1998 CART season

1998 CART season
FedEx Championship Series
Season
Races	19
Start date	March 15
End date	November 1
Awards
Drivers' champion	Alex Zanardi
Constructors' Cup	Reynard
Manufacturers' Cup	Honda
Nations' Cup	United States
Rookie of the Year	Tony Kanaan
Chronology
Previous season	Next season
1997	1999

The 1998 FedEx Championship Series season, the twentieth in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing, consisted of 19 races, beginning in Homestead, Florida on March 15 and concluding in Fontana, California on November 1. The FedEx Championship Series Drivers' Champion was Alex Zanardi, while the series' Rookie of the Year was Tony Kanaan. This was the first of five years of sponsorship by FDX Corporation, who became FedEx Corporation in 2000.

Drivers and constructors

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1998 CART Championship Series season.

Team	Chassis	Engine	Tires	No	Drivers	Rounds
Chip Ganassi Racing	Reynard 98i	Honda	Firestone	1	Alex Zanardi	All
				12	Jimmy Vasser	All
Marlboro Team Penske	Penske PC27-98	Mercedes	Goodyear	2	Al Unser, Jr.	All
				3	André Ribeiro	All
Walker Racing	Reynard 98i	Honda	Goodyear	5	Gil de Ferran	All
Newman-Haas Racing	Swift 009.c	Ford XB	Goodyear	6	Michael Andretti	All
				11	Christian Fittipaldi	1-6, 8-19
					Roberto Moreno	7
Team Rahal	Reynard 98i	Ford XB	Firestone	7	Bobby Rahal	All
				8	Bryan Herta	All
Hogan Racing	Reynard 98i	Mercedes	Firestone	9	JJ Lehto	All
Della Penna Motorsports	Swift 009.c	Ford XB	Firestone	10	Richie Hearn	All
				43	Hideshi Matsuda	2
Project CART	Reynard 98i	Mercedes	Goodyear	15	Roberto Moreno	1-2
					Domenico Schiattarella	3
Bettenhausen Racing	Reynard 98i	Mercedes	Goodyear	16	Hélio Castroneves	All
PacWest Racing Group	Reynard 98i	Mercedes	Firestone	17	Maurício Gugelmin	All
				18	Mark Blundell	All
Payton/Coyne Racing	Reynard 98i	Ford XB	Firestone	19	Michel Jourdain, Jr.	All
				34	Dennis Vitolo	1, 4, 6-10, 12, 15-19
					Gualter Salles	2-3, 5, 11, 13-14
Patrick Racing	Reynard 98i	Ford XB	Firestone	20	Scott Pruett	All
				40	Adrián Fernández	All
Tasman Motorsports Group	Reynard 98i	Honda	Firestone	21	Tony Kanaan	All
Arciero-Wells Racing	Reynard 98i	Toyota	Firestone	24	Hiro Matsushita	1-3, 5
					Robby Gordon	4, 6-19
				25	Max Papis	All
Team KOOL Green	Reynard 98i	Honda	Firestone	26	Paul Tracy	All
				27	Dario Franchitti	All
Forsythe Racing	Reynard 98i	Mercedes	Firestone	33	Patrick Carpentier	All
				99	Greg Moore	All
All American Racing	Reynard	Toyota	Goodyear	36	Alex Barron	1-16
				98	P. J. Jones	1-15
					Vincenzo Sospiri	16
	Eagle 987					17-19
				36	Alex Barron	17-19
Davis Racing	Lola T98/00	Ford XB	Goodyear	77	Arnd Meier	All

