INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Team Rahal has become the latest CART team to announce it would compete in next year's Indianapolis 500, another sign that the world's biggest race is regaining its stature.
The announcement was made Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Owner Bobby Rahal, who drove to victory in the 1986 race, will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time since 1995, when he finished third. Jimmy Vasser will drive the Miller Lite-sponsored car, which is co-owned by TV star David Letterman, an Indianapolis native.
"This race has a lot of meaning to me," said Rahal, a CART owner who previously has been an outspoken critic of the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the Indy 500 since 1996. "The greatest moment in my racing life was here in 1986 and the worst moment in my racing life was here in 1993 when we didn't qualify."
Vasser has run the Indy 500 six times. He has finished fourth twice, including in May for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing.
"Certainly coming back with Bobby, a former champion, and David Letterman, an Indianapolis native, is great," said Vasser, who will drive full-time for Team Rahal in CART next season. "He has a true passion for the Indianapolis 500. I'm extremely proud to come and represent those factions and be a part of the team. I think we are well-positioned to win this race."
Letterman, host of the "Late Show" on CBS, grew up in the Indianapolis area and attended the race as a youngster. The 2002 Indianapolis 500 marks the first time Letterman will be involved as an owner.
"To be part of a team racing at Indianapolis is the kind of thing I dreamed about as a kid," Letterman said. "I couldn't hope to be in better company than Team Rahal. This is what springtime in Indiana is all about. Now my Memorial Days seem exactly as they did when I was a kid and that means everything to me."
Rahal's absence from the Indianapolis 500 was a tumultuous time in Indy car racing as the IRL went from a struggling series to one that has gained momentum. It became increasingly clear that it was important to CART teams to compete in the Memorial Day Weekend speed classic.
"This isn't an easy deal," Rahal said. "We come in here with our eyes wide open. We know there is a challenge here. This isn't a lay-down by any means. We'll have to be at our best to first qualify and then compete."
CART teams have won the last two Indianapolis 500s, with Juan Montoya driving a Target/Chip Ganassi Racing entry to victory in 2000 and Team Penske scoring a 1-2 sweep with Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran in May.
Team Penske will announce in the coming weeks that it is leaving CART to join the IRL full-time beginning next year. Team Rahal, however, will remain in CART and participate in the Indianapolis 500.
