CART Media Conference

BARRY GREEN: Well, thanks. And, thanks, T.. Thanks, everyone. Folks, after much speculation and anticipation, it is my pleasure to announce Team KOOL Green's plans for next season. We will be fielding two cars with the KOOL sponsorship in the 1998 CART World Series. And, we have a fantastic driver lineup. Driving the No. 26 car will be CART veteran Paul Tracy and driving the No. 27 car will be CART rookie standout, Dario Franchitti. Our drivers will be running the same package as we used last season. That is the Reynard chassis with Honda power and Firestone tires. Both Dario and Paul are here at the race shop us and Dario is with us now on the teleconference and Paul will join us shortly. So in the meantime, I will pass it back to you T. to mediate our questions.

BARRY GREEN: Yes, been a little bit of scramble, but thank goodness we were patient and Andre was one of the drivers that we were talking to along with Robby Gordon. And, we were talking to anyone that we thought could help us, help this team run at the front and at the 11th hour, Paul Tracy became available. And, of course, we just jumped at that opportunity, putting Paul and Dario together, we think is just a fantastic combination.

BARRY GREEN: Yes, Dario attracted a lot of teams out there this year. He came into the series and impressed right away. He was with a one-car operation, so obviously his test driving abilities are very, very good. And, that is a real must for me. He did a great job with just -- in a one-car team and proved that he was very fast. We like what we saw and, you know, we were talking to him very early in the season. And, I think there were many, many teams that were quite keen to get him signed up for next season. Although I had had the odd conversation with Paul, you know, we didn't really get serious at all until just last week. And, when that opportunity came up, you know, we thought it would be a brilliant combination. Paul is very, very fast and we think the combination of him and Dario working together, Paul's experience and especially on the ovals, which will help Dario, I think the two of them working together will be very, very strong. We are certainly very excited.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: Yeah, for me to leave Mercedes was the most, I am not exaggerating, the most difficult decision of my life. Because they were very, very good to me and really helped me to where I am now. But, you know, the opportunity to be part of the Team KOOL Green was just too good to miss. Really, I am very excited to be here and I am very excited to working with Honda next year. And, also, I am excited to working with Paul. That happened last week and I was really you know, I think it is just going to be great to work with him and get the experience that he has and try to learn some stuff from him. When Barry first told me that Paul was coming to the team, I was on my cell phone and the phone out and he phoned me back two seconds later and he said, you know -- did you just hand up there; did I upset you that much? But, I am really excited to working here and I am looking forward to the 1998 season.

BARRY GREEN: No, it hasn't gone out the window. In fact, tomorrow, just -- we start our academy program out in Las Vegas. We spend a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of money on that program, so that is still very much in place. But, we had to get back to what the real goals are for this team. And, this team, we employ a lot of great people in this team and every one of these guys want to run at the front. Our sponsors want to run at the front. That is the name of this game. And, we had to get this team back to the front. And, we think that we had to go out -- to do that, we think we had to go out and hire the best combination that we could put together. And, you know, it came down to a few weeks after the season - I wanted it in place long before the end of the season, and it didn't quite happen. And, by gosh, I am so pleased that we waited and finished up with this combination. And, that is the goal. The goal is to run at the front. We needed the best equipment, the best drivers and the best team to do that. We think we have put that together now. And, the American tradition -- I mean, the American driver tradition will carry on and we have got to build that program. And, like I said, we are starting that tomorrow out in Las Vegas.