Results

Races

Rnd	Race Name	Circuit	City/Location	Date	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Winning team	Report
1	Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota	Homestead-Miami Speedway	Homestead, Florida	March 15	Greg Moore	Greg Moore	Michael Andretti	Newman-Haas Racing	Report
2	Budweiser 500	Twin Ring Motegi	Motegi, Japan	March 28	Jimmy Vasser	Jimmy Vasser	Adrián Fernández	Patrick Racing	Report
3	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach	Streets of Long Beach	Long Beach, California	April 5	Bryan Herta	Bobby Rahal	Alex Zanardi	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report
4	Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix Presented by Toyota	Nazareth Speedway	Nazareth, Pennsylvania	April 27	Patrick Carpentier	Greg Moore	Jimmy Vasser	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report
5	Rio 400k	Autódromo de Jacarepaguá	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	May 10	Dario Franchitti	Alex Zanardi	Greg Moore	Forsythe Racing	Report
6	Motorola 300	Gateway International Raceway	Madison, Illinois	May 23	Greg Moore	Jimmy Vasser	Alex Zanardi	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report
7	Miller Lite 200	Milwaukee Mile	West Allis, Wisconsin	May 31	Patrick Carpentier	Scott Pruett	Jimmy Vasser	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report
8	ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix	The Raceway on Belle Isle Park	Detroit, Michigan	June 7	Greg Moore	Alex Zanardi	Alex Zanardi	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report
9	Budweiser/G. I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco/Havoline	Portland International Raceway	Portland, Oregon	June 21	Bryan Herta	Patrick Carpentier	Alex Zanardi	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report
10	Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Star Bank	Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport	Cleveland, Ohio	July 12	Jimmy Vasser	Bryan Herta	Alex Zanardi	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report
11	Molson Indy	Exhibition Place	Toronto, Ontario	July 19	Dario Franchitti	Christian Fittipaldi	Alex Zanardi	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report
12	U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota	Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn, Michigan	July 26	Adrián Fernández	Patrick Carpentier	Greg Moore	Forsythe Racing	Report
13	Miller Lite 200	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio	August 9	Dario Franchitti	Greg Moore	Adrián Fernández	Patrick Racing	Report
14	The Chicago Tribune Presents Texaco/Havoline 200	Road America	Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin	August 16	Michael Andretti	Alex Zanardi	Dario Franchitti	Team KOOL Green	Report
15	Molson Indy Vancouver	Streets of Vancouver	Vancouver, British Columbia	September 6	Dario Franchitti	Hélio Castroneves	Dario Franchitti	Team KOOL Green	Report
16	Honda Grand Prix of Monterey Featuring the Texaco/Havoline 300	Laguna Seca Raceway	Monterey, California	September 13	Bryan Herta	Tony Kanaan	Bryan Herta	Team Rahal	Report
17	Texaco Grand Prix of Houston	Streets of Houston	Houston, Texas	October 4	Greg Moore	Alex Zanardi	Dario Franchitti	Team KOOL Green	Report
18	Honda Indy Carnival Australia	Surfers Paradise Street Circuit	Surfers Paradise, Australia	October 18	Dario Franchitti	Alex Zanardi	Alex Zanardi	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report
19	Marlboro 500 presented by Toyota	California Speedway	Fontana, California	November 1	Scott Pruett	Greg Moore	Jimmy Vasser	Chip Ganassi Racing	Report

