Moving Through the Indianapolis 500 Field: 23-33

With the 100th anniversary running of the Indianapolis 500 just four short days away, it is time move past the drama of ride-buying and focus on the 33 cars and drivers that will start their engines on Sunday.  Today, SB Nation Indiana looks at the back half of the field - can any of these drivers do what Ray Harroun and Louis Meyer did in 1911 and 1936, repspectively, in winning the 500 from this deep in the field?

Note: each of these cars has moved up from its original qualifying position after the No. 41 car was moved to the rear of the field following the driver swap of Ryan Hunter-Reay for Bruno Junquiera.

23. No. 78T - Simona De Silvestro
All De Silvestro has done this month is flip her car into the catch fence at IMS, have the car catch on fire and walk away with second and first degree burns on her hands. Oh, and then 48 hours after that wreck, she drove with heavily bandaged hands and qualified for her second straight 500.

The 2010 Rookie of the Year continues to gain fans with an effervescent personality (including a willingness to sign autographs with her "Mickey Mouse gloves" on as she called them). Asking for a win might be a little much, given her situation, but a top 10 performance would exceed last year's 14-place effort.

24. No. 23 - Paul Tracy
The highest qualifier from Sunday's Bump Day, Tracy left no doubt as to whether he would be in the 500 after withdrawing a time and failing to requalify. With rain imminent at IMS, Tracy put down four blistering laps; had he run those on Saturday, he would have been on the outside of Row 6 instead of the Outside of Row 8.

Always popular among open-wheel racing fans, Tracy is driving this race with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing; last year, the team had both Justin Wilson and Mike Conway in position to capture the Borg-Warner Trophy. If Tracy can avoid trouble, he should be running near the front in the search for his first (or second) 500 title.

25. No. 7 - Danica Patrick
Seemingly quick all month, Patrick (and the rest of Andretti Autosport) were barely up to snuff over the weekend, putting just two of its four primary drivers in the field (a third, Ryan Hunter-Reay, would be added to the field on Monday). Still, when push came to shove, Patrick found speed again, qualifying on the inside of Row 9.

Over the last few years, Andretti Autosport's setups have been better on race day than in qualifications. The team must hope that is the case again, though with Tom Anderson taking the fall for the poor qualification performance, there will be some added pressure on the Engineers. Patrick took a solid sixth last year, and with rumors flying that she will head to NASCAR full time next year (and allowing her to still race the 500), this may be her last best chance at a 500 win. 

26. No. 6T - Ryan Briscoe
It is rare to find a Team Penske car this low on the grid.  However, that's where Briscoe sits after a wreck the morning of Pole Day left his primary car damaged and his backup low on speed. Giving the Team Penske IZOD team a night to work on the backup however, it was only a matter of where Briscoe would qualify, provided he did not find the wall again.

Briscoe, since scoring two top 10s to start his career at IMS, the Australian has seemingly been snake bit, recording finishes of 23rd, 15th and 24th. Avoiding trouble while trying to move to the front of the field will be paramount if he wants to reverse his recent fortune.

27. No. 26 - Marco Andretti
The last car to qualify, Andretti said his mentality on the final run was to "put it in the Show or put it in the fence." Fortunately for Andretti Autosport, it was put in the 500 (at the cost of buying a ride for Ryan Hunter-Reay).  

Unfortunately for the young Andretti, he has a habit of bouncing results around at IMS; in his first five starts look like this: 2nd, 24th, 3rd, 30th, 3rd.  If we follow that pattern (and this certainly isn't the SATs), then Andretti is due for a disappointing performance on Sunday.

28. No. 83 - Charlie Kimball (R)
One of five rookies in the field, Kimball and teammate Graham Rahal struggled during qualifying weekend, while their counterparts at Target Chip Ganassi Racing had plenty of speed in participating in the Fast Nine.  

Still, it would be a mistake to count out Kimball, who will be a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. Having his teammate directly next to him should allow the duo to work their way through the field over the course of the race. Perhaps more important, having a week to pour over data from the Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars and finding the right race trim should give Kimball an edge.

29. No. 38 - Graham Rahal
It's hard to believe that Rahal is making his fourth start at IMS, but the 22-year old is now a veteran of the Indianapolis 500. The middle of Row 10 marks Rahal's worst starting position for the 500, but again, his Chip Ganassi Racing Team has the benefit of being able to study telemetry from the Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars of Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti.

Last year, Rahal was quick, qualifying for the Fast Nine and running up near the front before a Black Flag scuttled his chances at a historic win. On the 25th anniversary of his father's lone 500 win, finding a Rahal in Victory Lane would be a great story (as would a throwback mustache in tribute to his dad).

