NA-F2000: Atlanta Preview

AMS HOSTS 1ST OF TWO GEORGIA F2000 RACES

The United States Formula 2000 National Championship invades the state of Georgia for back-to-back racing weekends starting with this weekend's events at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. A 34-lap race on Saturday at the 1.5-mile paved oval concludes the activities held in conjunction with the Kobalt Tools 300 Indy Racing League event. Briton Dan Wheldon, with victories at Charlotte, N.C., Mosport, Canada and Lexington, Ohio already this season, goes for his third consecutive series triumph at Atlanta, a feat last accomplished by 1998 series champion David Besnard at the start of the 1998 series. Wheldon leads Canada's Marc Antoine-Camirand by 10 points going into the AMS program, which begins with a 4:40-5:30 Friday practice and qualifying session. A 24-lap "qualifying race" follows at 8 pm Friday. Saturday's timetable calls for a warmup at 2:30 pm and the green flag for the 34-lap race will wave at 5:35 pm. The series then travels northeast to the Road Atlanta Motor Sports Center in Braselton, Ga. for races July 24 and 25.

USAC/SCCA FORMULA 2000 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1.Dan Wheldon 145 6.T.J. Bell 70 2.Marc Antoine-Camirand 135 7.Jonathan Bottoms 68 3.Bobby Oergel 115 8.Mark Dismore, Jr. 67 4.Steve Rikert 106 9.Ian Lacy 65 5.Aaron Justus 81 10.Daniel Muniz 64