back next year. Ganassi has won the last four CART titles, beginning with Vasser's championship in 1996.
Ganassi said it was time for a change regarding Vasser, who has
not won a race since winning three in 1998.
Andretti and Vasser are the only full-time American drivers on
the foreign-dominated open-wheel circuit.
"I've received serious offers from several other teams in both CART and the IRL and am negotiating with at least three of them besides Newman-Haas," Andretti said. "I think (team owner) Carl Haas can't commit to more than a one-year deal, and at this stage in my career, I can't do that."
Andretti said one of the reasons he may consider jumping to the
IRL is a chance to return to the Indianapolis 500. His father,
Mario, won the Indianapolis 500 in 1969.
"I've always wanted to go back to Indy," Andretti said. "I'm
running out of years and I'd like to be back there if I could.
I've been doing a lot of research about the IRL and I like the
direction they want to go and the goals they want to achieve.
They've been around for a few years, so it wouldn't be as though
I were jumping into something new."
Andretti is a 17-year veteran of CART and winner of 40 races. He
has been with Newman-Haas for 10 seasons, including the last
six.
"I think we'll have a result on what Michael's plans are for
next year fairly quickly, probably in the next couple of weeks,"
Haas said. "We're still in negotiations and trying to work
things out."
One of the teams possibly willing to pay Andretti enough money to remain in CART is Target/Chip Ganassi Racing.
With Indianapolis 500 winner and defending CART champion Juan Montoya reportedly close to a deal that will send him to the Williams Formula One team next season, coupled with Vasser's contract not being renewed, the best team in the series may have two rides available.
Andretti drove for Ganassi in 1994 and gave him his first two CART victories as a primary team owner.
"This free agent thing is kind of nice," Andretti said. "There's more interest out there than I imagined. I hear I'm driving for five or six teams, but the fact is I've got two very attractive offers, one from each series."
According to The Indianapolis Star, Andretti's salary this year is believed to be $6 million. The contract has options for 2001 and 2002 which supposedly would pay Andretti $8 million and $10 million, respectively.
"It's kind of complicated and had some clauses in it, but right now Michael doesn't have a contract with us," Haas told The Star. "I know he's got some offers on the table and I offered him a one-year deal. But we're apart on money."
Andretti denied that if he jumped to the IRL, his contract would be paid from series founder and Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George.
"It's a lot of money, but it's not coming from Tony," Andretti said. "It's a real team with a big sponsor. I want to race at Indianapolis again and nobody from CART seems willing to do that.
"I don't know if I could have beat Juan Montoya this year, but I know I'd have kept him honest. I like the president of Northern Light (David Seuss) and the IRL is not the wanky deal it used to be. Its teams are getting better."
The three most likely IRL candidates who could offer Andretti a ride would be team owners Tom Kelley, John Menard or Panther Racing. The likely CART teams would be Ganassi and PacWest Racing.
"I've got two equal deals and I have a real tough decision to make in the next few days," Andretti said. "I could be paid the same money to do half the work in the IRL."
The IRL has 12 races scheduled for next year, 10 less than CART.
Ganassi's announcement that he would not renew Vasser's contract could be connected to the buzz around Andretti. Ganassi could offer Andretti the one benefit that that other CART teams cannot -- a chance to compete in CART and run in the Indianapolis 500.
Otherwise, the best opportunity for Andretti to return to the Brickyard would be the through the IRL. | |
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