Monterey, Calif. (June 14, 2003) Jonathan Macri of the #84 Polestar Atlantic NTN Bearings swift took third place in the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship Grand Prix of Monterey today. After qualifying in the sixth position, Macri was able to push ahead and grab a podium finish on the 2.238- mile road course.
The race began with a close call when Danica Patrick (#24) and Joey Hand (#27) collided in the first lap missing Macri by a hair. It was really a close call on the first lap when I nearly missed contact with Joey (Hand) on turn six, said Macri. I just used my instincts and steered clear of the collision.
Unfortunately for Hand he did collide with other drivers, but fortunately for Macri, the yellow flag dropped giving him three full-course caution laps to catch up. On the re-start, lap 4, Macri was able to obtain a good lead and gain a few positions. I did really well on the restart and was able to make the pass to pull into third and stay consistent, stated Macri. I was able to hold the third position for the majority of the race, which was great.
Next weekend the Polestar Atlantic team heads to Portland with confidence. We are going into Portland with a good start after the podium finish here today and I really enjoy the course in Oregon, stated Macri.
Macri remains in second place overall in the championship standings with 56 points, just eleven points behind leader A.J. Allmendinger who has 67.
The Laguna Seca race will air on SPEED channel June 21 at 8 p.m. EST. For Toyota Atlantic series information, please visit www.toyotaatlantic.com. Round five takes places Saturday, June 21 at Portland International Raceway.
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