  Oval/Speedway

  Road Course/Street Circuit

Full Series Results

Final driver standings

Pos Driver MIA MOT LBH NAZ RIO GAT MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIC MDO ROA VAN LAG HOU SUR FON Pts 1 Alex Zanardi 3 23 1 2 2* 1 8 1* 1* 1* 1 3* 12 2 4 2 2 1* 3 285 2 Jimmy Vasser 16 7 8 1 6 4 1* 6 8 7 3 2 27 9 26 5 4 24 1* 169 3 Dario Franchitti 9 8 2 21 19 27 4 4 21 3 20* 21 26 1* 1* 4 1* 2 22 160 4 Adrián Fernández 6 1* 4 26 3 18 9 2 24 5 9 23 1 5 15 7 6 6 4 154 5 Greg Moore 2 4 6 3 1 3 13 5 27 25 11 1 22 21 20 21 26 8 2 141 6 Scott Pruett 5 21 12 22 18 5 10 9 2 4 6 4 2 20 3 18 11 4 20 121 7 Michael Andretti 1* 14 21 18* 5 2* 26 10 17 2 2 6 21 15 2 10 28 20 18 112 8 Bryan Herta 8 28 3 8 4 23 11 21 3 13 5 10 25 23 22 1* 8 10 15 97 9 Tony Kanaan 18 6 5 9 27 24 17 8 4 14 22 11 8 4 18 3 3 7 19 92 10 Bobby Rahal 19 17 17 6 8 8 5 11 6 8 4 7 3 8 25 16 23 25 11 82 11 Al Unser, Jr. 22 2 29 15 16 19 3 24 5 17 17 22 6 27 5 6 7 22 27 72 12 Gil de Ferran 7 3 20* 4 26 6 22 3 20 6 27 16 9 16 13 19 21 14 17 67 13 Paul Tracy 27 5 25 5 25 26 7 7 28 19 14 9 5 6 11 8 20 23 14 61 14 Christian Fittipaldi 4 25 26 11 21 11 DNS 17 26 11 16 25 13 3 14 9 27 3 7 56 15 Maurício Gugelmin 10 20 10 17 9 16 21 19 7 20 12 13 4* 19 6 27 18 12 5 49 16 Richie Hearn 13 27 23 10 7 28 6 23 10 18 7 5 24 13 16 11 9 18 8 47 17 Hélio Castroneves 24 11 9 23 23 7 2 12 13 27 10 12 17 26 24 23 24 21 10 36 18 Mark Blundell 12 10 7 20 11 10 12 22 22 10 26 17 19 7 12 25 14 11 6 36 19 Patrick Carpentier 11 19 28 13 17 15 25 15 9 9 25 8 7 28 27 17 22 9 26 27 20 JJ Lehto 14 29 18 16 10 9 19 26 25 28 24 20 15 18 8 28 10 5 21 25 21 Max Papis 26 13 24 14 28 22 16 18 11 12 8 19 14 11 9 12 5 17 16 25 22 André Ribeiro 17 9 22 DNS 22 20 18 16 15 22 23 28 10 25 7 14 17 13 28 13 23 Robby Gordon 7 13 20 14 23 23 13 27 11 12 23 13 13 16 9 13 24 Michel Jourdain, Jr. 28 22 27 12 24 17 15 13 19 26 18 18 28 14 10 24 25 26 12 5 25 Arnd Meier 21 15 15 24 14 21 23 27 12 16 15 14 18 10 28 15 16 27 24 4 26 P. J. Jones 20 30 11 19 13 12 14 25 16 21 19 24 20 22 21 3 27 Alex Barron 18 24 14 DNS 12 14 DNS 20 14 15 28 15 16 24 19 20 12 19 13 2 28 Gualter Salles 12 13 20 21 23 17 1 29 Vincenzo Sospiri 22 15 15 23 0 30 Hiro Matsushita 23 16 19 15 0 31 Roberto Moreno 15 26 24 0 32 Domenico Schiattarella 16 0 33 Dennis Vitolo 25 25 25 DNS 28 18 24 26 17 26 19 DNS 25 0 34 Hideshi Matsuda 18 0 Pos Driver MIA MOT LBH NAZ RIO GAT MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIC MDO ROA VAN LAG HOU SUR FON Pts

Color Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green 4th & 5th place Light Blue 6th-10th place Dark Blue Finished (Outside Top 10) Purple Did not finish Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Brown Withdrawn (Wth) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Not competing In-line notation Bold Pole position Italics Ran fastest race lap * Led most race laps Rookie of the Year Rookie

Point Scoring System:

• Points are awarded based on each driver's resulting place (regardless of whether the car is running at the end of the race):

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Points	20	16	14	12	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1

Bonus Points:

• 1 For Pole Position
• 1 For Leading The Most Laps Of The Race

Nation's Cup

• Top result per race counts towards Nation's Cup.

Pos	Country	MIA	MOT	LBH	NAZ	RIO	GAT	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	TOR	MIC	MDO	ROA	VAN	LAG	HOU	SUR	FON	Pts
1	United States	1	2	3	1	4	2	1	6	2	2	2	2	2	8	2	1	4	4	1	303
2	Italy	3	13	1	2	2	1	8	1	1	1	1	3	12	2	4	2	2	1	3	286
3	Brazil	4	3	5	4	9	6	2	3	4	6	10	11	4	3	6	3	3	3	5	203
4	Canada	2	4	6	3	1	3	7	5	9	9	11	1	5	6	11	8	20	8	2	182
5	Scotland	9	8	2	21	19	27	4	4	21	3	20	21	26	1	1	4	1	2	22	160
6	Mexico	6	1	4	12	3	17	9	2	19	5	9	18	1	5	10	7	6	6	4	158
7	England	12	10	7	20	11	10	12	22	22	10	26	17	19	7	12	25	14	11	6	36
8	Finland	14	29	18	16	10	9	19	26	25	28	24	20	15	18	8	28	10	5	21	25
9	Germany	21	15	15	24	14	21	23	27	12	16	15	14	18	10	28	15	16	27	24	4
10	Japan	23	16	19		15															0
Pos	Country	MIA	MOT	LBH	NAZ	RIO	GAT	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	TOR	MIC	MDO	ROA	VAN	LAG	HOU	SUR	FON	Pts

