A champion could be decided. It is the last chance for a victory. Someone will head into the offseason riding a wave of momentum for months. Some drivers are moving on and are excited about the future. A new schedule and possibly a new car could be awaiting. Even if one cannot find joy in any of those things, they can at least take satisfaction in a season ending and vacation time increasing. There will be more time spent at home and less time spent at a racetrack.
In 2002, CART ended its season with a return to Mexico City for the first time in 21 years around the historic Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Cristiano da Matta had clinched the championship with three races remaining, but entering the finale, five different drivers had won the prior five races. Ten points covered second through fourth in the championship and $500,000 went to the championship runner-up. CART had just completed the fastest 500-mile race in history two weeks prior at Fontana. There were 44 lead changes.
Most season finale are jubilant affairs. This one wasn’t.
In Mexico City, Tony Kanaan couldn't smile. Christian Fittipaldi had a sense of melancholy. Dario Franchitti didn't mince his words to Robin Miller ahead of the race.
"I feel like we're at a funeral this weekend."
While looking over past races working on Kenny Bräck's career retrospective, Mexico City was Bräck's final race in CART and his final race with Chip Ganassi Racing. Bräck won, but this race was a cornerstone of The Split era, one we don't really speak about.
Significant change was upon the North American open-wheel racing world. Team Penske had already joined the Indy Racing League for the full season in 2002, but Newman-Haas Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Team Green, Forsythe Racing, Walker Racing and Mo Nunn Racing were still in CART. It wouldn't last long. After seven seasons, the teams, Honda and Toyota could not continue spending at CART levels while not having the Indianapolis 500 as a tentpole event on its schedule. Honda and Toyota were moving to the IRL in 2003, and they were bringing Ganassi, Nunn and Team Green, which Michael Andretti had just purchased majority of the organization, along with them.
This wasn't a good period for North American open-wheel racing, but when you look closer at the CART grid for the Mexico City finale, it rivals many other strong IndyCar grids in recent history.
Three future Indianapolis 500 winners and four future champions were on this grid. There were also three past champions when you include da Matta, and one previous Indianapolis 500 winner. Fifteen of the 19 starters would win at least once in North American open-wheel racing, whether it be in CART, Champ Car or the Indy Racing League. There were also three Formula One experienced drivers competing that day. Little did anyone know at the time, there was also a future world champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner in this field, and to date, Mexico City is his only IndyCar start.
Da Matta was heading to Formula One, but most of the rest of the grid were heading to the IRL. Fittipaldi, who expressed great sadness in the loss of talent, was moving to NASCAR with Petty Enterprises. Like kids moving across country leaving friends and the familiarity of a neighborhood behind, these drivers weren't thrilled for what laid ahead. Everyone knew the reason for the move.
"Do we want to leave CART? Hell no, but this is a business and I'm just a hired gun," Kanaan told Miller.
Twenty years ago today, CART lined up for its season finale. In contemporary IndyCar, mid-November feels like a strange time for a season finale, but these were different times, and things would change as soon as the checkered flag was unfurled.
What was this race like?
We don't see nearly 60% of a professional motorsports series grid leave at the end of a season. The closest comparison we can make to what happened to CART at the end of the 2002 season is when a sports team has a lot of expiring contracts occurring simultaneously and it is already up against a salary cap, meaning influential players will have to be let go and the roster will look much different the following season.
The only difference is these aren't players spreading out to nine or ten different teams around a league. These were drivers leaving for a rival series competing at different tracks for the attention of the same audience. These were sides with philosophical differences in what North American open-wheel racing should look like and it all revolved around one of the most historic races in the world.
If it was a funeral, it was quite a turnout. An estimated 300,000 spectators showed up for the weekend, the largest sporting event in Mexico's history at the time.
At the top of the broadcast, it was subtly noted many drivers would be moving on from CART after this race. Future destinations were not explicitly stated.
Kanaan took the lead at the start after Bruno Junqueira missed turn one while Paul Tracy and Jimmy Vasser also spun off at the first corner. Luis Díaz lost his engine on the second lap under caution. It was Díaz's debut in place of an injured Adrian Fernández.
Everyone expressed a desire to win this race. All 42 of Michael Andretti's victories came in CART. Andretti had won at Long Beach earlier in the year. Fittipaldi was two years removed from his second career victory.
