De Ferran not ready to retire yet

De Ferran, the two-time CART champion and runner-up in the 2001 Indy 500, sustained a spinal fracture and concussion in a wreck during the final laps of the Purex Dial Indy 200 on March 23 at Phoenix International Raceway. He won't compete in an IRL IndyCar Series race next week at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, but will try to get back in the car for the 87th running of the Indy 500 in May.

"The day when I'm no longer as good as I was yesterday, or not as good as anyone else out there, that's the day I'll consider thinking about my driving future," de Ferran said.

The incident at PIR was de Ferran's second serious crash - and second concussion - in six months. Last September, de Ferran sustained a concussion and a hairline fracture of his left wrist in a crash during a race at Chicagoland Speedway. He sat out the season finale at Texas Motor Speedway, costing him a shot at the Indy Racing League championship.

In spite of the proximity and severity of the incidents, de Ferran says that retirement is not an issue.

"This may sound arrogant, but I still don't believe that you can set this guy or that guy in the car and he can go faster than I can, so I'll keep going," de Ferran said. "Maybe someday I won't be as good as I was the year before. If I ever think that way, then I should think about retiring. But not at this point. I'm focusing on trying to recover."