30. No. 19 - Alex Lloyd
As impressive as Andretti's qualifying effort was on Sunday at the gun, Alex Lloyd's may have saved a race team. It was fairly apparent that rookie James Jakes was slow, and some of the money associated with a run at Indianapolis can help fill the budget for a team. Still, it looked as if Dale Coyne Racing was slow on speed in both cars. Instead, Lloyd, who finished fourth last year, put his car solidly in the field with about six minutes left on Bump Day.

If Lloyd can replicate some of last year's run, in which he finished fourth, it would be remarkable for a team that looked dead in the water until late on Sunday.

31. No. 31 - Pippa Mann (R)
In her first IZOD IndyCar Series event, Mann outqualified Conquest Racing's primary driver, Sebastian Saavedra. The Firestone Indy Lights veteran, Mann has always been quick at IMS, qualifying on the pole for the 2010 Freedom 100 before collecting her first career Lights win at Kentucky Speedway later in the year.

Mann is a dark-horse for Rookie of the Year honors.  Sometimes the award can be won simply by avoiding attrition and collecting a stealthy top 15 finish.  In other years, the driver needs to charge through the field.  Mann has the experience in Lights to do this, but it remains to be seen if her car will have the handling and speed needed to put her in position to challenge for Rookie of the Year.

32. No. 32 - Ana Beatriz
The last of four Dreyer & Reinbold Racing cars in the field of 33, the most of any team in the field, Beatriz will be looking to build on a 21st place finish in her rookie campaign at IMS. The Brazilian is the slowest car in the field, though, which does not necessarily bode well for the race, as the slowest car in qualifying has never won the Indianapolis 500.

However, Beatriz has experience navigating traffic at IMS, running at or near the front in the Freedom 100 on several occasions. Being faced with getting through the field in one piece won't phase the 26-year old.

33. No. 41 - Ryan Hunter-Reay
The Andretti Autosport driver takes the seat originally filled by Bruno Junquiera, who qualified the ABC Supply car 19th on the grid. However, the No. 41 will now carry sponsorship from ABC Supply, DHL and Sun Drop after Andretti Autosport bought the seat in an effort to please its sponsors.

Hunter-Reay has last row experience, starting 32nd in 2009. Since a sixth-place finish with Rahal-Letterman Racing earned him the 2008 Rookie of the Year award, though, Hunter-Reay has not finished better than 18th in the 500. While karma has not seemed to be on his side this week, Hunter-Reay will need it to turn around if he wants to collect prize money for the most positions made up during the race.

INDYCAR: Power Beats Clock, Rain to Take Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300

It wasn't conventional, but Will Power heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the points lead for the second straight year.  Choosing to pit midway through an abbreviated morning conclusion to the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle, Power took the lead from Takuma Sato with just over seven minutes remaining in the race and cruised to his second victory of the season.

Power collected his second consecutive win on the streets of Sao Paulo, which lent itself to another year of exciting racing, albeit at a relatively strange time for those trying to tune in from America.  Starting on the pole, Power remained in front through 15 laps on Sunday, but was passed by Takuma Sato on the race's restart on the Lap 26 green flag.

As part of KV Racing Technology-Lotus' plan, neither Sato nor E.J. Viso planned on stopping during the morning session, and the green and yellow colors were swiftly at the front of the field forming a surprising 1-2, with Marco Andretti utilizing a similar strategy to move to third.

The luck began to run out for KV when Viso was black flagged after seven consecutive blocks on Andretti, giving up second place, but soon after, Andretti's in-car telemetry went dead and the youngster gambled with red tires, fading to a 14th-place finish, directly behind Viso.  Sato, attempting to reach the time limit, eventually was forced to pit with just over seven minutes left in the race, handing the lead to Power.

The Australian capitalized on the opportunity, darting away from runner-up Graham Rahal to take a 14-point lead over Dario Franchitti 27 days before the 100th Anniversary running of the Indianapolis 500.  Franchitti found the tire barriers on the restart, but rallied to finish fourth.

Ryan Briscoe took his second straight podium finish in taking third, while Oriol Servia picked up fifth.

After four straight road/street circuits to open the IZOD IndyCar Series season, the series now turns its attention to the crown jewel of motorsports, the Indianapolis 500.  The 100th Anniversary running of the Indianapolis 500 will be on Sunday, May 28.

Moving Through the 500 Field: The Middle

With just over three days remaining until Jack Nicholson drops the green flag on the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500, we continue with part II of our look at the 500 field.  Today, we look at the middle of the starting grid. (for part I, click here)

A Qualifications Primer

Until the 500/600 $20 Million Double occurs (and SI.com's Tim Tuttle nails most of it here), the biggest change to hit the Indianapolis 500 was the overhaul of the schedule for the month of May.  With a schedule closer to that of the 1998 500, teams have been prepping all week for the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 and stand to do their qualifying trim on Thursday.