BARRY GREEN: Of course that is what -- it took a lot of time. Obviously it is a huge commitment on any sponsor's part to be involved at this level. It is a great series. It is a very, very competitive series. We run a lot of races now. We do a lot of testing. We want to buy all the latest and greatest stuff to run at the front, so it is a huge commitment. Our sponsors are very excited about this series and where it is going and the venues that we run at. Obviously their return on their investment is good and they can finally justify to go to that next level. We think it is important - we think that, you know, it is a challenge to run two-car teams. A two-car team is not twice as big as a one-car team. It is probably three or four times as big as a one-car team. But I have done that in the past very successfully and know what the benefits are there. And we believe that without doubt running a two-car team with a couple of drivers like we have now, is a competitive edge and we needed to get to that next step. But, KOOL just believed in the program; believed in the series and believed in the team and they are a great bunch of people to be with. And, sure, it was a big decision, but look what we have finished up with. And, our new season will start just next week. We are off testing next week. And, the whole team is excited. The sponsor is excited and the drivers are excited, so looking forward to next year.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: No, I don't see it as closing the door in Formula I at all. Formula I is something that I would like to do in the future. But, I was thinking for next year that the best opportunity was for me here right here with Team KOOL Green and they have a Honda package and I am very happy to be running with them. As I said before, it was a difficult decision to leave Mercedes, but there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. And, there we go.

BARRY GREEN: Well, certainly we had been talking for quite sometime. There were rumors out there - Dario and I basically came to an agreement on terms just after Laguna. As you know, the contracts are quite complicated. Remember, please, that Dario is managed by Jacques Villeneuve's manager, a very strong management team, so the contracts are very, very complicated. We finally got them signed just a little while ago. But, you know, we still had commitments to us to another driver and certainly Dario, to another team, and we felt that we shouldn't -- no announcement should be made until the end of the season. Our team in the meantime was working very, very hard on putting the second car together. And, we really wanted to announce our lineup all in one. And, again, I am glad that we were patient and we hung around long enough to sign up Paul Tracy.

BARRY GREEN: I will answer it quickly. First, we back at Galles/Kraco ran that operation with Al Unser, Jr. and Bobby Rahal and Danny Sullivan and we feel we have got a pretty good handle on how to run that. Many of my people that are with me here today, my crew chiefs and managers are people that were with me back there at that operation. It is no different than just running a normal team, I think, Dan, we know that Dario can drive and win. We know that Paul can drive and win. We know this team can win. There is only one thing left and that is just the communication channel and how well the team will work together and how well the team will pull in the same direction. I am so big on teamwork. And, my favorite saying - and I have said it a million times - you can take the eight best mechanics in the word and have the worse race team. You have got to have the best team. Not the best mechanics, the best drivers, you have got to have the best team. That is going to be our secret. These guys have -- Dario has to learn, Paul and vice versa, and the team have to learn these drivers, and wrap their arms around them, and understand what makes them tick; understand what is going to make them go to that next level. And, I just -- I think that the chemistry here is just going to be perfect and it is going to be a lot of work, but at the end of the day, communication, just how well we communicate as a group.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: I totally believe what Barry is saying there. It is all about communication, first of all, and all about the two drivers working together because really the team is going to take the lead from the drivers and if they are fighting and stuff, there is no way it is going to work. I get along well with Paul and I think we can work really well together. And, I think the whole team will work very well together. They are a great bunch guys. I met them this morning. They all seem really good. And, I think with the information from two cars, it is going to be a good year. But we will see.

BARRY GREEN: No, I don't know exactly what Parker is doing about his future plan. He is free to explore that other options. Parker -- neither Parker nor I were happy with the way the season played out. I think Parker lost confidence in the team and, certainly, the team lost confidence in Parker. Again, the chemistry wasn't right. No matter what we were going to do, we would not be able to get it to work. And we decided that it was best to go our own way. And, we haven't finalized our plans as to what Parker is doing in the future as of yet. But, you know, as I said, he is free to explore all other options.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: I think Tom Brown, who is Patrick's engineer, came up to me one day and he said to me, neither of you guys want to win this championship here, Patrick is falling off bikes breaking his shoulder and I was just -- every time I got the chance to score points, we didn't manage it, for whatever reason. I think towards the end of the season I started to get very frustrated in my driving and I think you can see I was just pushing too hard on occasions because of them, the lost opportunities. As a team we had a lot of things going for us we; just didn't get it together completely and that was a big disappointment for me because I think we could have done it, really. If you look at the points we scored, and you look at some -- the way we led races and qualified pole positions, that sort of thing, we should have scored a lot more points than that. But ifs and buts, and all that doesn't work, you have got to score points. And, I am going to work on that for next year.

