Franchitti makes Edmonton debut
When the unified IndyCar Series visited Edmonton for the first time in 2008, one prominent name missing was 2007 series champion Dario Franchitti. After a stint in NASCAR last season, Franchitti returns to the IndyCar Series and will participate in his first race at Edmonton City Centre Airport. Championship contenders Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves all competed at Edmonton last season, with Dixon and Castroneves taking podium position and Briscoe scoring the pole. Can Franchitti quickly acclimate to the challenging course to keep up with the contenders?
Tagliani, Tracy look for strong finishes at Canadian finale
Alex Tagliani and Paul Tracy will be looking to score a victory in front of their Canadian fans. While this will be Tagliani’s first IndyCar Series start at Edmonton, he’s competed at the track three times under Champ Car sanctioning. Last year, Tagliani won at the track in the Canadian Tire Series support event. Tracy made his only IndyCar Series start of 2008 at Edmonton, advancing 11 positions to finish fourth. Now Tracy returns to Edmonton with four additional IndyCar Series races under his belt. Both drivers were in contention for the victory at Toronto before late incidents. Can Tags and PT rebound in Edmonton for another solid run?
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Matos looks to build on past success at City Centre Airport
When Raphael Matos makes his first IndyCar Series start at Edmonton this weekend, he will be able to rely on his past experience at the track as he takes on the veterans. In 2007, Matos swept the Atlantics Championship doubleheader on the 1.96-temporary circuit. Matos continues to build a strong rookie campaign, leading Robert Doornbos by seven points in the Rookie of the Year standings. The 27-year old Brazilian has qualified in the top 10 for all temporary street circuit events this season. Can Matos continue his streak of strong qualifying runs at Edmonton?
Expect fireworks on the Edmonton track
The quick and narrow Toronto street circuit left a number of cars banged up and competitors’ egos bruised as on-track incidents took several contenders for the victory out of the race. Strong runs by Paul Tracy and Helio Castroneves ended after their cars collided on Lap 66. A pile-up on Lap 75 involving Tomas Scheckter, Mario Moraes and Alex Tagliani prompted Scheckter to throw his gloves at Tagliani’s car on the next lap. A run-in between Moraes and E.J. Viso during the race carried over on the cool down lap. What fireworks will occur at Edmonton?
Firestone Fast Six shake up on road/street events
Six different drivers representing six different teams made the final round of qualifying at Toronto – the Firestone Fast Six. Rookie Mike Conway, part-time competitors Alex Tagliani and Will Power were competing for the top qualifying position against Firestone Fast Six regulars Dario Franchitti, Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson. In fact, 11 different drivers have competed in the four Firestone Fast Six this season. Compared to last year, there were 10 different drivers in the First Fast Six through the six road/street events. Can the Firestone Fast Six produce similar results at Edmonton?
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Points race remains unpredictable
For the eighth time this season, there has been a shake up at top the championship point standings. With his win on the streets of Toronto, Dario Franchitti takes the points lead by two over teammate Scott Dixon – the two bonus points he earned for most laps led. Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe is third, 13 points behind. Can Franchitti earn enough points at Edmonton to maintain his lead or will another driver occupy the top spot?
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