Saturday will mark the biggest changes to the qualifying format - no, Brian Barnhardt will still talk to the drivers momentarily before the head out for their qualifying effort - with a "Pole Day Shootout" scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m..

From noon-4, the first 24 slots will be filled, based on speed.  After a half-hour break, the top nine speeds will then have a window in which to attempt to qualify for the pole.

The new format blends a bit of the "Firestone Fast Six" road/street qualifying format that fans have enthusiastically endorsed with the tradition of late-day pole runs at Indianapolis.

Now, whether or not this draws fans back to Pole Day remains to be seen.  While I don't see the massive crowds returning for qualifications until drivers are pushing 240-250 mph, last year's crowd appeared to be up from the previous year.  For the most part, the qualifying was good, albeit too spread out, as Alex Lloyd put together a late run to qualify in the top 11 in his Sam Schmidt/Ganassi car.

With two Ganassi machines (and a third in Townsend Bell's Schmidt/Ganassi effort), at least one quality KV machine (Mario Moraes), three solid Penske cars, two-five Andretti Autosport efforts (Marco Andretti and Tony Kanaan have shown the most speed) and a Tagliani (he's been surprisingly quick in practice), some quality drivers are going to be left out, leaving some to scramble around 3:30 to try and make a run into the first three rows of the 500 field.

In any case, it should make for a more interesting Pole Day, with track activity guaranteed far more than in the past.

As for Bump Day, filling the final nine spots in the field should take little time, provided the weather cooperates.  And unlike past years, we won't see Jimmy Kite and P.J. Jones as the only cars attempting to bump their way into the field (now, after experiencing a two-seater ride, I have an immense amount of respect for any of those drivers, especially the ones trying to bump their way in with an ill-handling machine).

Based on the speed charts thus far, it looks like everyone's favorite driver, Milka Duno (hey, she is great with the fans, I'll credit her that), will be squarely on the bubble come Sunday.  And if that happens, keep a close eye on the AJ Foyt Racing garage, where I wouldn't be surprised to see another car prepared if Milka was sitting on the bubble late in the day.

How I See It

I'll keep the predictions short and to the point.  In any case, here is how I see the 2010 Izod IndyCar season shaking out:

1. 
   
   Scott Dixon.  Seriously, you're going to bet against the Haast Eagle?  A year after finishing second, I would be worried about an angry, giant bird of prey.  Add to it the combination of Chip Ganassi Racing's superior cars over the last few years and the hubris/bravado of the Chipster, and you have the recipe for a dominant season.
2. Ryan Briscoe.  I should like Ryan Briscoe more than I do.  He's Australian - I love the country I spent five crazy months in my junior year of college.  He overcame some horrific crashes, and who doesn't like someone who comes back like that?  But I can't quite pinpoint what it is that keeps me from liking him more - maybe it's the Penske sponsorship, or his bird-like features.  Maybe he just needs sponsorship from Bundaberg Rum (just a thought).  Either way, he's immensely talented, and I think he'll be right there at the end of the season again.
3. Will Power.  It'd be far too boring to pick Dixon-Briscoe-Franchitti-Castroneves in some order at the top, so it's time to spice things up.  The addition of Will Power to the Penske stable has only bolstered one of the two top teams in the series.  Power is already among the series' top road/street circuit drivers, and is progress on the ovals has been steady.  I think the Australian takes the leap this season.
4. Dario Franchitti.  He flies helicopters for fun.  He has a gorgeous wife and knee-buckling Scottish brogue.  And he is a two-time series champion and 2008 Indianapolis 500 champion.  Basically, Dario Franchitti is in the running to be either the most interesting man in the world or the man every other man wants to be.  Regardless, I see another fine season for Franchitti.
5. Tony Kanaan.  It could happen.  I think TK gets back to the front of the IndyCar pack after a trying 2009 season.  Remember, he led the points heading into Indianapolis last year, before his season went to Hell in a handbag.  If Andretti Autosport can stabilize their operations, I can see Kanaan picking up a win, maybe even that elusive Indianapolis 500 victory.
6. How I see the rest of it coming out: Helio Castroneves (I think Power steals a few of Helio's wins this year), Marco Andretti (same old, same old), Mario Moraes (a rising star), Dan Wheldon, Danica Patrick.

It's a Small World After All

Tony Johns at Pop Off Valve posed the question via his twitter account:

Here's a question: do fans want more Americans, or is being Anglo-Saxon good enough? (see: @JustinWilson22, @PippaMann, etc.)

And I think it's a legitimate question.  With the first day of the Barber Test, along with the first real media availability of the Izod IndyCar Series drivers, it's worth noting that only three full-time series drivers (as of right now) are from North America - Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick and Alex Tagliani.

