Backstretch Motorsports

Three races remain in championship battle

With three races remaining in 2008, Scott Dixon holds a 78-point lead over Helio Castroneves. Dan Wheldon is 138 points back, and Tony Kanaan trails by 147. Dixon has a record-tying six wins this season, while Castroneves has seven second-place finishes. Can Dixon extend his lead or will his competitors close the gap?

Second fiddle

Helio Castroneves is second in points with 12 top-five finishes, including seven seconds. Despite a 78-point deficit, Castroneves is still very much alive in the battle for the championship. Castroneves can gain hope from other drivers who have experienced a string of runner-up finishes. Most recently, Firestone Indy Lights driver Wade Cunningham used seven seconds in the 14-race 2005 season to win the championship. Cunningham’s only win of the season came in the finale. Mario Andretti finished second 11 times in 27 races in 1968. Alas, he finished second to Bobby Unser in the championship. Can Helio return to Victory Lane for the eighth consecutive season and make a move for his first series title?

Modified course

IndyCar Series drivers will race around a slightly modified course at Infineon Raceway. Drivers will now exit Turn 6 (Carousel) and go directly up the track’s drag strip, as opposed to veering left before the right-hander at Turn 7. The modification, which will shorten the 12-turn circuit from 2.26 miles to 2.245 miles and should lead to more passing. How will drivers make the most of the new layout?

Still in transition

Drivers new to the IndyCar Series will look to make their mark at Infineon with their road course racing backgrounds. Including Graham Rahal’s victory at St. Petersburg in April, transition drivers have recorded 15 top-10 finishes in the series first four road/street course races. Oriol Servia has been the most consistent driver, turning in three top-10 performances, while Justin Wilson has participated in every Firestone Fast Six qualifying session. How will these drivers fare at Infineon?

Hometown heroes

Several IndyCar Series drivers and team owners have connections to the Bay Area and Northern California. Driver Townsend Bell was born in San Francisco and calls the San Luis Obispo area home. Driver Mario Dominguez lived in San Francisco for several years and graduated from Burlingame High School in 1992. Jimmy Vasser, co-owner of KV Racing Technology, is a California native who lives in the Napa area. Steve Luczo, co-owner of Luczo Dragon Racing, is a Stanford graduate and is CEO of Seagate Technology based in Scotts Valley. Can these drivers and teams shine in front of the home crowd?

Race Notes:

The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County will be the fourth IndyCar Series event conducted at Infineon Raceway. All three past winners are entered in the event: Tony Kanaan (2005), Marco Andretti (2006) and Scott Dixon (2007). Two past pole winners are entered: Ryan Briscoe (2005) and Dixon (2006).

Fourteen drivers entered in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County have raced in previous IndyCar Series events at the track. Five of those drivers have led laps (Scott Dixon 55, Tony Kanaan 34, Marco Andretti 32, Ryan Briscoe 16 and Dan Wheldon 11).

The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County will be the fifth race on a road/street course in 2008. The first three races featured first time winners (Graham Rahal at St. Petersburg, Ryan Hunter-Reay at Watkins Glen and Ryan Briscoe at Mid-Ohio). Scott Dixon won at Edmonton. Team Penske has dominated the Firestone Fast Six qualifying with Briscoe winning poles at Watkins Glen and Edmonton and Helio Castroneves winning the pole at Mid-Ohio. Tony Kanaan won the pole at St. Petersburg.

Race for Firestone Firehawk Cup resumes Infineon Raceway

The race for the Firestone Firehawk Cup and the Firestone Indy Lights title resumes with the season’s final doubleheader weekend at Infineon Raceway. San Diego resident Richard Antinucci, leads Brazil’s Raphael Matos by a four points while Dillon Battistini and Arie Luyendyk Jr. are tied for third, just 51 points behind. Ana Beatriz, the first female to win a Firestone Indy Lights race is third, 61 points behind while Sausalito’s J.R. Hildebrand is 71 points behind.

Rafa’s No. 1

Doubleheader weekends have been kind to Raphael Matos in 2008. The Brazilian has won the front-end of each doubleheader weekend this season, scoring wins at St. Pete 1, Watkins Glen 1 and Mid-Ohio 1. Can the AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing driver claim the Careneros 100 at Infineon?

A Road Course Win For Bia?

For the first time in series history, a female driver could walk away with the Firestone Firehawk Cup. Brazil’s Ana Beatriz, who is fifth in points, became the first female driver to win in the Firestone Indy Lights on July 12 at Nashville Superspeedway. Beatriz, benefits from the championship experience of Sam Schmidt Motorsports, which has won two of the last three races at Kentucky.

Where it all began

Three drivers entered in the doubleheader at Infineon Raceway have had their careers shaped by racing at the 2.245-mile road course. J.R. Hildebrand, whose home in Sausalito is 30 minutes from the track, began his career on the facility’s go-kart track before moving to the Russell Racing School and Formula Russell series. He made his Firestone Indy Lights debut at the track in 1997. Brent Sherman’s racing career also began at Infineon Raceway after he won the Russell Racing School’s graduate run-offs after attending a three-day school at the track. The Panther Racing driver will make his first start at Infineon. Newcomer Tom Dyer will debut at Infineon, but he is no stranger to the road course. The Corte Madera, Calif., driver has won multiple races at the track and is a full-time instructor at the Russell Racing School.

Schedule (local time):

Aug. 21

12:45-4:30 p.m. - Firestone Indy Lights Open Test

Aug. 22

10-10:45 a.m. - Firestone Indy Lights practice

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - IndyCar Series practice

1:45-2:30 p.m. - SWE Pole Qualifying

2:45-3:45 p.m. - IndyCar Series practice

Aug. 23

9-9:15 a.m. - Firestone Indy Lights warm-up

9:30-10:30 a.m. - IndyCar Series practice (two groups)

11:15 a.m. - Carneros 100 pre-race

11:45 a.m. - Carneros 100 (30 laps/67.35 miles)

1:15 p.m. - PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award Qualifying presented by Pep Boys

Aug. 24

9:45-10:15 a.m. - IndyCar Series warm-up

11 a.m. - Valley of the Moon 100 pre-race

11:30 a.m. - Valley of the Moon 100 (30 laps/67.35 miles)

1:05 p.m. - PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County pre-race

2:30 p.m. - PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County (80 laps/180 miles)