Andretti extends Championship lead

The American went into the race 14 points clear of Roberto Moreno but having only qualified 15th the threat of other championship contenders loomed as polesitter Juan-Pablo Montoya was well placed to erode his advantage.

However, an excellent pit strategy moved Andretti into second place, and with Montoya retiring and Moreno off the pace in sixth, a further six points leaves the 38-year-old looking relatively secure at the top of the table with eight races remaining.

The 1991 champion was delighted after the race, after expecting to have his championship lead reduced rather than extended.

"I'll take it!" he said of his second place. "The way we were looking going into today, I didn't know what to expect so to come out with this many points is fantastic. We made a couple of changes to the car before the race and it really seemed to work."

Standings:

1 Michael Andretti 120pts
2 Roberto Moreno 98pts
3 Gil de Ferran 80pts
4 Cristiano da Matta 82pts
5 Paul Tracy 80pts
6 Adrian Fernandez 79pts
7 Kenny Brack 78pts
8 Juan Montoya 76pts
9 Jimmy Vasser 69pts
10 Patrick Carpentier 65pts
11 Dario Franchitti 58pts
12= Helio Castroneves/Max Papis 56pts

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Andretti extends Championship lead

Michael Andretti has pulled out a 22-point lead in the CART Championship Series after his second place behind Cristiano da Matta in Chicago