The twitter has been buzzing about this, as Paul Tracy has railed against it a time or two today.

So, with Johns' question in mind, what do I want from the Izod IndyCar Series as it relates to its drivers?  Is a series of talented international drivers acceptable, or must more Americans remain involved in the sport in order to hold my interest?

Much Ado About Nothing

So I was casually enjoying my Labor Day holiday (as much as you can enjoy it when working both Saturday and Sunday), when I stumbled across the obligatory "Danica Patrick Is Heading to NASCAR" headlines.  And while yes, it does appear that Danica will straddle the fence and drive both IndyCar and NASCAR the next few years, let's settle down about this will be the death knell for the IndyCar Series.

For some reason, I am reminded of Act V of Macbeth:

...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Now, I'm not calling Bob Kravitz (the writer of the linked article) an idiot.  I do agree with some of what he says in his column. Yes, does losing one of - if not the - most marketable driver in the series hurts.  And the lack of leadership on the IndyCar side is troubling (though I'll be the first to admit that we don't know what is going on behind the scenes).  

Does the series have some issues that need addressing?  Yes.  Are their problems fixable?  Yes.

However, who knows how strong IndyCar racing will be by 2012, when Danica likely moves on.  If Graham Rahal continues to improve, along with Marco Andretti (who has looked stronger in the second half of this year), the IndyCar Series is set up to have two, young American stars in open-wheel racing.  Quick test: which last name has more cache when it comes to racing: Andretti or Vickers?  Exactly.

If those two (and let's throw J.R. Hildebrand out there as Young American #3) continue to improve and build a solid rivalry over the next few years, IndyCar racing will be in fine shape.  To declare Danica's departure as the death of IndyCar racing is a hasty rush to judgment.  So let's take a step back, breathe, and let the next few years develop - I think we'll all be happy with where the ICS is by 2012, regardless of where DanicaMania has gone to.

Chicagoland Comes Through Again

Looking to attend just one IndyCar race a year?  If you're looking for side-by-side racing and a high probability of a photo finish, the evidence is quite clear - you need to head to Chicagoland Speedway.  Once again, the track delivered, as Ryan Briscoe somehow passed Scott Dixon on the penultimate lap to win the race by .0077 second and build on his points lead.


Indianapolis has the spectacle, history and tradition (I will never miss this race); Kentucky has a similar setup to Chicagoland and camping; Iowa is a bull ring; Texas has a history of close finishes.  But Chicago has the most close finishes in series history (now three of the four closest in IndyCar Series history) and is close to Indianapolis (3 hours or so, allowing you to drive to it the day-of, like Kentucky) and is near Chicago if you want to make a weekend out of it.  Why I haven't been there yet is a failing on my part.  Next year I will correct this.

Courtesy of teammate Helio Castroneves, who suffered suspension failure for the second straight race, Briscoe was aided in catching the Target-Chip Ganassi cars of Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti.  The duo had built an impressive lead after green-flag pit stops, and Briscoe used most of his push-to-passes getting back to third place.  His work was inversely proportional to blog favorite Tony Kanaan, who entered the pits in fifth and when everyone had cycled through was in 12th.  That's probably why he tweeted:

Morning, very frustrated night. Not happy at all. Let's turn the page and move on.

(UPDATE, as of 12:30 p.m., Aug. 31:  Tony Kanaan says he wasn't upset at Marco Andretti when he went to talk to Michael Andretti after the race, he was upset about the race strategy, which included him losing several spots during green-flag pit stops after he stayed out while most of the field pitted.)  From @TonyKanaan: 

To clear things out here guys, I went to talk to Michael after the race about the strategy, nothing happen btw me and Marco.

With Dixon well out front, Castroneves' crash was just what Briscoe needed to bunch the field and get around the Target cars.  And with a lap to go, he did just that.  The yellow flag also created the closest 1-13 finish in series history - just 0.8269 second separated Briscoe from Kanaan.

Now Kentucky was a fantastic race because of the racing throughout the field, with drivers trading places most of the night.  Chicagoland was exactly the same, if not more exciting, as multiple cars were going three-wide throughout the night.  Honestly, who didn't think that the combination of Mario Moraes, Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti going three-wide in the closing laps would not result in a wreck?  Amazingly, it didn't.

Even with Versus seemingly cutting to commercials every 10-15 laps (seriously, you don't have enough ads for this.), it is apparent that the IndyCar Series is back on track with their oval racing setup (though admittedly the late yellow really helped after the field separated themselves in green-flag stops).  

As usual, Chicagoland proved to be the grounds for exciting races.  Let's hope Motegi (get excited - it's 3 weeks from now!) and Homestead-Miami deliver the goods as well.

