Since winning the U.S. 500, Jimmy Vasser has only scored 8
points. 8 points in six races. Jimmy has to be shivering
in his driving shoes as he only leads the 1996 PPG Points battle
by 1 point over second place challenger, Al Unser Jr., who has
111 championship points.
Al has a history of coming on strong at the end of the
season, and so far in 1996, Unser Jr. has no wins to his
credit.
Also mounting a serious challenge for the coveted PPG Cup and
one-million dollars is Gil de Ferran. De Ferran leads all
drivers in points on road courses and Mid-Ohio would be the
perfect place for him to shine after winning his first race up
north in Cleveland.
De Ferran is third in points with 92. Just 20 points behind
Vasser.
With an "almost-win" at Detroit, Christian Fittipaldi sits
fourth with 87 points. Don't count out Fittipaldi. This man is
seriously hungry for his first IndyCar win.
The chances for a championship dwindle rapidly after that,
with Andretti fifth with 73 points; Zanardi and Moore have 72
points sitting sixth and seventh, respectively, with Ribeiro
trailing them at 71 points in eighth.
Two drivers both in a serious need of a win are Pruett (9th
with 62 points) and Tracy (10th with 59 points. Not much of a
chance here.
The PPG Cup Champion will come from the current top-three
drivers. Sure there are 80-plus points hanging out there and
sure, anything can happen in racing, but unless something
absolutely bizzarre happens.......
God I love this sport!