Outside of Díaz's blow up and Mario Domínguez suffering a suspension failure, the first half of the race was rather lackluster. Kanaan sped away in the lead. Challenges for position were few. Debutant André Lotterer had fastest lap in the early portions of the race driving for Dale Coyne Racing. Lotterer had gained seven spots prior to his first pit stop, running ahead of Scott Dixon.
The race was turned upside down during the second pit window. Kanaan exited his pit box with the fuel hose still attached to the car, causing a frantic scene of water being tossed on crew members as the invisible flames of burning methanol grew. Franchitti leaped to the lead after the incident. Kanaan remained in the race and in second position but would soon have to serve a drive-through penalty. While his crew members were under medical supervision, Mo Nunn Racing drafted in a few crew members from Díaz's team for the final pit stop.
In his 309th CART start, Andretti ran wide exiting turn 13 and spun across the track into the barrier. This caution occurred right when the final pit window opened, and most teams took advantage of the opportunity. Franchitti and Fittipaldi each lost positions after slow stops. Franchitti slid through his pit stall. Fittipaldi's right rear tire changer lost the wheel nut. Kanaan also lost time, struggling for grip on the damp pavement left from the clean up after his previous stop.
Kenny Bräck gained four spots and emerged ahead of the rest of the field.
Michel Jourdain, Jr. stayed out on an alternate strategy, but would have to make his final stop by lap 61. Jourdain drew a large cheer from his home crowd when he led the field to the restart. With Jourdain's looming pit stop, the battle would be between Bräck and champion-elect da Matta in the closing laps.
The party ended after nine laps in the lead for Jourdain, and he returned to the circuit in 14th. There were only 12 laps remaining when Bräck took the lead. The Swede opened some space between him and da Matta. In the closing laps, Fittipaldi lost his engine while running in fifth. The Fittipaldi family had been represented in 294 of 307 CART races from the 1984 season finale held in the Caesars Palace parking lot through that Mexico City finale. It would be nearly 17 years until a Fittipaldi competed in another IndyCar race.
The late start time meant long shadows crept over the circuit in the final laps. Bräck was untouched over those final circuits, taking his first and what turn out to be his only road or street course victory in IndyCar competition. Da Matta capped off his championship season with a runner-up result. Bruno Junqueira made it a double Ganassi podium finish.
There were celebrations when this was over. It was Bräck’s first victory of the season after a trying year with Ganassi. However, there was a somberness over the rest of the field. Da Matta had already clinched the title. His reaction was muted, more relieved the season was over. For others, it was sinking in this would be it. They were about to enter an unknown future.
Bob Varsha described many bittersweet moments during the post-race coverage. Michael Andretti received a farewell montage where Varsha acknowledged that Andretti's future as an IRL team owner was considered treasonous by some, but Varsha stated it wasn't and Andretti deserved a graceful exit.
Considering the shift that was happening and the landscape around the series, it is hard to fathom why The Split continued for another five seasons. It was announced that this was the best attended CART season with 2.684 million attendees over the 19-race season. The Mexico City finale drew 300,000 people over the weekend. CART had a Thanksgiving Day marathon on Speed Channel reshowing all its races from that season that extended into that following Friday night. CART even had a weekly Friday night show.
The end of 2002 should have been a reckoning point for unity. CART was losing but the IRL wasn’t gaining. There were strong events around the globe. Television coverage was still prominent. Open-wheel racing still had a healthy audience, but both sides had to know it would be better to be together than split. Both were losing out. Unfortunately, even if they thought it, both continued going in separate directions.
This was a bad portion of The Split. Both sides had their heels dug in. Each would lose ground from this point forward. In four years, both series would be down to one engine manufacture and one chassis supplier apiece. The sensational crowd in Mexico City would shrink every year until it was the final Champ Car race in 2007 prior to reunification with the IRL for the 2008 season. Many races shrunk over this time. We are still experiencing the aftereffects of this period.
Overall attendance in 2022 didn't come close to the 2.684 million attendees for that 2002 CART season. Outside of the Indianapolis 500, no other race is drawing 300,000 people for an entire weekend. Come to think of it, I am not sure any other races draw 100,000 people for a weekend. Perhaps Long Beach, and maybe Road America, though that could be a stretch.