DoorKnobs Out at NHL - Let the Carousel Begin

UPDATE (5-Aug, 12:37 p.m.): Adding to his report from yesterday (below), Robin Miller is reporting that Oriol Servia will fill the Newman/Haas/Lanigan No. 06 car at Mid-Ohio. With that in mind, it does not change my idea in the article below:

Robin Miller is reporting that Robert Doornbos (or DoorKnobs, as my wife first referred to him) is leaving Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and heading over to HVM Racing. This obviously leaves a competitive seat at NHL for the final five races of 2009, and already the usual cast of characters (Paul Tracy, Bruno Junquiera, Sebastien Bourdais, Oriol Servia) is being tossed around as potential replacements.

Now, it stands to reason that whomever drives the No. 06 machine for the final five races of 2009 will have the inside edge on a full-time ride with NHL in 2010. But for now, let me make the case for Newman/Haas/Lanigan stepping outside the box and making a tremendous splash in 2010, even if it is a tad far-fetched.

Here's my plan - re-sign Graham Rahal and sign Marco Andretti away from his father's team. Crazy? Yes. Unlikely to happen? Yes. But hear me out.

Rahal, at 20, is one of the IndyCar Series' best spokespeople, sounding nearly as polished as his veteran counterparts. Already he has won a race and is consistently getting better on oval tracks, as his fifth-place result at Kentucky demonstrates.

Sponsored by McDonald's, Rahal has one of the series' largest and most influential sponsors, given the reach of McDonald's not only in America, but around the world.

Now, obviously signing Marco Andretti is a reach. Would his father really let him leave his team? I doubt it. But keep in mind that both Michael and Mario Andretti drove for (then) Newman-Haas Racing back in the 1990's, with great success (the Indianapolis 500 excluded). NHL may be the one team Michael might let his son leave for.

If Marco could find the sponsorship (I doubt K-Mart would sponsor him, but it'd be very "retro" of them to do so), then it's a no-brainer from NHL's end. In Rahal and Andretti, they would have the two young, male, up-and-coming American drivers in open-wheel racing. For an entire generation of developing IndyCar fans, Newman/Haas/Lanigan would be the team to watch.

They wouldn't just be the team to watch because of the potential of the two. Rahal and Andretti have traded verbal jabs in the past, attempting to tweak each other at opportune times. If the two formed a competitive rivalry on the same team, that would make for interesting watching, as well.

And the final selling point - every weekend, the "Marco vs. his dad's team" story line would draw veiwers. What if Marco wrecked Tony Kanaan? How would Michael deal with it? What if Mutoh spun Marco to gain position - would Michael be ok with it? Eyeballs would be following that story line, I guarantee it.

Now, it's probably just a pipe dream for Marco Andretti to find his way over to Newman/Haas/Lanigan and become teammates. But, just think about the possibilities if it were to happen. The interest it could generate would be outstanding for Newman/Haas/Lanigan and the IndyCar Series on the whole.

Whither Andretti Green?

The good news coming out of Edmonton for Andretti Green Racing is that Tony Kanaan will be ok to drive at Kentucky after a frightening car fire in the pits during the Rexall Edmonton Indy.

Is it in poor taste to call the subsequent coverage of the incident somewhat positive for the league? After all, a report on Kanaan's condition was on the front page of ESPN.com on Tuesday - I don't think it's "good" per se, when the highlights and headlines show a car fire, but then again, people are seeing IndyCar highlights on a network that has largely shunned the sport most of the season.

In other words, I'm not sure. But, after seeing Kanaan on the "Five Good Minutes" segment of Pardon the Interruption yesterday (even if it was just 2-and-a-half minutes), I'm inclined to think that this is kind of good for the series, in a morbid kind of way. It's certainly not good to set your drivers on fire, and I would not advocate it, but the series is receiving attention because Kanaan survived the experience and is more than willing to talk about it and promote the ICS, so that's good.

Right now, nothing seems to going well for Andretti Green Racing - at one point on Sunday, Versus ran a graphic showing where the Penske Racing cars stood - it was at 1st, 2nd, 4th. When the network showed the AGR stable, it read something like 10th, 11th, 14th, Out. So, for one of the league's premier teams to struggle so much, so consistently, is puzzling.

This certainly wasn't the season the team envisioned when the 2009 IndyCar Series season began. With Kanaan returning to lead the team, Danica Patrick building off of her first career win, and Marco Andretti seemingly poised to emerge as a threat to win more races, AGR had to be thinking they were in good shape to renew most of their contracts for 2010, but also to retain the sport's biggest free agent in Patrick.

However, as things look right now, Andretti Green has free-fallen from a perch near the top of the ICS mountain, regularly failing to challenge for wins, qualifying poorly, and not resembling the team that at one point set the standard for success in the IndyCar Series. That said, let's examine their season to this point and see how AGR might begin the climb back to success in the IndyCar Series.

