TAKING ADVANTAGE OF F1 FIASCOD.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

Looking to capitalize on the U.S. Grand Prix debacle, the Champ Car World Series and Irwindale Speedway are seizing the opportunity to gain some new fans.

To review, 14 of the 20 drivers in the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway pulled off the track after the parade laps in protest of what they called dangerous race conditions.

The drivers claimed the track was unsafe, in part because of the quality of the Michelin tires the teams were using, and asked for an alteration to the course. Formula One officials refused, and the drivers decided not to race.

Only six cars competed, with Michael Schumacher adding to his already farcical record of wins. Three class-action lawsuits already have been filed against Formula One and Michelin. Fans were outraged, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway might have seen its last Formula One race.

In these dark times for Formula One, the Champ Car World Series saw a ray of light.

Champ Car, seeing an opportunity to increase its fans base, has offered to honor U.S. Grand Prix tickets at its Grand Prix of Cleveland.

Irwindale Speedway, also attempting to seize the opportunity, will honor U.S. Grand Prix tickets Saturday night. Although the chance is remote that there are many race fans from Los Angeles who had tickets for the U.S. Grand Prix, Irwindale Speedway is hoping to attract some Formula One fans to stock-car racing.

``We know that a lot of Southern California racing fans who went to Indy this past weekend for the Formula One race didn't really get their money's worth,'' said Irwindale Speedway vice president Bob DeFazio. ``We want to invite them ... to experience some terrific close-up racing.

Perhaps it will work out for Irwindale Speedway, and there will be a surge of converted Formula One fans who will fall in love with NASCAR, even if it is of the Super Late Model variety.

One NASCAR driver who has lost a tremendous amount of respect for Formula One is Boris Said, the road-racing ace who will be in this weekend's Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.

``They didn't give the fans a race,'' said Said, driver of the No. 36 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for MB/Sutton Motorsports. ``I was shocked. I don't think it was Ferrari's fault. Bridgestone had a tire that could make it, and I think the Michelin guys should have raced, and they just should have slowed down.

``That's just the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen in racing. If I was a driver, I wouldn't have come in. I would have stayed out, and I probably would have gotten in a lot of trouble.''

Safety should be the primary concern of every race team and organization. If the track conditions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway were truly dangerous, changes should have been made. But the way Formula One and its drivers handled Sunday's race was unforgivable.

Funny that Champ Car is hoping to take advantage of Formula One's lapse in judgment. It was only a few years ago that Champ Car, the series formerly known as CART, cancelled a race because track conditions were too dangerous. Drivers practicing for a race at Texas Motor Speedway complained of dizziness and vertigo. Officials decided the conditions were too dangerous and cancelled the event only hours before the race was to start.

Not to say the U.S. Grand Prix should have been cancelled, but there was probably a better solution to the dispute. Formula One might have lost its slim fan base in the United States.

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BY TIM HADDOCK