Chassis Constructor's Cup

Pos	Chassis	Pts
1	Reynard 98I	409
2	Swift 009.c	167
3	Penske PC-27	72
4	Lola T9800	4
5	Eagle 987	1
Pos	Chassis	Pts

Engine Manufacturer's Cup

Pos	Engine	Pts
1	Honda	365
2	Ford XB	293
3	Mercedes	226
4	Toyota	41
Pos	Engine	Pts

Driver Breakdown

Pos	Driver	Team	Entries	Wins	Podiums	Top 5's	Top 10's	Poles	Points
1	Zanardi	Chip Ganassi Racing	19	7	15	16	17	0	285
2	Vasser	Chip Ganassi Racing	19	3	5	8	15	2	169
3	Franchitti	Team KOOL Green	19	3	6	9	11	5	160
4	Fernandez	Patrick Racing	19	2	4	8	14	1	154
5	Moore	Forsythe Racing	19	2	6	8	10	4	141
6	Pruett	Patrick Racing	19	0	3	8	11	1	121
7	Andretti	Newman-Haas Racing	19	1	5	6	9	1	112
8	Herta	Team Rahal	19	1	3	5	10	3	97
9	Kanaan	Tasman Racing	19	0	2	5	10	0	92
10	Rahal	Team Rahal	19	0	1	3	10	0	82
11	Unser, Jr.	Marlboro Team Penske	19	0	2	4	7	0	72
12	de Ferran	Walker Racing	19	0	2	3	7	0	67
13	Tracy	Team KOOL Green	19	0	0	3	8	0	61
14	Fittipaldi	Newman-Haas Racing	18	0	2	3	5	0	56
15	Gugelmin	PacWest Racing	19	0	0	2	7	0	49
16	Hearn	Della Penna Motorsports	19	0	0	1	8	0	47
17	Castroneves	Bettenhausen Racing	19	0	1	1	5	0	36
17	Blundell	PacWest Racing	19	0	0	0	6	0	36
19	Carpentier	Forsythe Racing	19	0	0	0	5	2	27
20	Lehto	Hogan Racing	19	0	0	1	5	0	25
20	Papis	Arciero-Wells Racing	19	0	0	1	3	0	25
22	Ribeiro	Marlboro Team Penske	18	0	0	0	3	0	13
22	Gordon	Arciero-Wells Racing	15	0	0	0	2	0	13
24	Jourdain Jr.	Dale Coyne Racing	19	0	0	0	1	0	5
25	Meier	Davis Racing	19	0	0	0	1	0	4
26	Jones	All American Racing	15	0	0	0	0	0	3
27	Barron	All American Racing	17	0	0	0	0	0	2
28	Salles	Dale Coyne Racing	6	0	0	0	0	0	1
29	Vitolo	Dale Coyne Racing	11	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	Sospiri	All American Racing	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	Matsushita	Arciero-Wells Racing	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	Moreno	Newman-Haas Racing Project CART	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	Schiattarella	Project CART	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	Matsuda	Beck Motorsports	1	0	0	0	0	0	0

References

• Åberg, Andreas. "CART FedEx Champ Car World Series 1998". Driver Database. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
• "1998 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series". Champ Car Stats. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
• "Federal Express Signs Title Sponsorship Agreement with Championship Auto Racing Teams" (Press release). FDX Corporation. 1997-12-09. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
• "FedEx Renews Title Sponsorship Agreement with Championship Auto Racing Teams; FedEx Championship Series Roars into 2002" (Press release). FedEx Corporation. 2001-11-07. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
• "Standings after California". Champ Car World Series. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2009-05-19.

See also

• 1998 Toyota Atlantic Championship season
• 1998 Indianapolis 500
• 1998 Indy Racing League season
• 1998 Indy Lights season