RACE: The best race of the year!

TRACK: The improvements were a success. A lot of passing for a street circuit. Heck, for any track. And they are talking about making even more improvements for next year.

EVENT: Last week we wondered how the event would be now that it is locally owned and promoted. Well, we now know, and the results are astounding, especially considering that Dover Downs -- no slouches to running street races themselves -- were the previous owners. Paul Tracy is right, Denver is now right up there with the most successful events (Surfers, the Canadian races, and Long Beach). Portland, Road America, Laguna Seca, take note.

BOURDAIS: A Zanardi-like comeback.

JUNQUEIRA: Bruno gets aggressive, takes the early lead, runs hard and fast, but in the end, he is still overshadowed by his teammate.

NEWMAN-HAAS: Teammates are now playing tit for tat.

TRACY: Played it hard but clean for a change.

DOMINGUEZ: Have you noticed that Mario never complains or whines no matter what happens to him? In fact, he seems to enjoy hard racing, even if he is a victim.

SERVIA: Maybe Oriol never lived up to his potential in the past, but what he is doing with a Dale Coyne car is simply magnificent.

HABERFELD: Mario really deserves to be in a Lola.

TAGLIANI: From winner to also-ran. Racing fortune changes so fast.

PHILIPPE: "I've earned my spot in the Champ Car World Series." More like, "My daddy has more money than your daddy, Mr. Sperafico."

CONQUEST: Note to Eric Bachelart -- make sure you get paid now before Philippe gets a few more races under his belt.

SPERAFICO: Even we aren't surprised that Philippe is faster in your car, Alex.

SMITH: Note to Guy, if you replace a 17-year-old driver with no experience, you really need to be faster than said backmarker.

MAZZACANE: Before we questioned whether he drove in F1. Now we question whether he's even driven a racecar before.

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Thrilling.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: Sebastien Bourdais turned in the fastest lap of the race on the next to last tour. This despite suffering suspension damage, having his steering knocked askew, and being so close to falling apart when on the last lap his car kept bottoming out. That's faster with a beat up car than anyone else could do with relatively healthy mounts.

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: Jimmy Vasser tying Al Unser, Jr's record for consecutive starts at 192 is interesting because those two are linked in what was almost Vasser's first Champ Car victory. In the 1995 Portland race, Unser's victory was taken away for a technical infraction handing the win to Vasser, his first. However, months later, the penalty was reversed on appeal, and Vasser had to wait the following year in the season opening race at Homestead before getting his first victory en route to his first championship.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Sebastien Bourdais giving his teammate quite a slam at the post race press conference after Bruno Junqueira said he did nothing wrong on the first lap altercation, "You are very lucky, Bruno, that I am gentleman, because I could be pretty hard on you."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Dick Simon on his return in a strange new role, "How's that for a change? Who'd have ever thought I'd be a sponsor?"

SCHEDULE: Back to Montreal and a province that is absolutely crazy about open wheel racing.

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