Wednesday, July 6, 2005 | 9:19 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.
When Adrian Fernandez announced in January that he would not drive full time in the Indy Racing League this season due to a lack of sponsorship, he said he would return to the cockpit "as soon as possible."
Fernandez couldn't have envisioned at the time that he would be doing the bulk of his racing this season in a 3,400-pound stock car.
Fernandez, who owns the two IRL IndyCar Series entries driven by Scott Sharp and Kosuke Matsuura, started his first NASCAR Busch Series race in March in Mexico City, where he finished 10th in a Chevrolet fielded by Hendrick Motorsports. Although he has plans to attempt four additional Busch Series races this season, Fernandez said he hasn't given up open-wheel racing for the stock cars.
"I don't really have any plans right now; I'm totally open for anything," Fernandez said Tuesday. "I'm not tied to anything right now. I just own my team, Fernandez Racing, with Tom Anderson and I'm just going to the races."
Even that simple task -- showing up on IRL race weekends and overseeing his two-car team -- has proven to be a more challenging task than Fernandez had imagined. When he stepped out of the cockpit prior to this season, he did so as one of the hottest drivers on the IRL circuit. Fernandez won three races in 2004 -- including two of the final three events -- and finished fifth in points in his first season in the IndyCar Series.
"I have to be honest: It's been difficult for me this year just to be an owner and not driving," he said. "I've been driving for 23 years so it's something I'm trying to get used to, but it's difficult -- especially when you know you're still competitive."
SAY WHAT?: The last time Cristiano da Matta raced on the streets of Toronto, he won the pole and led all 112 laps on his way to victory in the 2002 Champ Car race in Toronto.
But da Matta, who returned to the Champ Car World Series this season after a brief stint in Formula One, said he isn't necessarily brimming with confidence going into Sunday's Molson Indy Toronto.
"Toronto is not one of my favorite street circuits, but it is one where I have had some success," da Matta said. "It is a very tricky track and very difficult because of the surface changes from asphalt to concrete."
Da Matta scored his first victory of the season two weeks ago in Portland and is sixth in the championship after five races.
TORONTO TIDBITS: Sebastien Bourdais is the defending champion of the Molson Indy Toronto. ... Michael Andretti is the all-time winningest driver at Toronto, with seven career victories. ... Las Vegas resident Jimmy Vasser has six top-10 qualifying efforts and seven top-10 finishes in 13 career starts in Toronto. ... Sunday's race will mark the 20th running of the Toronto street race. Bobby Rahal won the inaugural event in 1986. ... The past three Toronto races have been won from the pole (da Matta in 2002, Paul Tracy in 2003 and Bourdais last year).
STAR MAZDA: Michael Potekhen, driving for Las Vegas-based Hearn Motorsports, finished fifth in Sunday's Star Mazda Championship race at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Potekhen replaced Richie Hearn's regular driver, Brian Thienes, for the race and was forced to start last among the 29 entries.
OUTLAWS UPDATE: Brooke Tatnell, a native Australian who missed the first four World of Outlaws races this season due to immigration problems, earned his first main-event victory of 2005 Monday night at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wisc. It was Tatnell's first A-feature victory since Aug. 18. 2003.
WoO points leader Steve Kinser finished second, Sammy Swindell was third, Donny Schatz was fourth and Terry McCarl rounded out the top five.
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