CHAMPCAR/CART: Zanardi Passes 200 Point Plateau

By virtue of his runner-up finish in Sunday's Texaco/Havoline 200 at Road America, Alex Zanardi (Target Reynard Honda) became only the fourth driver in FedEx Championship Series history to score more than 200 PPG Cup points in a single season since the current scoring system was adopted in 1983.

Zanardi scored 16 points Sunday by finishing second to Dario Franchitti (KOOL Reynard Honda), giving him 206 for the season. The mark is a career-high, single-season total, eclipsing the 195 points Zanardi scored en route to last year's championship.

Since 1983, only Al Unser Jr. (Marlboro Penske Mercedes), Michael Andretti (Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford) and Bobby Rahal (Miller Lite Reynard Ford) have reached the 200 PPG Cup point barrier in a single season. Unser Jr. has done it twice, scoring 210 in 1990 and 225 in 1994 en route to his respective series championships. Andretti and Rahal both reached the mark in 1991, scoring 234 and 200 points, respectively.

Zanardi's six wins and 11 podium finishes this season have helped him to the second-highest point total through 14 events under the present scoring formula. Only Unser Jr., who scored 209 points through the first 14 events of 1994, had more. Unser Jr. had 194 points through the first 14 events of 1990 while Andretti had 176 through 14 the following year.

Under the current scoring system adopted in 1983, PPG Cup points are awarded to the top 12 finishers at each FedEx Championship Series event. The race winner scores 20 points, and subsequent finishers, in order, receive 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point, respectively. An additional point is awarded to the driver who qualifies on the pole and to the driver who leads the most laps.

Source: CART Online