Former CART Champions and now Formula One drivers, Jacques Villeneuve and Alex Zanardi, will have to watch the Hawaiian Super Prix from the sidelines. According to Villeneuve, the CART team owners have agreed to allow only current Champ Car drivers to compete in the special, end-of-season race which boasts a purse of $10 million, with $5 million going to the winner.

"Are they afraid that their guys would get beaten?" Villeneuve asked. "Don't they want to find out who the best of the best is? I'd love to do the race. I think it would be great, but I guess the CART team owners don't want any of us from Formula One to be there. That's too bad. I think it would be great for the race to have a bunch of guys from other kinds of racing challenge the top Champ Car guys. I thought that's what the idea of the race was all about."

According to a spokesman, CART chairman Andrew Craig said the owners had not made a new ruling to keep other drivers out of the race. The spokesman added that there were never any official plans for other drivers to compete in the race.

"The event is only open to current Champ Car competitors," said the spokesman. "That's been the way it is from day one. Anything else is all speculation."

Speaking at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, two-time CART Champion Alex Zanardi also said he was disappointed to hear he couldn't drive in the race. "Chip (Ganassi) has told me he would run a car for me in that race if it was possible, but I guess they're not going to allow it," Zanardi said. "That's too bad, because I'd really like to do it."

The top 12 drivers in this year's CART championship will be invited to the race plus four other current CART drivers to be selected by the promoter.