CHAMPCAR/CART: Herta Chicago preview

Herta and the Forsythe Championship Racing Team lead for the first time this season, as Herta dominated the field for seventeen laps last weekend at Michigan International Raceway. Herta finished fifth at the Harrah's 500, his third top ten finish of the 2001 CART FedEx Championship Season. Herta has run in the top-ten in seven of the 10 Champ Car races completed this season.

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When racing on the ovals, Herta relies on his good friend and fellow race car driver, Alfonso Ribeiro to keep him out of trouble. Although this is Ribeiro's first season spotting for Herta, the two spend a lot of time racing against each other at Herta's Las Vegas Karting Center. A World Finals Karting Champion, Barber Dodge Race winner and two-time Long Beach Grand Prix Toyota Pro-Celebrity race winner, Ribeiro will be competing in this weekend's celebrity challenge, Saturday afternoon at Chicago Motor Speedway. Also known as Carlton Banks from the hit television sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Belle Air," Ribeiro is an accomplished actor, singer and dancer. In addition to his spotting and racing duties this weekend, Ribeiro will sing the National Anthem just before the green flag falls Sunday, at the Target Grand Prix.

The Forsythe Championship Racing Team will welcome an honorary pit crew member this weekend; Brad Miller of the Chicago Bulls will help the team shoot for victory at the Chicago Motor Speedway. Miller a 7' center for the Bulls, joined the NBA in 1999, playing for the Charlotte Hornets. Watch for Miller as he operates the "Lollypop" identifying Herta's pitstop stopping point in Sundays Target Grand Prix.

Herta on the Target Grand Prix: "The Target Grand Prix is a great event and I am really looking forward to returning to Chicago Motor Speedway. This will be my second time competing at Chicago, I didn't run there last year, but I started seventh and finished eighth in 1999, so I definitely have some unfinished business. We have been running strong and I am proud of the team and our progress, but I want to win. We are ready to win, and I know we can win, so that is our focus and our goal. Chicago is a big event for us, it is the home race for Indeck and Jerry (Forsythe), so nothing would be better than to accomplish our goal there."

-FCRT