"I am looking forward to the opportunities that Arciero-Blair is giving me at Australia and Fontana," said Barron. "Last year, I was in contention to win both events; then we had a mechanical problem. 2001 has been a long year not racing a Champ car. But I have kept myself in shape by working out, testing the 2002 Atlantic chassis and testing for Firestone at the new tracks in Germany and England. It will be good to be back in CART competition and to race for this new team."

"Alex has already proven himself at both of our remaining venues and that is attractive to me as a team owner," said Larry Blair. "For a first year team, this has been a season of change with ownership, engines, engineers and driver change. While Max has had wonderful runs on permanent road courses, the experience and valuable input that Alex will bring is needed for the team at this time. I am continuing to make changes to Arciero-Blair Racing to improve and expand the team and its knowledge in this highly competitive series. We are working hard on our plans and sponsorship for the 2002 season; we feel that good on-track results can expand our potential for the future."

Bio for Alex Barron is attached at the bottom of this release.

Arciero-Blair Racing is preparing to race on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia on Sunday, October 28. It is the feature event of the CART grand prix weekend on the temporary street course in Surfers Paradise. The broadcast time for the Honda Indy 300 in Australia, Round 20 of the FedEx Championship Series, has been changed. Originally slated to air live on ESPN at midnight ET on Sunday, Oct. 28, the race will now be broadcast via 13-hour tape delay on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET. The broadcast will continue to air on ESPN. Check local listings. It will also air on the CART Radio Network and on CART’s official website, at www.cart.com.

The final round of 21 CART events will take place the week following Australia at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The 500 presented by Toyota, will be held on Sunday, November 4. It will air on the ESPN television network live at 3:30 p.m. EST.

-more-

Driving 101 is the first and only driving experience in the world to offer a fleet of 20 full- sized Champ Cars. Clients range from corporations that use the innovative driving school to reward employees to celebrities and race fans. It has also been used as a popular birthday or special occasion gift by many of the over 6,000 students who have attended one of Driving 101’s classes. Its four different locations are Chicago Motor Speedway, a 1.029-mile oval, California Speedway, a 2.029 oval, Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval. Many different programs are available; all programs include safety, classroom and trackside instruction followed by an actual driving experience where you can "Feel the Speed," on a professional racetracks.

www.BlairRacing.com keeps fans up-to-date with all the latest team news, photos and information. For more information or updates on the FedEx Championship Series go to www.CART.com.

ALEX BARRON BORN: June 11, 1970, in San Diego, CA. RESIDES: Menifee, Calif.

CAREER PATH:
Karts -- 1979-1995
Formula 2000 -- 1996
Toyota-Atlantic --1997 - Series Champion Rookie of the Year
CART – 1998-2000

FIRST CART YEAR: 1998
1998: All-American Racers
1999: All-American Racers
1999: Marlboro Team Penske
2000: Dale Coyne Racing
2001: Dale Coyne Racing Best
CART Start: 12th / Best CART Finish: eighth, Fontana, 2000
Total laps led: 22 / Total Career points: 14

ALEX BARRON CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

KARTS
Barron got an early start at competition at age nine, when he began racing karts. By the time he moved up the ladder, he had won a truly impressive number of races and championships, including three National titles in 1995 and the U.S. Gearbox Championship in 1997, the same year he also won the Toyota-Atlantic Championship.

1996 - F2000
In 1996 the opportunity came to move up to Formula 2000 with the DSTP Team. A podium, a fastest lap and six top ten finishes let him to a seat in the championship winning Lynx Racing Team for the 1997 Toyota-Atlantic season.

1997 - TOYOTA ATLANTIC
Barron won the coveted Toyota-Atlantic Series Championship with five wins, four poles, six fastest laps, nine podium finishes as well as being crowned Rookie of the Year.

1998 - CART / ALL AMERICAN RACERS, (AAR), 17 CART starts
Barron's impressive 1997 achievements caught the attention of Dan Gurney and in 1998 he made his Champ Car debut driving the # 36 for AAR. Barron led the 1998 Vancouver for race for 12 laps, and earning the Racer Magazine award for Most Promising Road Racer of the Year.

1999 - CART / AAR and MARLBORO TEAM PENSKE, nine CART starts
In 1999, AAR was downsized to a one-car effort, with Barron left to do the job of both developing the car and racing running a partial season. Roger Penske called Barron to test at Michigan. By all accounts the test went well with the Penske/Goodyear/Mercedes package and it earned Barron a seat in the #3 Penske car for Michigan and Fontana. While the race package in Michigan was very competitive, the engine let go on lap 120. At Fontana, after a good start, Barron made contact with the wall on lap 20.