BARRY GREEN: It was about the same day, same month same week that Tony tells me that every year. But to be honest with you, I have yet to have a serious discussion with Tony. Tony is a guy that I talk to when my plans are firmly in place and that has just happened. I don't talk to Tony about what if and this, that, and the other. Tony wants to know what our plans are and how I can fit in. All my efforts have been put into putting this two-car program together and getting these two drivers signed and sealed. And, now I can sit back and start looking at how we piece the other parts of the puzzle together.

PAUL TRACY: I would say that really wasn't the case. This kind of -- my situation came out of the blue. It came out of the blue as of last Thursday. I had expressed displeasure with the performance of the car to my engineers. And, it was a frustrating season for everybody. We started off the year fantastic, leading the championship, and then basically ran into a bring wall in terms of performance. We were not moving forward and people were getting into the stride, other teams, and subsequently we were going down and down in the qualifying order. And, that was getting very frustrating. And, you know, it is like Barry said, you have got to have communication if you are going to move forward. And, it is something that really wasn't talked about. But, at the end of the day, you know, I was released as of last Thursday, and obviously was scrambling to put together a deal and very, very lucky that I was able to get together with Barry and Team KOOL Green and Brown & Williamson. It has been -- it came together very quickly, but it is the right situation for me and the team.

PAUL TRACY: I mean, obviously, you have got to look at the complete package and the package being the team and the equipment, obviously with Reynard Honda and Firestone, that is key. I looked at the type of sponsorship that was in place, the people that Barry is working with. And, obviously, I was -- I have been impressed with the KOOL operation right from the get-go. Really there was -- I was actually surprised by the amount of options that were still available. But, really, before I even had started, my No. 1 choice, right off the top of my head, was with Barry and KOOL. And, I did talk to other teams, you know, Pat Patrick, Gerry Forsythe, Carl Hogan, a couple of Formula I teams, all in about a 24-hour span. I was basically on the phone for 24 hours straight. But, really in my heart of hearts, I had already made my decision what would be the best place for me to go. I was just hoping that Barry was of the same opinion of me, what he needed and everything worked out.

PAUL TRACY: Yes.

PAUL TRACY: Yes, first time I have been here.

PAUL TRACY: It is impressive. I really haven't seen -- I have been at Newman/Haas, obviously, for one year and Penske for six years of my career. And, this place, really, I haven't seen a shop as well equipped as this other than the time that I went and did a test for Benneton in Formula I. I mean, all the ingredients are here, the people who are here are long-time employees that Barry has had. There is a lot of chemistry here and a lot of great people to work with and I am very, very excited about it.

PAUL TRACY: Obviously, there is a lot of question about that. I have a very strong contract with Barry that we put together. I am impressed at the timeframe that we were able to put it together. I think the whole thing was put to bed in less than 24 hours. Obviously, he has been very generous to me as well as KOOL, given the situation in how late everything came together. So, I mean, I am very happy with what I have put together and I feel it is the best opportunity for me right from the very start of my career to win a championship in IndyCar.

PAUL TRACY: Well, I think it is exactly what Barry was talking about earlier. I mean, the key to our relationship, of how we got together on this thing, was open lines of communication. That is what we need together to work this team into a championship winning team. It has been done once before, with Barry with Jacques. And that is very much my focus. I mean, I have got a new opportunity. I am coming in here. I have got to learn the people. I have got to learn the engineers. They have to learn me, so there is going to be -- communication is going to be key. And, we have got a short amount of time here to get everything in place, by the time March rolls around, so, we have got a lot of work. But, I think it is going to be a fun project. And I think it is going to be an opportunity for everybody to really have a good time and enjoy themselves. And, when things are going well and you are enjoying yourself, that is when things are going right.

