Mo Nunn Racing aim higher second time around.

Last year here at Laguna Seca, Nunn saw his first-year team, with Tony Kanaan behind the wheel of the #55 Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing Honda-Reynard, qualify 14th and retire with brake problems some 20 laps from the
finish.

Morris Nunn, as technical director at Target/Chip Ganassi Racing during four consecutive CART championship seasons by Jimmy Vasser (1996), Alex Zanardi (1997-98) and Juan Montoya (1999), won here from the pole with Zanardi in 1996 and from the outside of the front row in 1998.

Nunn was reunited with Zanardi this season as the venerable Italian driver came on board to pilot the #66 Pioneer-WorldCom/Mo Nunn Racing Honda-Reynard before suffering serious injuries during the latter stages of the American Memorial 500 last month at Lausitz, Germany. Zanardi lost both of his legs in the accident, but is progressing well in a Berlin Hospital and is expected to return home to Italy to begin rehabilitation within the next week.

"We're hoping for good things this weekend on one of the world's classic road circuits." Said Nunn. "We struggled a bit with Tony's car in Houston and he left there quite frustrated. Laguna Seca is the perfect medicine. It's a true driver's course and he'll be happy to be able to let it all hang out. As for Casey, we're pleased with all the things he showed us in Houston. He's a bright, young driver and he did all the things we asked of him. Admittedly, we played it very conservative because it was his very first time in a Champ Car on a temporary street track and he had no testing with us before the weekend. (Note: CART rules prohibit in-season testing.) He got better every session. In the race, he was turning lap times faster than his best qualifying laps. I think he'll come here with his confidence in just the right place. He knows the track and he's done well here in the past. I think we have the potential for a positive weekend."