Arciero-Blair racing in Australia.

Arciero-Blair Racing competed today in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) event at the coastal resort town of Surfers Paradise, Australia. Driver Alex Barron of Menifee, Calif. competed in round 20 of 21 in the FedEx Championship Series finishing 13th.

Barron, driving the Ford-powered Lola sponsored by Driving 101, started 26th for the event that had record breaking crowds lining the 2.795-mile temporary street course.

The race was 181.675-miles long on the 12-turn track. Barron raced within the 26-car field, running as high as fifth. Consistent and strong all day, Arciero-Blair Racing executed two flawless pit stops. This event normally has many cautions due to the challenging street course but today only two cautions were seen. The Driving 101 entry came in for the second pit stop while in fifth and returned to the track running competitive speeds.

Barron went on to finish thirteenth in his first CART race of 2001. He said: "The credit for today's good finish goes to the crew and the team owners. They worked hard fitting me in the car with only a few days before the race and they also called a great race today. The mistake I made during qualifying Saturday made last night very long for me and I am sure for the crew and Larry (Blair)."

"All of the recent dramas turned out good for Arciero-Blair and it makes the long flight home easier and going into Fontana easier. It was good to see the crew and Larry smile at the end of this long weekend. I only found out ten days ago that I would be racing here in Australia; on a normal weekend for me this year you would have found me at a go kart track in San Diego. I am glad this turned out good for everyone."

"I give complete credit to the team and Alex for their great performance this weekend," said Blair. "They did great pit stops and had a good pit strategy. It was very wise of them to leave Alex out during the first yellow because it was very tempting to come in with everyone else for the first stop. Today was a win for the team; we started 26th and came through the adversity we faced over the last ten days. This was a great team effort for our crew here and the members of the team that are at our shop in Indianapolis. Alex demonstrated his skill and experience to move us up to finish 13th. This effort really showcases this team and demonstrates that we can continue to develop and generate momentum for the team."

Arciero-Blair Racing now prepares to return to the United States for the final event of the CART season. Round 21 will be held at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. on November 4th.

"If you have a good car at Fontana it can be a comfortable and fun race," said Barron. "What I learned there last year and the positive momentum from today will help us for sure. I am glad to go back to Fontana and I want to get this car to the front and have a good finish for the team."

The race is for 500 miles on the 2.029-mile oval. Barron led the event last year and was in contention to win. With only three laps to go a mechanical failure ended his race.