Though those breathtaking crowds are no longer a regular thing, IndyCar has a healthy grid and exciting racing. Some argue this could be the best it has ever been in terms of talent. Champions from different disciplines across the world are coming to IndyCar. Nearly every race has a dozen potential winners. We are seeing results that were unthinkable 20 years ago.
We have worked through The Split. No one is expressing sour grapes anymore. It has been accepted as part of IndyCar's history as we enjoy the present but remain pensive about the future. That outlook is engrained in us because of this period.
Twenty years ago, a significant flip occurred in The Split that would shape where IndyCar is at today. IndyCar has found its legs, but the strength isn't close to what it once was. It was a funeral of sorts on this day in 2002, but IndyCar has found life and continues onward hoping for just a taste of its former glory.
2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante Finishing Order
1. Kenny Bräck
Afterward: Bräck moved to the IRL in 2003 with Rahal Letterman Racing but suffered a career-altering accident in the season finale at Texas. He would return for the 2005 Indianapolis 500, his final IndyCar start. Mexico City was the final victory of his IndyCar career.
2. Cristiano da Matta
Afterward: Da Matta spent just over a season and a half in Formula One with Toyota. His best finish was sixth. He returned to Champ Car in 2005 and won his fourth race back at Portland. He suffered a career-altering accident in 2006 when he hit a deer while testing at Road America. He returned to racing and made multiple sports car starts but his final Champ Car race was at San Jose in 2006.
3. Bruno Junqueira
Afterward: Junquiera was one of eight drivers in the 2002 season finale that was on the grid for the 2003 CART season opener. He moved to Newman-Haas Racing for the 2003 season and remained with the team through 2006. After finishing runner-up in the 2002 championship, he repeated that result the following two seasons. Still on the grid when reunification occurred, Junqueira moved with Dale Coyne Racing for one full season before becoming a part-time IndyCar driver until the 2012 season while competing mostly in sports cars. Junqueira currently works in real estate in South Florida.
4. Patrick Carpentier
Afterward: Carpentier remained in CART/Champ Car through the 2004 season. He moved to the IRL with Cheever Racing in 2005 before moving to NASCAR Cup competition in 2008. He came close to victories in NASCAR's second division. He made one final IndyCar appearance attempting to make the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with Dragon Racing in place of Scott Speed, but Carpentier spun during practice, ending his attempt.
5. Dario Franchitti
Afterward: Franchitti won four IndyCar championships and three Indianapolis 500s. He spent one season competing in NASCAR in 2008, coincidentally against Carpentier in many circumstances. Franchitti's IndyCar career ended after an accident in the second race of the 2013 Houston doubleheader. He remains an active advisor for Chip Ganassi Racing while also being the color commentary for Formula E's world feed coverage.
6. Tora Takagi
Afterward: Takagi moved to the IRL with Mo Nunn Racing and competed for two seasons. He was 2003 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after finishing fifth and he was third at Texas that season. In 2005, he returned to Japan to compete in Formula Nippon for three more seasons.
7. Scott Dixon
Afterward: Dixon moved to the IRL in 2003 and won his first race in the series. He has won 52 races and six championships since the 2002 Mexico City race, putting him second all-time in both categories. Dixon is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in IndyCar history.
8. Tony Kanaan
Afterward: Kanaan won the 2004 IRL championship while completing every lap, the first driver to compete every lap in a season. He was a regular winner in the IRL and won the Indianapolis 500 in 2013. He continues to compete in IndyCar and will enter the 2023 Indianapolis 500 in a fourth entry for Arrow McLaren SP.
9. Oriol Servià
Afterward: Servià remained in CART/Champ Car, scoring his only career victory in 2005 at Montreal driving for Newman-Haas Racing as a replacement for the injured Junqueira. He continued as an IndyCar regular through the 2013 season and he was fourth in the 2011 championship driving in what turned out to be Newman-Haas Racing’s final season. Servià’s last start was the 2019 Indianapolis 500.
10. Alex Tagliani
Afterward: Tagliani would win at Road America in 2004, his only IndyCar victory. He moved to the IRL and started his own team before selling it to Sam Schmidt, which would later become Arrow McLaren SP. Tagliani won pole position for the 2011 Indianapolis 500. His final IndyCar start was the 2016 Indianapolis 500. Since 2014, he has been a full-time NASCAR Canada Series competitor where he has won nine times and has contended for multiple championships.