PAUL TRACY: I like it out in Arizona right now. I don't get a lot of opportunity to be there, so, that is where I like to be. But what -- I have seen the testing schedule and there is going to be plenty of opportunity to test and bond and I like to be in Arizona during the winter just simply because of the weather and the opportunity to do the stuff that I like to do in the off-season.

PAUL TRACY: I can say this that Barry and I have made a commitment to each other. It is a long-term commitment. We are moving forward with this team and, you know, this is a team that we are both -- obviously he wants to win and I want to win. And, that is the first and foremost goal. And, we are going forward with a commitment to each other that this is -- we are going to be together for a while.

PAUL TRACY: I mean, there are -- obviously, there is. I mean, it is -- it wasn't my decision. It is not something that I wanted. I was under the impression that I was committed for next year. I had been involved in meetings with -- for next year's car; what they were doing with their tire situation. As far as I knew, up until last Thursday, I was on the team. And, obviously it came as a big shock to me. I was dumbfounded, in shock, I didn't know what to think. It was almost like a bad dream. I immediately was making phone calls and I knew as soon as I walked out the door where I wanted to go if there was a place available and that was with Barry. And, I wasn't sure what his situation was and, you know, when you are in that state of emotions, you are at the point of thinking "Is my career over; am I going to get a chance to land a top class seat" because that is what I have been accustomed to through my whole career I have been with Penske Racing and Newman/Haas. So, obviously this came as a big shock, both of those seats are now not available to me and to get the opportunity to drive for another championship winning team, I guess is unprecedented. I have had three key opportunities and I feel that this is the best one that I have ever been involved in. I have always been in the shadow of, you know, say Al or Emerson or Rick at Team Penske. And when I was with Newman/Haas, you know, kind of played second driver to Michael. And, to be involved with Barry as the key guy here and Dario is obviously a fantastic driver and he is going to learn a lot, I guess, we are kind of leading the charge here. And, it feels good to have this opportunity. So, I am going to make the most of it.

PAUL TRACY: Well, I guess from my standpoint it feels good. I mean, the Reynard Firestone Honda package is second to none. They have won two back-to-black championships. I guess, you know, from my standpoint now is the time. I have got all the pieces in place. Barry has the team in place. We have got the equipment. There is really -- Barry and I have no excuses to be made. And, you know, we are ready for this challenge and ready to move forward and start testing next week.

PAUL TRACY: I don't really know much about the 1988 car. Obviously, this has come together fairly quick but having driven the '96 and obviously they have made improvements to the 1997. When I had driven the '96, I mean it just did everything that it was supposed to do. You could drive the car and, you know, and just concentrate on driving instead of fighting and wrestling and trying to man-handle the car. I mean, that is what our objective was is to try to get at Penske, but couldn't achieve it. And, obviously Reynard has got a fantastic car. I have got a long-term relationship with them. I had driven for Reynard when I was at a younger age, 16, 17 as a works driver in Formula 2000. I have known Rick and Adrien a long time and have a good relationship with them. So this is really coming around full circle for me. It is a fantastic opportunity and I would think one that they are very excited about and I am very excited about working with them again.

PAUL TRACY: There is -- obviously there is rides available and it has always been a goal of mine to go to Formula I, but, you know, really, that was, you know, from my standpoint, was the second option and my first option, what I wanted, was to hook up with Barry. Obviously, I have got a goal here and that is to win a CART Championship. I felt that, you know, I have been here six years now, racing full-time since 1993 and this is something that I have to achieve before I go to the next step. And, it is something that I feel I have the best opportunity that I have ever had in 1998.

BARRY GREEN: As I said, I talked to Paul several months ago, but he seemed pretty well situated. I talked to all the drivers in the pit lane and then, you know, we were out talking to Andre to Robby, to a couple of other guys too, and trying to come up with a driver that, you know, we felt was strong enough to go back to KOOL and say we have got a great package here; let us go forward with this. And, I had some unusual phone calls from friends that there were some rumblings out there; even the night before, I guess, that something might be going astray at Penske. And, the next day Paul called me and said, "I am a driver." And I said, "Well, I have got a team." He said, "What do we need to do?" I said, "We need to sign a contract." So we went from there.

