CART chairman Andrew Craig pays tribute to drivers Gonzolo Rodriguez and Greg Moore, whose photographs appear on a screen behind him.

Moore, 24, died in a horrific crash Sunday when his car slammed into a retaining wall early in the Marlboro 500 at California Speedway in Fontana.

"Everything is overshadowed," said Scott Pruett, a fellow driver who also heads the Championship Drivers Association. "Everything that happens on a race track seems kind of miniscule compared with the loss of life.

"It's difficult to understand. I don't think we will ever understand."

A 15-minute tribute was held for Moore and Gonzalo Rodriguez, who died Sept. 12 in a CART race at Laguna Seca in Northern California. Portraits of the two drivers were flashed onto a huge screen and a prayer was said.

While it was difficult to go ahead with the banquet, Pruett, fighting back tears, said Moore's family insisted it be held.

"They didn't want to make this evening a memorial to Greg," said Pruett, who finished 22nd in Sunday's race. "On Wednesday, let's grieve for Greg at his funeral."

"We decided to continue; we feel it's appropriate we should honor Greg," Craig said. "That's certainly the feeling of the family, and the feeling that's what Greg would have wanted.

"He was a great champion and athlete and he would have wanted the other great athletes to be given the recognition they deserve tonight."

Craig said it still would not be easy to get through the evening.

"It's very difficult an awards ceremony, normally an uplifting highlight of our year, with the obvious deep sense of sadness," he said.

Points champion Juan Montoya received several awards at the banquet, including the Fed Ex Champion Series Award. Tracy received the award as most improved driver.