Champ Car adds Atlantic race
However, the 2007 series champion will have the opportunity to do battle against his fellow Atlantic competitors at least once more on Saturday, December 1 as officials from the Champ Car Atlantic Championship and Grand Prix Arizona today announced that the Atlantics will contest a non-championship “dash for cash" in conjunction with the Champ Car World Series season finale. It will be the inaugural street race in Phoenix for both the Champ Car Atlantic Championship and the Champ Car World Series. The 50-minute timed Atlantic race will feature a $100,000 purse and has been dubbed the “Dash in the Desert."
“Adding Phoenix as a bonus event to the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship is a tremendous opportunity for our series and I must thank Grand Prix Arizona and the Champ Car World Series for extending the invitation to us," said Champ Car Atlantic Managing Director Vicki O’Connor. “While the race will not count toward the championship, I believe the event will be a lot of fun for our drivers, teams and sponsors and will be just as hotly-contested as the 12 points-paying events on our schedule. Our teams have been extremely supportive of this decision to extend our season and our series partners are also thrilled with the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Grand Prix Arizona weekend with the Dash in the Desert."
The Grand Prix Arizona weekend will mark the return of both the Champ Car Atlantic Championship and the Champ Car World Series to the “Valley of the Sun" for the first time since 1995. It will also be the first non-championship Atlantic event since a race at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec as part of what was then known as the Labatt Challenge Series in 1978. That race was won by two-time Atlantic champion Bill Brack, who started the race from the pole position.
“The Grand Prix Arizona is going to be a phenomenal weekend," said Grand Prix Arizona President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Freudenberg. “We are thrilled to host the ‘Dash in the Desert’ at our inaugural event and think our fans will see incredible racing action."