BARRY GREEN: Well, Paul has got a great manager Dave Stevens and someone that we have known for a couple of years and someone that has also worked with Brown & Williamson in the bike arena. And, you know, we didn't have to Paul didn't have to come and sell himself. We knew what his qualities were and I think he knew what our qualities were. KOOL is very -- Brown & Williamson are very, very involved in our day-to-day decisions in our team, and we are one big happy family and it didn't take long before we got answers back and feelings back from everyone that that was the best thing for Team KOOL Green. And, I guess just over 24 hours, really, later we had a contract in place and signed and I think a lot of happy campers sitting around a table.

PAUL TRACY: From what I understand, no, this team is -- we are both going to be treated equally. Obviously we have got a testing schedule planned for the next week and Dario will do two days and I will do two days. So, that is the way it needs to work. Obviously, he needs to give input and I need to give input, and we go from there. That is what I have always been accustomed to. And, I am sure that is how Barry would like to run the team. I am not looking to get one over on anybody. It is -- this is an equal opportunity for both of us and we have got to work together and really, you know, point this team in the right direction and go from there.

PAUL TRACY: I have only seen a rough outline and there is quite a lot of testing during the season, but the way winter goes on here; you pencil in your dates everything is fairly tentative. As of right now I have got four days in the next week and we are looking forward to it.

PAUL TRACY: Never been on Firestones and that is something that I am looking forward to.

PAUL TRACY: I guess just the whole idea of getting, you know, the right package together has really made me sleep well the last few nights. I mean, obviously, you always -- when you go from one move to another, there is always uncertainty and there is always question, but there is absolutely no question in my mind or doubt or fear of not having the right package. Obviously, the Reynard has won the last three championships in a row, Firestone has won the last two championships in a row along with Honda two championships in a row and Honda was first, second and third in the championship this year. Their performance is second to none. Their reliability is unprecedented and that makes me sleep good at night. There is no question that all the key ingredients are here.

PAUL TRACY: That has not been the case. We have both made a commitment to each other for a couple of years. I have always been one that has always honored my commitments, whether good or bad, and we have both made a commitment and that is that. I mean, whatever comes after, that is going to be a decision by both of us. And, obviously, I have goals and Barry has goals. But, you know, I am not getting any younger and I feel that the best opportunity right now for me for the next couple three years is right here and making a family right here. And, where we go from there, we won't know, but I am very happy where I am right now.

PAUL TRACY: I mean, obviously, from my standpoint, I was hired as a gun fighter - I guess you could say. I was paid to come in and make things happen. And when things weren't happening, I was very vocal about what I wanted and I think any team owner, you would expect that, whether it be from a Mikael Schumacher or a Michael Andretti or anybody, you expect -- you want to know from your driver what he needs to get the job done. And, if I was sitting back riding it out or riding out a paycheck or not caring, then I am not doing my job. And that is not what Barry wants and that is -- it is like when we first put this deal together, just a couple of days ago Barry said: "My phone is available for you to call me 24 hours a day, whatever you need. You might not get, what you are asking for, but if you don't ask, then you will never know if you will get it or not." And, that is what I feel is what is going to be the key for us. Both Dario and I have an opportunity here to develop this team. Obviously they know how to do it. They have gone a little sideways in the last couple of years. But, we are here to point everything back in the right direction and pick up the ball and run with it. And that is what a driver is paid to do. He is your quarterback or your captain and that is what you need to do.

