The rains failed to arrive, the sun came out and impetuous Alex Zanardi helped the 24th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach become the most exciting and competitive race since John Watson came from far back to win the final Formula One race in 1983.
CART FedEx champion Zanardi, after qualifying a disappointing 11th as defending Long Beach winner, dropped back as far as 18th--and a lap down--in the first 40 laps before starting an all-but-impossible drive to the checkered flag in one of Chip Ganassi's Target Reynard-Hondas.
The little Italian, who might return to Formula One after this season, finally overcame pole-sitter Bryan Herta two laps from the end of the 105-lap race around a 1.59-mile temporary course in downtown Long Beach.
"On a day when everything went wrong, we came back and won," Zanardi said after finishing 2.917 seconds ahead of Scotland's Dario Franchitti, who slipped past Herta one turn after Zanardi. "I can't explain it. It wasn't until I saw Bryan ahead of me that I ever thought I had a shot at winning. It was amazing. I have no words to describe it."
At one point, Zanardi's car was pinched in the hairpin turn, bending the steering arm. When he made an unplanned pit stop to have it fixed, mechanic Rob Hill straightened it out with his hands.
"He did as much as he could, but it was still half an hour off center. But I made up that half hour on the race track."
Ten cars finished on the lead lap with Zanardi after nearly two hours of racing that saw 12 lead changes among eight drivers, including two rookies, J.J. Lehto of Finland and Helio Castro-Neves of Brazil.
Adrian Fernandez of Mexico, last week's winner in Japan, finished fourth, just ahead of another Brazilian rookie, Tony Kanaan.
As late as lap 93, Zanardi was ninth, but one after another, race leaders Castro-Neves, Gil de Ferran, Fernandez and Greg Moore and second-place Scott Pruett pitted, enabling Zanardi to move up without having to make a pass.
Pivotal moments in the race might have been the final pit stops of Herta and Zanardi.
Zanardi made his final stop on lap 72 and took on four tires and fuel. Herta did not pit until lap 94, but his crew elected to put in fuel only, taking only 6.1 seconds.
"We thought we would save enough time to make it worthwhile, but obviously it didn't work out that way," a disappointed Herta said. "We didn't really talk 'tires' or 'no tires.' They decided to leave me on the tires I was on, but there was no question Alex had a ton more race car than I did.
