HERTA BACK ON WINNING TRACK.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

It's probably not fair to say Bryan Herta's racing career was dead a year ago, but it certainly was on life support.

Herta, a once-promising open-wheel driver with developmental series championships and unlimited potential, spent a year racing in the American Le Mans Series, a sports-car endurance circuit that pits Audi and Cadillac prototypes against street-legal Corvettes and Porsches.

After driving for racing heavyweights such as Chip Ganassi, Bobby Rahal and A.J. Foyt, Herta was relegated to driving an American Le Mans Series prototype entry for team owner Don Panoz. He then bounced around several classes, from NASCAR Winston West to the CART Champ Car series.

A year later, and with Sunday's Toyota Indy 400 at California Speedway on the horizon, Herta finds himself as one of the top drivers in the Indy Racing League. With three third-place finishes in a row, it could be argued that only defending IRL champion Sam Hornish Jr., with two victories in his past three races, is a hotter driver.

Herta, a Hart High of Newhall graduate from Valencia, was brought in to replace injured driver Dario Franchiti after the Indianapolis 500 and has made the No. 27 Archipelago/Motorola Honda entry for Andretti Green Racing a contender every race. His victory at Kansas Speedway proved to be the platform for Herta's resurgence.

``Bryan's done a real good job,'' said Kim Green, who shares ownership of the team with Michael Andretti. ``He's fit in real well with the team. It's a great opportunity for him to relaunch his career.''

It's more like reincarnate his career. Not only has Herta proved to be a driver capable of winning races and challenging for victories on a regular basis, he has become an adept oval-track racer, something that eluded him in eight years of competing in the CART Champ Car series. His best performances came on street and road courses, and his only two victories in CART came at Laguna Seca Raceway, a permanent road course in Monterey.

``The highlights of his racing career have been on road courses in the past,'' Green said. ``Several people were surprised we picked him for an all-oval series. Michael felt like Bryan could do a good job for the team.''

With Andretti's blessing, Herta was given a chance to prove his abilities against some of the world's top drivers. Herta delivered and is grateful for the opportunity.

``It's been great for me to be with a top team and running up front,'' Herta said. ``It became a criticism that I wasn't as competitive on ovals. It's been a very satisfying year for me. Not that I had to prove anything to anyone else, but I had to prove to myself that I could do this again. I feel comfortable with the way I have been performing.''

Andretti Green Racing has a dilemma with the season winding down. Franchiti is under contract for another year and, according to Green, is expected to return to the No. 27 seat next year. Despite being in a body cast from his shoulders to his waist, Franchiti has been rehabilitating.

Tony Kanaan, one of two other Andretti Green drivers, is in the midst of the IRL championship hunt and has the most secure seat on the team. Dan Wheldon, who has posted a respectable rookie campaign, apparently is not going anywhere, either.

That leaves the team to decide what to do with Herta.

``Dario has to pass some doctor evaluations,'' Green said. ``Dario is still scheduled to be the driver of the No. 27 car next year. If something went backward, then Bryan Herta is a candidate, absolutely.''

Herta deserves better than to be a candidate for a spot on the team. Imagine what might have been if Herta competed in every race this season: He probably would be no worse off than Kanaan, maybe fairing a little better. Herta definitely has been the best of the three Andretti Green drivers the past six weeks.

But Herta doesn't want to think in hypotheticals.

``Honestly, I never thought of that,'' he said. ``I'm really pleased that we keep putting ourselves in contention. We are finding different ways to do it. We are finding ways to overcome problems. My confidence in the whole team is absolute right now.''

That chemistry might be lost in a few weeks. In a season of opportunity for Herta, he might have to search for one more, one that will give him a chance to race for a championship again.

Word has it that Panther Racing, winner of the past two IRL championships, is looking for a driver.

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- Tim Haddock