BARRY GREEN: I think the car is not going to be perfect at every race and our challenge is to understand how the car is for any given weekend. We are not going to produce a winner every weekend. Our challenge is to make sure if we produce a fifth place car that we get fifth place points. Our focus has got to be on the championship; not on winning races. The race wins will come as long as we focus on the championship. And, we are going to have a car that is not perfect on some weekends, But other weekends, with these two guys working together, I think we will have some great race cars and the wins will come. There is going to be some decisions we make to be able to settle up that may not always be the right decision and Paul will be as mad as the rest of us, but it is going to be all of us in the same boat; all of us in this together and all of us focusing on that same goal and that is the championship. As I said before, it is going to take both these guys working together for one of them to win the championship.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: When I talked to Barry he said at the moment it is a one-car team. It might well remain a one-car team, but then again, it might easily be a two-car. It was in limbo. He was totally honest and up front with me. That is one of the things I really like. You have got to be totally honest. That is what he said. And, I think it is a big advantage, to be honest. I really think if you are a one-car team you really don't know how -- if you are performing right now. Sometimes it might be the driver and you can blame the car sort of thing, so you have two drivers; two cars is always something you can gauge it against. I think I am going to learn a lot from Paul and I am really excited about the whole thing.

BARRY GREEN: No. We don't have No. 1, No. 2 drivers and I have never have had. I have had opportunities in the past to work with two great drivers with very different sponsors and we are going to treat this team very much the same. They will work together under the same umbrella; using each other to help the whole team throughout the season. On race day they will race against each other. Having said that, though, they will remember they have a teammate out there with another green and white car. We may have some team orders coming into the last one, two, or three races depending on where we are in the championship, but we will weigh that up as we go. And, as far as the start of any race, whoever outqualifies the other guy, if they are both on the front row or both on the second row or both on the third row, whoever has outqualified the other guy will have the right of way in the first corner. But, apart from that, they are racing against each other, two No. 1 drivers.

BARRY GREEN: No, again, I have been so focused on getting this program put to bed and these two signatures on contracts, and the Lights, as I speak, are off testing right now or tomorrow actually in Homestead in Florida. But that whole program has got to be reevaluated. And, you know, I have got to go back and discuss that with our sponsors and see what we are going to do on that front.

BARRY GREEN: No. No. Honda and Parker Johnstone were two very different contracts. Honda is not so much a supplier to me. Honda is a partner to me. We hired Parker Johnstone long before we had any sort of a contract or an agreement with Honda. We do have or did have a two-year contract with Parker. But, as I said, it wasn't working out. Parker wasn't happy. I wasn't happy. Our suppliers and our sponsors weren't happy. So, that is being resolved. We talk to Parker quite regularly. I can't say anymore on that front at this point.

BARRY GREEN: I can't comment on what is going to become of the contract.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: I didn't expect to be making an announcement right then. But, I thought as soon as -- I didn't want to keep anybody in the dark and as soon as I had made my decision I thought I owed it to Carl to tell him straight away.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: I was a little bit surprised, but you know, he has his own thoughts on the subject and I think you really have to ask him about that one.

BARRY GREEN: Well, I think it is. I think it is a tremendous match. Thank goodness that we were patient. We were a little frustrated there for a while trying to put the program together. We weren't going to go forward with it unless we came up with the right combination. And, as I said, a lot of my suppliers are not just suppliers, they are partners. I am very close to Reynard; very close to Honda; very close to Firestone. And, of course, very close to KOOL who are a big partners in this with me. And, everything came right at the 11th hour and, you know, it is almost like we have been planning this for the last three, four months, you know, and it has turned out to just what we wanted to so, I think I have won twice here already.

BARRY GREEN: Well, I think you know, on Paul's side, proven talent, I mean, very, very fast; started out very strong this season; didn't finish off that way. I don't think their team was happy with their performance. I think, you know, obviously they didn't get the car working the way they wanted. I think that with Paul's strength on the ovals, that is going to help Dario a heck of a lot. Dario understands the combination that we have got. The only change for him is the engine. He has driven the Reynard and the Firestone tires. I think his input, especially on the road circuits, is going to be very, very important. And, I just think that the two of them feeding off each other, both very, very hungry, I think will work extremely well.

