When Bobby Rahal was growing up in the United States, he included American Mario Andretti among his racing heroes as well as overseas drivers Jackie Stewart and Bruce McLaren. More than 25 years later, and with the United States-based CART Fed Ex race series facing a major drain of American drivers next year, Rahal figures racing fans in the United States feel the same way. Juan Montoya of Colombia is leading Scotland's Dario Franchitti for the season points title, with Canadian Paul Tracy third.
Brazil leads the country standings, with Canada second and the United States third.
Next year, it might not get much better. That doesn't concern Rahal, who said he will look for the best available driver to replace Herta. I'd like it to be American, but that's not the deciding factor. Rahal said turnover on the circuit and the emergence of young drivers is the reason for the high number of foreign drivers. CART president and chief executive officer Andrew Craig said Friday that one of the primary reasons the series acquired the Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantic series was to establish a ladder system that will increase opportunities for American drivers.