Backstretch Motorsports

Chicago ready to crown third IndyCar Series champion

The IndyCar Series champion will be crowned at Chicagoland Speedway for the third consecutive season. This year’s battle features Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves, neither who have won at the 1.5-mile oval. Dixon, who leads Castroneves by 30 points, has finished second three times in five starts, including last year when he ran out of fuel in the final turn of the final lap. His average finish in five starts is 6.4. Castroneves has three consecutive top-four finishes at Chicagoland, including a second in 2005. His average finish in six starts is 7.3. Who will fare better at Chicagoland?

[read more...]

Castroneves second after penalty; Dixon fifth

DETROIT, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008 - Justin Wilson didn’t let a steering problem ruin his day. The IndyCar Series rookie turned only two laps in the morning warm-up due to the problem, but went on to lead the final 15 laps of the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone in the afternoon to claim his first IndyCar Series victory.

[read more...]

DETROIT, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008 - Scott Dixon won the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award for Sunday’s Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park, his sixth earned pole of the season.

Dixon will share the front row with Helio Castroneves, whom he leads in the championship by 43 points with two races remaining.

[read more...]

Two-man race

With the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone looming as the penultimate race in the 2008 IndyCar Series championship, two competitors remain eligible for the title. Scott Dixon saw a 78-point lead over Helio Castroneves dwindle to 43 at Infineon. How will the battle play out on the tight street course at Belle Isle?

[read more...]

SONOMA, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008 - Helio Castroneves snapped the longest winless streak of his career to move closer to his first IndyCar Series championship.

Castroneves, who hadn’t won since April 2007 - a span of 30 races, took the checkered flag in the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County at Infineon Raceway to claim a victory in a record-setting eighth consecutive season. The 13th win of his IndyCar Series career allowed Castroneves to shave 35 points from his deficit in the championship standings. He trails Scott Dixon, who finished 12th, by 43 points with two races remaining.

[read more...]

SONOMA, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008 - Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe will share the front row for the third consecutive IndyCar Series race on a road/street course.

Castroneves won his 26th career PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award during qualifying for the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County at Infineon Raceway with a best lap of 1 minute, 16.9027 seconds, 107.809 mph on the 12-turn, 2.30 mile circuit. Briscoe was second just .0158 of a second behind.

[read more...]

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?

[read more...]

Monday Aug 18, 2008
Today’s IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines
1. Four remain eligible for IndyCar Series title
2. Matos in familiar territory
3. Potekhen returns at Infineon

[read more...]

IndyCar Series Leader Scott Dixon Sails to First Kentucky Speedway Win in the “Meijer Indy 300 Presented by Pepsi and Edy’s”

SPARTA, Ky. – Kentucky Speedway officially joined “Dixie-land” tonight when IndyCar Series championship leader Scott Dixon scored a “Meijer Indy 300 Presented by Pepsi and Edy’s” victory with a dramatic last-lap pass of Team Penske racer Helio Castroneves 500 feet before the finish line.

[read more...]

DIXON CLOSING IN ON 2008 CHAMPIONSHIP
BIA LOOKS TO CASH IN ON SSM PAST KENTUCKY SUCCESS
Four races remain in championship battle

With four races remaining in 2008, Scott Dixon holds a 65-point lead over Helio Castroneves. Dan Wheldon is 115 points back, and Tony Kanaan trails by 118. Dixon has five wins this season, while Castroneves has six second-place finishes. Can Dixon extend his lead or will his competitors close the gap?

[read more...]