RACE: Don't understand what some people are complaining about. This was not going to be Michigan. And, for a track that most expected no passing on, there was actually more than it's usual share of action throughout the field as well as for the lead. Brack's pass on Castroneves is bound to end up on the season recap highlight tape.

TRACK: If oval racing is the American way, then why doesn't anybody show up to watch?

BRACK: The mark of a champion is to quickly put a bad result behind you and bounce back from adversity.

TEAM RAHAL: Once again, another victory without Bobby around.

CARPENTIER: Give the guy a contract and watch out. Maybe Player's should extend it another year or two -- they may get a championship out of Patrick this year.

DE FERRAN: A classic case of the Penske operation saving the weekend.

DIXON: Too bad for Scott, there are no more one mile bullrings left this year. He'll have to wait for the next best thing -- the English oval.

GIDLEY: Well, it didn't take long for Memo to match the points of his highly touted, highly publicized, sure to be the next great F1 driver, European teammate ... in half the amount of races.

KANAAN: Way to get that first pole for Mo Nunn.

NUNN: You deserve it, Mo. Next, a victory.

VASSER: What a start! It was Montoya-like.

CASTRONEVES: Amazing that Helio actually topped the pole time in his qualifying warmup lap. But of course, warmup laps don't count.

ZANARDI: Looking a little better again.

PAPIS: The hardest working driver out there on Sunday.

FERNANDEZ: Finally getting a chance just to concentrate on driving, it is ironic that he seems to be more aggressive now that he is an owner. Usually that works the other way around.

TAKAGI: Once again looked real strong in some practice sessions including the race morning warmup. The probation "favor" strikes again.

JOURDAIN: A far cry from the previous week's performance.

HERTA: Ditto.

GUGELMIN: 123.9 Gs -- the high-density foam padding behind his helmet crushed to one-half its usual thickness, the HANS device cracked, the seatbelt mounts bent, and his foam fitting seat was junked. And Big Mo walked away just sore. "Everything worked exactly as it was supposed to," said chief mechanic Dave Stephens. Don't ever try to tell us that NASCAR has the safest cars out there.

ABC: As usual, missed a whole bunch of good action while off on commercials.

STATS OF THE WEEKEND: The entire field qualified within .839 seconds. It took all the way till lap 69 before someone was lapped on the track (not including Fittipaldi who pitted early with a problem). Twenty-two out of 25 cars finished, the top 13 on the lead lap with only two yellows. Just what other racing series can boast that kind of competitiveness? The days of the Vitolos and Hiros are long gone.

HISTORICAL FACT OF THE WEEKEND: The first American race took place in Chicago back in 1895 on Thanksgiving Day. With six inches of snow on the ground, J. Frank Duryea in his Motor Wagon won the race from Chicago to Evanston, a distance of 52.4 miles of nearly impassable roadways. Duryea beat five other cars, and only one other finisher, with an average speed of 5.1 mph. And people complain about today's aero package...

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: In the hey, that's what Deep Throttle has been saying category, Tony Kanaan on the race strategy, "It doesn't pay to start up front. We worked hard all weekend to get the fastest car in qualifying, and it's the people who started in the back and stop on all the yellows who end up with the better result. Maybe the thing to do is just work on your race setup all weekend, start in the back and make pit stops on all the yellows."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Penske engineer Iain Reed when asked about all the unique and different front wing packages on their cars, "They look very nice, don't they?"

SCHEDULE: Back to the natural beauty of Mid-Ohio and then Road America.

Copyright © 2001 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.