Patrick Manager McGee One Victory Shy of CART History

In 40 years as a mechanic, crew chief and team manager, Jim McGee has seen incredible changes in Indy and champ car racing.

More significant than even the transformation from upright, front-engine Indy cars to the sleek rear-engine missiles of today, McGee believes, was the change from individual sportsman owners to corporate involvement.

“Remember when Indy car racing was Al Dean, Bob Wilke, J.C. Agajanian, Lindsey Hopkins and people like that?” he said. “Now you have Roger Penske, Pat Patrick, Carl Haas, Chip Ganassi--businessmen who run their racing teams like big companies.”

The racing industry has had tremendous growth because of the changes, he said.

“Back then, we worked for wages and little else; no insurance, no benefits, not even an expense account. Just a few bucks and the love of being around race cars.

“Today, racing is one of the better ways to make a living. All the teams have health benefits, retirement plans and wages [that] are probably better than [for] comparable jobs outside of racing.”

McGee manages Patrick’s team, which will have Adrian Fernandez and PJ Jones in Sunday’s Marlboro 500 at California Speedway.

When Fernandez won the CART race at Motegi, Japan, it gave McGee his 85th win as a manager or crew chief, equaling the record of George Bignotti, whose drivers were A.J. Foyt and Al Unser, among others. One more and McGee will be the all-time crew chief-team manager in CART.

“I never really counted wins or anything like that,” McGee said. “I enjoyed my association with some good owners--Pat Patrick, Roger Penske, Al Dean, some wonderful people. The wins just came because I happened to be with the right people.”

Of the 85, Mario Andretti accounted for 34, among them the 1969 Indianapolis 500 and three national championships. McGee also won the Indy 500 with Rick Mears in 1979, Gordon Johncock in 1982 and Emerson Fittipaldi in 1989.

“Working with Fernandez has been very gratifying,” McGee said. “He came to us two years ago at a low point in his career after a year driving a not very competitive Lola. He won at Japan and Mid-Ohio [last year] and finished fourth in the series.

“This year he won again in Japan and might be challenging for the championship if he hadn’t been hurt practicing in Detroit and had to miss four races.”

Despite the layoff, Fernandez is sixth in points.

“I believe he has a good shot at winning Sunday,” McGee said. “He has been really quick on big ovals. Motegi is a high-speed oval and he won twice there.

“Last year at Fontana, his warmup lap [in qualifying] would have put him on the front row, but he crashed on the next lap and had to start last in a backup car. He drove a great race and finished fourth.

“He really loves those big, fast tracks. Next year, with a new Ford engine, Adrian should make a strong run for the championship. He’s that good.”

CHANGING GEARS

Like most championship motorcycle racers, Randy Goss yearned to race cars when he was winning the American Motorcyclist Assn. Grand National championship in 1980 and 1983.

When he retired from racing two-wheelers in 1986 after winning his last race, a half-mile main event at Ascot Park, Goss bought a late-model stock car and went four-wheel racing.

“It was a disaster,” he recalled while putting the final touches on Greg Biffle’s Ford truck for Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck race at California Speedway. “I spent $40,000 trying to jump-start a career in auto racing. My biggest mistake was trying to enter at too high a level. I needed some experience at the lower level.”

Instead of becoming a driver, Goss wound up as a mechanic for Jack Roush, working on his Trans Am and GTP cars, one of them the winning car in the 24 Hours of Daytona.

“When Roush got into trucks, I moved over there and have been there ever since,” Goss said. “Now and then, I still get the urge to get back on a bike, but I know it would be a bad idea. I guess you never lose the urge, though.

“What I like best about the trucks is that it seems like old-time racing, with everybody scrambling to perform. It’s not as high-tech as [Winston] Cup racing. It’s just good old-fashioned racing.

“I still like coming back to Southern California. I had some of my best riding days here. I just hope Greg can do the same with the Grainger Ford.”

Goss posted five of his 16 Grand National wins, between 1979 and 1986, at Ascot Park.

Biffle is the truck series leader going into Saturday’s season finale.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Ganassi, the first CART owner to try a Reynard chassis and one of the first to use Honda power to win, will switch next year to a Toyota engine for Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser.

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Mark Kinser, driving a car built and prepared by his father, Karl, won the first seven races at Perris Auto Speedway before losing to Johnny Herrera last February.

The Outlaws, with their huge wings, will return to Perris Saturday night for a $42,100 Pennzoil series race and Kinser has added incentive for resuming his winning ways. He is in a tense battle with Danny Lasoski for the season title with only two events left, Perris and Las Vegas next week.

“Danny’s been right there with us all year,” said Kinser, who can clinch the title by finishing ninth or better in each of the last two preliminary and feature races. “He and I are good friends and he and [car owner] Dennis Roth have put together a very good effort.

“We have had great success with the new Dodge engine this year and my dad is putting together a new car, just in case we need a backup in these last two races. We want that championship.”

Lasoski, seeking his first Outlaws title, said, “We’re trying to be a pain in the rear end of that Kinser team. The bottom line is, we need some help. I don’t want to wish any bad luck on that No. 5 team, but they’re going to have to help us for us to win this thing.”

Kinser won the title in 1996.

FORMULA ONE

What controversy can cloud the end of the Formula One season at the Japanese Grand Prix?

Since an FIA Court of Appeals overturned the decision to disqualify the Ferraris of Eddie Irvine and Michael Schumacher from the Malaysian Grand Prix, Irvine holds a four-point lead over Mika Hakkinen.

Had the appeal been denied, Hakkinen already would be the champion and McLaren-Mercedes would have won the constructors’ title. Now Ferrari leads by the same margin as its driver.

“It’s fantastic, a triumph for the whole team,” said Irvine, seeking his first championship. Irvine and Schumacher had finished 1-2 in Malaysia, with Hakkinen third.

For Irvine, racing on the Suzuka circuit is a homecoming of sorts. Before joining F1, he spent three years racing in a Japanese series.

LAST LAPS

Twelve world-class offshore powerboats will try for world speed records Saturday in Long Beach. Ocean Spray, owned by Bruce Penhall of Laguna Hills, will seek to better the Super V record of 140.124 mph. Each boat will complete two passes--one in each direction--over a closed course of one kilometer. Trials will start at 8 a.m. at the Downtown Marina guest slips, with the best viewing area from the Belmont pier.

Paul Edwards, 21, of Santa Maria, is one of three drivers chosen to represent the USA as winners of the 10th Valvoline Team USA scholarship. Edwards, who has driven the last three years in Europe, will compete in the Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series next month in England. Former scholarship winners include CART veterans Vasser and Bryan Herta.

The Facts

Races at the California Speedway in Fontana this weekend. Ticket information: (800) 944-RACE:

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

NAPA Auto Parts 200

* When: Today, qualifying, 12:45 p.m.; Saturday, race (ESPN, 1 p.m.)

* Race distance: 200 miles, 100 laps.

CART

Marlboro 500

* When: Saturday, qualifying, noon (ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.); Sunday, race (ESPN, noon)

* Race distance: 500 miles, 250 laps.