11. Jimmy Vasser
Afterward: Vasser continued as a full-time competitor through the 2005 season and became a part owner in PKV Racing. His victory at Fontana two weeks prior to the 2002 Mexico City final was his final IndyCar victory. His final start was the 2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach, the final Champ Car race, as it was a one-off held during the unified 2008 IndyCar Series season. Vasser remained a car owner after reunification and won the 2013 Indianapolis 500 with Kanaan as his driver. Vasser remained involved owning an IndyCar through the 2020 season and has since operated the Lexus GT3 program in IMSA with partner James Sullivan.
12. André Lotterer
Afterward: Lotterer started competing in Japan in 2003 where he finished second in the Formula Nippon championship. He was full-time in Japan, competing in Formula Nippon and Super GT until the 2011 season. He won the 2011 Formula Nippon championshi and won two Super GT GT500 championship. He became an Audi factory driver where he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times and the 2012 World Endurance Drivers' Championship. His lone Formula One start came in the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix with Caterham. He completed one lap. Since 2017, he has been competing in Formula E.
13. Michel Jourdain, Jr.
Afterward: Jourdain, Jr. remained in CART/Champ Car until 2004. He won the 2003 Milwaukee race in his 129th start, and it remains the most starts before a first career victory. He won later that season in Montreal and finished third in the championship. In 2005, he started competing in NASCAR's second division. He competed full-time in the World Touring Car Championship and even competed in a few World Rally Championship events. In 2012, Jourdain, Jr. returned to the Indianapolis 500 and qualified 16 years after his first Indianapolis 500 start. In 2013, Jourdain, Jr. failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, his final IndyCar appearance.
14. Shinji Nakano
Afterward: Nakano made two IRL starts in 2003. He finished 11th at Motegi and 14th in the Indianapolis 500. He remained active in sports car racing until 2016, making nine starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His best overall finish was 14th in 2011 driving an LMP2 entry.
15. Christian Fittipaldi
Afterward: Fittipaldi only made 16 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. His best finish was 24th at Pocono in July 2003. He moved to sports car racing in 2004 and won the 24 Hours of Daytona. He won the 24 Hours of Daytona twice more as well as the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2015 and he won the IMSA Prototype championship in 2014 and 2015 driving for Action Express Racing.
16. Paul Tracy
Afterward: Tracy moved to Forsythe Racing for the 2003 CART season and won the championship. He remained with Forsythe through the 2007 season where he won five more races. In 2008, after reunification was announce, Gerry Forsythe announced he would not move his team to the unified series, leaving Tracy without a ride. He was 11th at Long Beach in 2008 and made a one-off later that season driving for Tony George's Vision Racing at Edmonton, where he finished fourth. Tracy remained part-time through the 2011 season. His final appearance was the 2011 season finale at Las Vegas, which was canceled after Dan Wheldon's fatal accident on lap 11.
17. Michael Andretti
Afterward: As a driver, made six more starts after the 2002 season finale. He was third in the 2006 Indianapolis 500 behind Sam Hornish, Jr. and his son Marco Andretti. His final start was the 2007 Indianapolis 500. As a car owner, Andretti has won five Indianapolis 500s and four IndyCar championships. The team remains active with four IndyCar entries as well as competing in IMSA, Formula E, Indy Lights, Extreme E and Supercars. The Andretti Autosport looks to expand its operation into Formula One in the near future.
18. Mario Domínguez
Afterward: Domínguez stayed in CART/Champ Car through the 2007 season where he competed for HVM Racing, Forsythe, Dale Coyne Racing, Rocketsports and Pacific Coast Motorsports. In 2008, Domínguez ran part-time with PCM, where the team was third at Long Beach. He failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 but ran six more races.
19. Luis Díaz
Afterward: Díaz would return for the 2003 Mexico City CART race. His race lasted 12 laps before retiring due to a mechanical issue. He drove for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype class with Scott Pruett as his co-driver in 2005 and 2006. The pairing won five times, including the 2006 race in Mexico City. In 2007, Díaz moved to the American Le Mans Series to be Adrian Fernández's co-driver in the LMP2 class. They won the 2009 ALMS LMP2 championship. He made one start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 driving an LMP2 car for Level 5 Motorsports.
