MIAMI -- This weekend's Grand Prix Americas in downtown Miami could go a long way to determining this year's champion, but it's also a preview of what CART may look like in 2004.

Paul Gentilozzi, Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe (the partners of Open Wheel Racing Series LLC) are in the process of buying CART and their plan is to marry music and motorsports.

Together with MotoRock, a promotional company for rock and roll concerts that is now the title sponsor for Trans Am, this new ownership group wants to offer more than just speed to try and entice some new fans in the 18-25 age group.

That concept debuts here with four races and a pair of concerts in three days. Kid Rock and Queens of the Stone Age will play the American Airlines Arena on Friday night before Elton John takes center stage Saturday evening. Champ Cars, Toyota Atlantic, Trans Am and the American Le Mans Series are sharing the street circuit.

For $89, you receive a three-day general admission pass to the track, a ticket to John's concert, a MotoRock T-Shirt and Grand Prix Americas hat.

"I've been turning money into noise for 30 years and now we're going to make a different kind of noise," said Gentilozzi, the former Trans Am champ who now owns that series in addition to a CART team with Alex Tagliani.

"You just can't go out and hire a band. Jamie Rose (chairman of MotoRock) is our partner and he knows everyone in the music business. And everyone we've talked to thinks it's a natural pairing -- racing and rock and roll."

Rose got hooked on CART and Trans Am last spring when he attended his first Long Beach Grand Prix.

"I was blown away with the speed and excitement," said Rose, who is also part of the CART buyout. "Young people gravitate to the high RPM and tuner market and there is no greater expression of that than CART and Trans.

	Junqueira finished fifth at Miami last year.

"We'll go after the best talent available and it's a concept that sells itself and can work in any environment."

The environment for Sunday's race figures to get testy, like it was a year ago, because the one-mile layout offers no passing opportunities but plenty of places to root and gouge.

Tony Kanaan, who captured the pole position in 2002 at a little over 81 mph, got penalized for knocking Scott Dixon into the wall while Jimmy Vasser spun out Paul Tracy and Michael Andretti tangled with future employee Kanaan. Cristiano da Matta won the roller derby at an embarrassing average speed of 68.723 mph.

"I managed to go from 16th to the lead last year before I got punted off the track and that whole place was pretty much an adventure," said Tracy, who leads Bruno Junqueira by 18 points with four races remaining.

"Miami can be a difficult ride, especially if you aren't able to get much grip. But I'm not one to drive tentatively and Team Player's has had a lot of success on street courses this year."

Junqueira, coming off a victory at Denver, started 10th here a year ago and managed to make his way to the front but knows qualifying is the key.

"Last year was really difficult for me because I started 10th," said the Miami resident. "Single car qualifying is good because this track is so short and tight and it's important to start up front. I need to win and keep the pressure on Paul."

Michael Jourdain Jr., 39 points behind Tracy, and rookie Sebastien Bourdais, 62 points in arrears, haven't been mathematically eliminated yet but understand the reality of the situation.

"There's an expression in racing. 'Win or nothing,'" said Bourdais, the impressive 24-year-old Frenchman who owns three wins. "That's my outlook the rest of this season."

Robin Miller covers open wheel racing for ESPN and ESPN.com.