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1998 Texaco Grand Prix of Houston


Country = United States| Race = Houston| Image = File:Houston CART circuit transparent.png| Caption = Original track layout of the Houston Grand Prix.| Date = October 4| Year = 1998| Official name = 1998 Texaco Grand Prix of Houston| Race_No = 17| Season_No = 19| Series = CART| Location = George R. Brown Convention Center Houston, Texas, United States| Course = Temporary street course| Course_mi = 1.527| Course_km = 2.457| Distance_laps = 70| Distance_mi = 106.89| Distance_km = 171.99| Weather = Heavy rain| Pole_Driver = Greg Moore| Pole_Team = Forsythe Racing| Pole_Time = 59.508| Pole_Country = Canada| Fast_Driver = Alex Zanardi| Fast_Team = Chip Ganassi Racing| Fast_Time = 1:02.797| Fast_Lap = 59| Fast_Country = Italy| First_Driver = Dario Franchitti| First_Team = Team KOOL Green| First_Country = UK| Second_Driver = Alex Zanardi| Second_Team = Chip Ganassi Racing| Second_Country= Italy| Third_Driver = Tony Kanaan| Third_Team = Tasman Motorsports Group| Third_Country = Brazil|

The 1998 Texaco Grand Prix of Houston was the seventeenth round of the 1998 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series season, held on October 4, 1998, at a street adjacent to the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. The race was a rain-interrupted race, with the start being delayed 30 minutes due to heavy rain. Another heavy rainshower after 70 laps out of the scheduled 100 forced the race to be stopped, with the win handed to Dario Franchitti, who was leading at the time.

The race was the scene of an infamous Lap 48 collision between winner Franchitti and his Team KOOL Green teammate, Paul Tracy. While running second, Tracy attempted to pass Franchitti on the inside going into the left-handed Turn 6; however, Franchitti was already making the turn, leading to the teammates touching, and Tracy spinning, brushing the inside wall enough to bend his left front suspension, ending his race. This led to a terse conversation over the radio between Tracy and team owner Barry Green. When Tracy returned to pit road, he and Green nearly came to blows in plain view of television cameras and the crowd on the start-finish straight. Ironically, within days of their near fistfight, Tracy and Green agreed to a four-year contract extension.

Classification

Race

PosNoDriverTeamLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
27UK Dario FranchittiTeam Green701:36:30.979220+1
1Italy Alex ZanardiChip Ganassi Racing70+0.646816
21Brazil Tony KanaanTasman Motorsports Group70+5.7921114
12US Jimmy VasserChip Ganassi Racing70+8.342312
25Italy Max PapisArciero-Wells Racing70+11.1701410
40Mexico Adrián FernándezPatrick Racing70+13.425128
2US Al Unser Jr.Team Penske70+17.725166
8US Bryan HertaTeam Rahal70+26.90665
10US Richie HearnDella Penna Motorsports70+27.812184
9Finland JJ LehtoHogan Racing70+35.089213
20US Scott PruettPatrick Racing69+1 Lap192
36US Alex BarronAll American Racing69+1 Lap201
24USA Robby GordonArciero-Wells Racing69+1 Lap24
18UK Mark BlundellPacWest Racing Group68+2 Laps22
98Italy Vincenzo SospiriAll American Racing68+2 Laps28
77West Germany Arnd MeierDavis Racing68+2 Laps26
3Brazil André RibeiroTeam Penske66+4 Laps10
17Brazil Maurício GugelminPacWest Racing Group52Electrical16
34US Dennis VitoloPayton/Coyne Racing49Electrical27
26Canada Paul TracyTeam Green48Contact4
5Brazil Gil de FerranWalker Racing38Spun off7
33Canada Patrick CarpentierForsythe Racing36Contact25
7US Bobby RahalTeam Rahal35Suspension9
16Brazil Hélio Castro-NevesBettenhausen Racing35Suspension17
19Mexico Michel Jourdain Jr.Payton/Coyne Racing13Contact23
99Canada Greg MooreForsythe Racing3Contact11
11Brazil Christian FittipaldiNewman-Haas Racing3Contact5
6US Michael AndrettiNewman-Haas Racing2Steering13

Caution flags

LapsCause
1-3Multiple cars spinning due to rain
5-9Moore (99), Fittipaldi (11) contact
14-16Jourdain Jr. (19), Gordon (24) contact, road block. Later red-flagged.
39-43Carpentier (33) contact
46Vitolo (34) contact
68-70Heavy rain

Lap Leaders

LapsLeader
1-70Dario Franchitti
DriverLaps led
Dario Franchitti70

|}

Point standings after race

PosDriverPoints
1ITA Alex Zanardi250
2USA Jimmy Vasser148
3UK Dario Franchitti143
4MEX Adrián Fernández134
5CAN Greg Moore120

References

References

  1. "CHAMPCAR/CART: Max Papis Claim Toyota's First Top Five".
  2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U0OmseKbKA 1998 Texaco Grand Prix of Houston Part 8 (Collision occurs at 4:02 mark)]
  3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNyvAmFRyMI 1998 Thrills And Spills (Part 2 - Featuring CART and USAC) (Audio of conversation at 2:49 mark)]
  4. (7 October 1998). "Tracy, Green shake hands, come out smiling". Houston Chronicle.
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