We'll begin by looking at the team's veteran and leader, Tony Kanaan. I don't know the source of Kanaan's struggles since May (and I certainly hope it's not the fact that I openly root for him and own a Team 7-Eleven hat and koozie), but it seems like Kanaan's chassis have not been as good as they were in the beginning of the year. He openly criticized his first chassis at Indianapolis, used another one to qualify and then wrecked that car when something mysteriously broke in his car. Then, the slow Indianapolis chassis was used at Milwaukee, where it caught fire. Good times.

Kanaan, the 2004 IndyCar Series champion, led the points chase after three races this season, posting a 5th at St. Pete, 3rd at Long Beach and a 3rd at Kansas. However, including the crash at Indianapolis (where he was running 3rd at the time), Kanaan has failed to finish five of the eight races in which he has participated, twice catching fire (though the Milwaukee status is listed as "mechanical") and dropping out three times due to contact (including once after leading 48 laps at Iowa).

His top finish sine Kansas is a 6th-place finish at Richmond, where he qualified 17th.

So what would help Kanaan return to form (aside from a change in luck)? Perhaps better qualifying, where he might not run as many risks of contact. Over his last six races, Kanaan has qualified an average of 13th, and in that time has not finished the race on three occasions (Iowa, Toronto, Edmonton). In his first five races, Kanaan qualified an average of 6th and finished three of those races. So qualifying better may help, but marginally it appears.

Curt Cavin, in his Indianapolis Star blog, speculated something similar, saying that Kanaan is hurt by not having another veteran on the team, saying:

Truthfully, I think everyone at AGR would be better off right now if they had a Herta or a Franchitti to help Kanaan with the setups. I'm just not sure Danica, Marco and/or Mutoh have enough experience for that.

AGR also addressed this at Edmonton, bringing in Oriol Servia to serve as a driver coach for Kanaan. Could it be that Servia finds his way into the AGR stable in 2010, adding another veteran to the team? I wouldn't be surprised.

Kanaan is a truly talented driver and one of the IndyCar Series' biggest personalities. His success helps the league, and while the summer of his discontent rolls on, I think he's due for a change in luck. Maybe that's all he needs.

With Kanaan addressed, let us look at the bright spot in the AGR season: Danica Patrick. Without actually competing for race wins thus far, Patrick has put together the type of consistent season a championship contender needs to win. Her consistency has resulted in top-10 finishes but not in podium finishes (except at Indianapolis, where, you will notice, they don't have a post-race podium).

In her 11 races so far, Patrick has placed in the top 10 eight times and the top 5 on five occasions. However, due to the consistency of her counterparts at Penske and Ganassi Racing in placing near the podium, Patrick has all but been mathematically eliminated from the championship chase.

In those 11 races, Patrick has led a grand total of 24 laps - all at Iowa. Outside of that date, the veteran has not led a race in 2009, another reason why she trails in the points chase.

I'm of the mind that Patrick's free agent status has not affected her or her team this season. With Michael Andretti calling her race strategy, Patrick has appeared to maximize her results this year, given that AGR seems a step behind both Penske and Ganassi when it comes to race setup.

With Patrick looking at all of her options in both IndyCar and NASCAR, I have trouble believing that she will jump to NASCAR without winning the Indianapolis 500. Because of this, I have trouble believing that she will stay with Andretti Green, too.

While AGR helped Patrick reach a career-best, third-place finish at Indianapolis this past May, the team appears to be moving backwards right now. On their best day, they may be able to compete with the red cars, but more times than not, a fifth-place finish is as good as it gets for AGR.

Which is why I see Danica Patrick moving to Ganassi Racing this offseason (so do plenty of other people, too.)

Ganassi shouldn't have a problem bringing Patrick on board - she will bring plenty of sponsorship, and I'm sure Target will love having her on the team (talk about sponsor activation, I think this might be a great fit). Patrick, on her end, will be moving up in teams, whether Ganassi becomes a three-car team in 2010. Ganassi, over the last ten years, has been a contender to win at Indianapolis, winning twice.

If Patrick can win at Indy, then moving to NASCAR in 2011 or 2012 and cashing in becomes a distinct possibility. And Ganassi just happens to own a NASCAR team (as does Roger Penske, but he already has a third driver in the stable). It almost makes too much sense to not happen.

So, we've eliminated one of AGR's drivers for 2010. We'll touch on possible replacements later.

Let's move on to Hideki Mutoh, who over the course of two weeks in June, looked like he was getting the hang of racing short ovals. Then the road and street courses came, and Mutoh has slid back to being the fourth-best driver at AGR.