PAUL TRACY: Well, I didn't really feel that way. But, I was, obviously, you know, in my -- I felt that I had two very, very big named drivers, both had won championships, Indy 500s. It was tough to really put an influence on a team owner over what they were saying. So, I mean, the opportunity obviously was good. I had a great relationship with Penske. I thank him for the opportunity that he has given me right from the start of my career to win eleven races for him and obviously with Carl, that was a short relationship, but I had a great relationship with him. And the crew guys, and have made a lot of friends along the way. And, really, like I have said all along in this press conference, this is a key opportunity for me to really go out there and do what I feel that I need to do to win a championship. Obviously Barry wants to win as well, giving Dario and I the reins to direct his team where to go. So, that is the key.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: In what way do you mean?

DARIO FRANCHITTI: No, I don't think that was. I think -- that is kind of a difficult area. I think the whole problem was that I felt, first of all, we had some problems during the season when both sides from myself and the team and I just thought that it wasn't the best opportunity for my career to stay there. I felt I had to move on. And I don't think that really showed up on the track. I think right up until the end there, we were working well together as a team. So I don't think that had any bearing on what happened towards the end.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: Unfortunately, I haven't seen him yet, but I would like at some point to talk to Carl about it. He is a great guy and I am sorry that it had to end the way it did, but when there a parting of two in a relationship, in severing, there is always someone that is upset. At some point I would really like to talk to him about it. But we will have to see about that.

BARRY GREEN: I think there is no doubt that experience always helps a team. And I think combined experience on my team, I have like 146 years of combined experience of people working on the equipment and engineering the cars, so I am very big on experience. But, I have also seen Dario run as hard as he did this season and, you know, certainly could have won several races this year. It didn't quite work out for him. But, he is fast, too. And, he survived very well in a one-car team and that is key. He is obviously very good at setting up those cars and test driving and so, he is all right by himself and I just see the combination of these two together, I think, again Paul helping Dario tremendously on the ovals and that is what our series is all about; what a great combination, big ovals, little ovals, street racing, street fights at Long Beach, and Toronto and places like that and then road circuits. And, you have got to have it all, and experience certainly helps. But, I think the combination of these two is going to be very, very strong.

BARRY GREEN: I think very realistic in the top 10. I mean, I am thinking the top 3 because we have done it before with a young driver. I know this is our first year working with Dario, but we have done it before with a young driver. And, of course, an experienced driver like Paul has a very, very good chance. That the key for our team is to focus on that championship and not race wins. That is the -- Villeneuve always focused on the championship and not race wins. And, by the time he crossed the start finish line at the end of any race, depending on any position he was in, he always figured out where he is in the championship. And, to stay focused on that will be our challenge. And, I think that either of these guys will be have a good chance to win that championship this year.

PAUL TRACY: I mean, as far as I knew going into the off-season up until the day that I was let go, that I was on the team. We were awaiting our new car and I was just waiting -- we were going to go to Japan and then the new car would come towards the end of the month. So, obviously, as the season went on, everybody was on an emotional high to start the season off. We started off with a good finish. Backed it up with three back-to-back wins and some pole positions and then ran into a bring wall. And, obviously, there was frustration and, you know, there is good with bad. You are going to go through that in any season; whether it is a good season or a bad season, there is always ups and there is always downs. So, obviously people were frustrated but optimistic of a new car. And, like I said, this came as a surprise to me. I didn't know that I was being let go and it was awfully late in the season. And, I have been very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to put this together with Barry because I think if any other scenarios could have gone another way I would be standing here with no ride at all. So, I think this has really been the silver lining in the cloud for Barry and myself - a key opportunity for both of us and I am glad that Barry didn't make any hasty decisions and I am very glad that he has awarded me the opportunity.

T.E. McHALE: Well, in that event, knowing that these gentlemen still have other commitments, they have to meet, we are going to let them go. I want to thank Barry Green, Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy for joining us this morning and taking so much time to answer our questions. I want to thank all of you for being with us and apologize to those of you who did not get to ask a question. But, thanks again for your participation. We Wish Team KOOL Green the best during the 1998 CART World Series season and we will talk to you all again soon. Good day.