From: Michael Powell 

For Immediate Release

CHEVY 500 DAY 3 NOTES

De Ferran wins Chevy 500; Dixon wins championship

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2003 - Retiring Gil de Ferran won the
season-ending IRL IndyCar Series Chevy 500. The race ended five laps early
due to an accident on Lap 188 involving Kenny Brack and Tomas Scheckter. 

The right side of Brack's No. 15 Pioneer/Miller Lite
Dallara/Honda/Firestone made contact with the left side of Scheckter's on
the backstretch. Brack's car became airborne and made contact with the
outside retaining fence in Turn 3. 

Brack was transported via air to Parkland Hospital in Dallas in serious but
stable condition. He was awake, alert and talking when he left the HCA
infield care center. A further update will be provided when available.

***

CHEVY 500 POST-RACE NOTES: 

ˇGil de Ferran won his third IndyCar Series race of 2003. His other
victories came at Indianapolis and Nashville.  

ˇScott Dixon won the 2003 IndyCar Series championship. It is his first
major championship. He won the Indy Lights title in 2000. 

ˇDan Wheldon finished a career-best third today. His previous best finish
was fourth, three times this season. He earned the 2003 IndyCar Series
Bombardier Rookie of the Year award. 

ˇTarget Chip Ganassi Racing won the IndyCar Series championship with Scott
Dixon. The team won CART championships in 1996 (Jimmy Vasser), 1997-98
(Alex Zanardi) and 1999 (Juan Montoya). Team owner Chip Ganassi was a
co-owner of Patrick Racing in 1989 when Emerson Fittipaldi won the CART
championship. 

***

CHEVY 500 POST-RACE QUOTES:

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone): "The money doesn't really matter. The
championship is great. The team has worked so hard, and I feel like I've
got a huge weight off my shoulder. I'm just so proud of the team. It's just
been a hell of a year."

GIL DE FERRAN (No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone):
"It's been a fantastic four years with Team Penske. Like I told Roger
and the guys on the radio, it's a time I'm gong to remember for the rest of
my life. I've learned so much, and it's just been a wonderful thing for me
and my family."

DAN WHELDON (No. 7 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone): "It's
fantastic. It's great for Team 7-Eleven. The Klein-Tools/Jim Beam guys have
been fantastic, but right now that is secondary. It's difficult to talk
about the race, to be honest, when what happened, happened. But, you know,
that car was very good. I wouldn't say overall, on my own, that I had the
fastest car. I had a very good car in traffic, and I am just very thankful
to Michael (Andretti), Kim (Green), and Kevin (Savoree) for giving me this
opportunity. I think it is going to help us start off next year very well,
if and when we work out a deal." (About winning Bombardier Rookie of
the Year title): "It's tremendous. It's going to sink in, I think,
tomorrow. But like I say, really I'm just concerned about Kenny
(Brack)."

TOMAS SCHECKTER (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone): (About contact with Kenny Brack): "I don't
know what happened, but the main thing is my teammate just won the
Championship, and I'm really proud of him. I'm really happy for the
team."

STEVE DICKSON (Team Manager, Team Rahal): "We are all wishing Kenny
and Anita our best. We spoke with Kenny at the care center, and he joked
with us. We are all family at Team Rahal and the IRL, and we hope everyone
can wish him the very best."

***

The Toyota Indy 300, the first event of the 2004 IndyCar Series season,
will take place Feb. 29, 2004 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Miami 100,
the first Menards Infiniti Pro Series race of the 2004 season, also will
take place Feb. 29 at HMS. 



--- Internet Rex 2.29