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CART: Team Rahal Ready For Nazareth

22 April 1998

250 And Counting

Bobby Rahal
Hilliard, OH: Three-time CART FedEx Championship Series champion and Team Rahal owner/driver Bobby Rahal will make his 250th Champ CarCar start this weekend at Nazareth Speedway. Rahal, who has announced his will retire from driving at the conclusion of the 1998 season, is the series leader among active drivers in career starts.

Back On A Winning Track

Bobby Rahal knows about winning. He's done it 24 times in his 16-year CART career. He knows about winning the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix, too. In fact, Rahal's last CART win came at the Nazareth tri-oval in 1992 on the way to collecting his third PPG Cup. He's hoping that being back on a winning track will help turn things around.

Track Tricks

Bobby Rahal's run enough laps (2,188) and led enough laps (157) at Nazareth to know a thing or two about getting around the place. "It's one of those places that is so fast and it's such close racing that it's incredibly mentally demanding," he said. "There's not much time to react to anything.

It's hard to pass people. But when you get a car that's hooked up there, it's fun, because there's only one or two guys that really get hooked up on a given day. We'll hope ours are the two that do."

The Other Big Mo

After encouraging results in two of the first three FedEx Championship Series races (including a track-record-setting pole-qualifying performance in Long Beach), Bryan Herta is optimistic about the balance of the season. "We're very encouraged with where we are right now. We've had a contending car in both of the last two races, which is a big confidence builder at this point in the season. We're pleased with the package we've got under us and pleased with the overall direction the team has taken since the season opener. Early season momentum has been hard to come by for us the last couple of seasons. Perhaps this is a sign of things to come."

Test 1-2

Rahal and Herta each spent two days at Portland International Raceway last week, where both bested the year-old track standard testing tires for Firestone. Team Rahal Indy Lights driver Mike Borkowski lapped Nazareth Speedway for two days in a test session that included many of the series regulars. They will be CART's opening act this weekend.

Michael On Bobby

1991 PPG Cup Champion and Nazareth native Michael Andretti offered some thoughts about Bobby Rahal's coming retirement during a recent Ford teleconference. "Bobby is a big reason why this series is where it is today," said the Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami winner. "He's a great driver. He's won a lot of races. He's won three championships. He's been a great spokesman for CART. He's also been a huge thorn in my side! I've lost three championships to him. I have a lot of respect for Bobby. He is one guy I've always known that I can go wheel-to-wheel with into any corner, not thinking about it in any way, knowing that we're both going to come out the other side."

The Other Team Rahal

The other Team Rahal will be in attendance at the Grand Prix this weekend - that being the team of employees from the Harrisburg-area Bobby Rahal Honda and Bobby Rahal Toyota/Lexus dealerships. They'll be in the turn-four chalet area on race day.

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