The funny thing is, Mutoh has led the second-most laps of any driver at AGR in 2009. His 74 laps out front is second only to Kanaan's 80 laps led. Unfortunately for Mutoh, all of those laps came at Richmond, where the yellow flag breaks didn't go his way. In fact, in 11 starts, he has placed in the top 10 just five times and finished on the podium once (at Iowa - 3rd place).

The Japanese driver's best performance came in back-to-back weeks at Iowa and Richmond, when it was rumored that his Formula Dream sponsorship was in jeopardy of being pulled and given to former Formula 1 driver Takuma Sato.

However, the road and street courses continue to plague Mutoh - his average finish on those courses is 15th, while he is averaging a 9th-place result on ovals.

Given his seeming lack of progress in two-plus years, I question whether it is worth AGR's time to hold on to Mutoh. I know having sponsorship can supercede talent in today's racing world, but it might be time to cut bait with Mutoh at Andretti Green. Whether they can continue their partnership with Forumla Dream remains to be seen.

Ok, we've now gotten rid of two drivers from Andretti Green. Should we push it and propose eliminating a third?

Honestly, I don't see it happening. Marco Andretti, even though he is a free agent, does not have the options that Danica Patrick possesses. And as the co-owner's son, he will be given chances that will not be afforded to others on the team (see: Mutoh, Hideki). And quietly, Marco is putting together a season remarkably similar to Patrick's: In 11 starts, he has eight top-10 finishes and two top-5 results; to compare, Patrick has eight top-10s and five top-5s.

So, why is no one gushing over Marco Andretti and his consistency? Maybe it is because he set the bar high with his Rookie of the Year result in 2007, coming within a straightaway of winning at Indianapolis and capturing a win at Sonoma. Some of it has to do with his lineage - when you're the son of Michael Andretti and the grandson of Mario Andretti, people expect you to show up, qualify well, and win - consistently.

I don't know if AGR's equipment was better this season that Andretti would be near the front of more races, but he has been remarkable in his ability to finish races, bowing out of just two starts this year - a late wreck at St. Pete and the Mario Moraes-induced crash at Indianapolis. Young Marco has been running at the end of every other IndyCar race in 2009.

Looking ahead to 2010, where could Marco go? It probably depends on his sponsorship - more than any other driver at AGR, Andretti seem to bounce his primary sponsor around from week to week, indicating to me that he might not have the money to bring to another team. In the last three weeks, his primary sponsors have been Venom Energy Drink (Watkins Glen), NYSE/iShares (Toronto) and Mott's Clamato Cesar (Edmonton; what's a clamato caesar, you ask? I know I did, so I looked it up - click here for the details). I suspect he'll have his Meijer sponsorship this weekend at Kentucky.

Since many of those sponsors work with AGR as a whole and are not direct sponsors of Andretti (even Venom is owned by Dr. Pepper/Seven Up), I doubt Marco could make a move to another team work unless he finds new sponsorship. If he were to move, I would suggest that Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing take a look at him.

Think about this for a moment: if NHL Racing added Andretti and kicked Doornbos to the curb (even though his dad funds everything), they would have the most marketable young American driving tandem in years. Plus, both Marco's father and grandfather drove for the then-Newman/Haas Racing in the 1990's. The story lines and marketing potential this team could have, not to mention the rivalry they have and could build, would jump start some interest in the IndyCar Series. Plus, every weekend, fans could follow the Marco vs. his father's team story line.

Now, I have no knowledge of if this could happen, but it would certainly stir the pot and add some intrigue to the 2010 season.

The only other fit I see for Andretti is to explore the USF1 project, designed to put two American drivers into Formula 1 in 2010. Whether this actually happens or not is up for debate - without a F1 race in either Canada or the United States, I think securing sponsorship (and enough sponsorship to be competitive) will be difficult. My advice: stay away, for now. If you continue to improve, and USF1 is able to start up, you will have the chance to race F1 down the road.

So, Andretti stays (as much as I like the NHLR potential), along with Kanaan. We've sent Patrick to Ganassi Racing and Mutoh to wherever. AGR is a two-driver team as it stands. I am not going to advocate AGR returning to a four-car team - in this economy, I think their resources may be spread too thin as it is; but I think a three-car team could be successful. So, whom should they add?

If they want to add from within, they could simply promote IndyLights driver J.R. Hildebrand. The guy knows how win on the road and street courses (stats) and has posted three wins in 10 starts this season. If he and/or AGR can secure any sponsorship, he would be a solid choice.

If AGR wants to look outside, I would consider adding Oriol Servia or Takuma Sato. Though I suspect AGR would add Sato only if they absolutely needed to continue their Formula Dream sponsorship. (Another rumor - let Formula Dream sponsor Greg Beck's operations - he has had success with Roger Yasukawa and other Japanese drivers in the past - the team could use the money, too).

