Tragic Day at Fontana

Winning a million dollars should be reason to celebrate, but for Adrian Fernandez and Juan Montoya the million-dollar payoffs came Sunday with saddened hearts.

Fernandez won the Marlboro 500 before an estimated 90,000 spectators at California Speedway for $1 million, and Montoya’s fourth-place finish earned the Colombian rookie $1 million as the CART FedEx series champion.

The death of Greg Moore in a terrifying accident on the 10th lap of the 250-lap race threw a pall over the entire proceedings. Moore died of massive head and internal injuries after sliding across the infield grass and slamming into the inside wall.

The race continued and although spectators were informed of his death, the drivers were not.

When Fernandez pulled off his green, red and white helmet in the colors of his native Mexico and was told of his friend’s death, he broke down in tears.

“It’s so hard [to celebrate] today because Greg was such a good friend of ours,” said Fernandez. “The win doesn’t matter or anything.”

Fernandez took the lead with 10 laps remaining when the leaders, Max Papis, Christian Fittipaldi and Montoya pitted for a splash of fuel. Jimmy McGee, Fernandez’s crew chief, kept Fernandez on the track, gambling that his Ford Cosworth could make it to the finish line.

When it did, Fernandez waved his arm to the crowd in celebration as he crossed the final stripe, only to have his enthusiasm dulled a few moments later. The win was No. 86 for McGee, moving him past George Bignotti as the winningest crew chief/team manager in open-wheel history.

It was Fernandez’s fifth win, his second this year, since leaving Mexico in 1991 to race in the United States. His other win this year came at Motegi, Japan.

His margin of victory was 7.634 seconds, as Papis, Fittipaldi, Montoya and Jimmy Vasser followed.

That was not near as close as the FedEx championship, which ended in a 212-212 deadlock between Montoya and Dario Franchitti, who finished 10th. Montoya was declared champion because in the tiebreaker he had more wins, seven to three.

“With what’s happened, nothing else matters,” said Franchitti, who had led Montoya going into the year’s final race. “In the last couple of years, ever since I’ve known Greg, we shared a lot of good times together. He was the guy I competed hardest with on the track, and he was the guy I had the most fun with away from the track.”

It was the fourth straight CART championship for car owner Chip Ganassi, whose Target team won with Vasser in 1996 and Alex Zanardi in 1997 and 1998. Zanardi left Ganassi for Formula One this season, but Ganassi picked up Montoya, who had been a test driver for Frank Williams’ F1 team.

Moore’s accident was the second of the race at almost the exact same place on the track--coming off the second turn. Six laps earlier, Richie Hearn had spun in the wall, but he was not injured.

“I got a good run off turn two on [Mauricio} Gugelmin and pinched in too low,” said Hearn. “I caught some bad air and that was it.”

That also will be it for Hearn’s sponsor, Budweiser, which previously announced it would not sponsor a car next year.

The only other accident occurred when Alex Barron, driving for Roger Penske, brushed the wall along the front straightaway and slid across the track.

Michael Andretti looked like a runaway winner in the early going, racing to more than a half-mile lead, but his day ended in the pits when a leaking cylinder caused a fire to burn through the brake lining. He had led 62 laps.

There were 18 lead changes among eight drivers. Papis, with 112, led the most.

Scott Pruett, who surprised CART insiders by winning the pole with a Toyota engine on Saturday, was never a factor. Before the first lap was completed, he had been passed by Papis, Andretti, Montoya, Vasser and Franchitti. On lap 48 he retired with a severe vibration.

It was Pruett’s last CART race. He will switch to NASCAR Winston Cup racing next year.

There were two tense battles as the race neared its end.

In the fight for the $1-million race, Papis was leading on lap 237 when he pitted. Fittipaldi took over the front, then also pitted. This gave Montoya the lead, but when he pitted a lap later, Fernandez led for the first time in the race.

While he was running those last 10 laps to victory, Montoya and Franchitti were having their own personal duel for the other $1 million. Had Franchitti been able to finish one position higher, he would have been the champion, but he couldn’t get past Gil de Ferran and Tony Kanaan in the rush to the finish line.

“You live your whole life and dream about days like today, and you’re never prepared for what ultimately happens,” said Ganassi as he stood with Montoya in the paddock. “This guy next to me is the greatest and we’re going to be back next year.

“Our sport seems so small and insignificant in times like this.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

MARLBORO 500

COVERAGE

TV

ESPN showed restraint in its live coverage of the crash. Page 14

FATAL CRASHES

Some ask after the tragedy, have cars become too fast? Page 15

INDY LIGHTS

Jonny Kane won the Indy Lights 100-mile race. Page 14

THE RACE

1. A. Fernandez

2. Max Papis

3. C. Fittipaldi

THE SERIES

1. Juan Montoya

2. Dario Franchitti

3. Paul Tracy

Results, Page 14