Seriva is currently serving as a driver coach for AGR and looked pretty good while driving for Rahal-Letterman Racing in the 2009 500. In 2008, he was one of the top newcomers to the series with KV Racing Technology. As a veteran, he could work easily with Kanaan and Andretti on race setup, providing more insight into the cars than Sato probably could. The only question with Servia would be one of sponsorship, but if Andretti-Green can get Mott's Clamato Ceasar to sponsor a car, then they can find sponsorship for Oriol Servia.

Given the choices between Hildebrand and Servia, I vote Servia. Let Hildebrand continue in IndyLights and finding sponsorship. If the economy continues to recover, AGR could return to a four-car operation in 2011, adding Hildebrand.

So there, we've tried to find a way to solve AGR's problems moving forward. Basically, I think they are spread too thin right now, hampering their results since they don't have the veteran experience they enjoyed in the Kanaan-Franchitti-Herta days. Creating a three-car team (and increasing their resources for those teams) with Kanaan-Andretti-Servia in 2010 seems to be their best option moving forward.

Edmonton Primer

I might get to see some racing this weekend, fantastic. Plus, my view will be the same as most Indianapolis Star journalists, who are staying in town to cover the NASCAR parade instead of traveling to scenic Edmonton. Before I get into a preview of the Rexall Edmonton Indy, I feel like I should critique myself from those predictions I made prior to my departure for vacation.

So, let's start with my continued underestimation of Andretti Green's awful season (Danica Patrick largely excepted). They don't appear to have "it" this year (and they barely had it last year) in any regard, with poor qualifying efforts and poor race results. Give this, why I would continue to think Tony Kanaan would finish on or near the podium is ridiculous on my part; despite his driving talents, he can't get a car that actually works for him, and it doesn't appear he's had a good car since around Long Beach or Kansas. I'll have more thoughts on this team next week. Why, with two road courses, did I not expect Justin Wilson to finish on the podium at least once? Simply put - I'm dumb and overlooked him. So, congratulations to Justin and Dale Coyne Racing on picking up the win at Watkins Glen. Thank you for breaking the streak of Ganassi and Penske winners. Hopefully more of your brethren follow in your footsteps.

On the plus side, the Toronto race reached the magical 1.0 rating. And with so many people watching, at least there was a good show. I was driving home from Maine during the race, but I can attest that it received some solid air time on the Sunday night news in Buffalo.

Now, with regard to Edmonton, it's being touted as a course similar to Watkins Glen and Toronto, i.e., a street course that allows passing. And, given the topsy-turvy nature of this IndyCar season (street racing being exciting, ovals being boring), I suppose we should expect some entertaining racing on the 14-turn circuit.

With Alex Tagliani and Paul Tracy both racing, the field continues as it was from Toronto, where both drivers put forth solid performances and came away thinking they should have finished better. The Canadians will hopefully bring a few more fans to the track, too (and if they want to boo Helio Castroneves again, it's ok, but Helio is doing his level best to prevent it). In his only race of the 2008 IndyCar season, Tracy finished fourth while driving for Vision Racing.

Last year, roughly 160,000 spectators made it to Edmonton over the race weekend. That's great for the ICS, as the TV ratings for the race will probably be low, due in some part to the race going up against the Brickyard 400 on Sunday. Which begs the question, why can't this race be moved to the weekend before the Brickyard, when both series are currently off? Wouldn't having an exclusive weekend for IndyCar racing, especially on a good circuit, be good for the ICS?

In that 2008 race, Scott Dixon took the checkered flag (shocking), while Castroneves was second (another surprise). So, it's not like Ganassi and Penske don't know this track. Expect those teams to be near the front again. On the lowest part of the podium in 2008 was Justin Wilson, and given Coyne's road/street proficiency, I would expect him to be a contender this year.

Now that I'm looking at things logically (it's amazing how a vacation helps settle the mind and allows you to think of things like "Why would I expect AGR to perform well in a race at this point?"), I think the race shapes up as such: A red car will win (though Franchitti is in a blue car this weekend - kudos to Ganassi for mixing up the colors of his team's cars this year, by the way - let's continue that trend into 2010.). Though a yellow car could win in Will Power's sweet Penske Truck Rental car. I look for Tracy and Tagliani to shape up perform better than at Toronto. Mike Conway will probably qualify well, but again, Jan Beekhuis will tease Robbie Buhl about having to repair a car. Here's how I look the race right now:

1. Dario Franchitti (who will pull away in the points a bit; when he passes someone in this race, since he's driving the Vaseline car, does Jenkins say, "Franchitti slides past (fill in driver's name)"?)
   
2. Ryan Briscoe (who stays in the championship chase)
3. Scott Dixon (also stays in the hunt)
4. Will Power (he definitely could win this race - can we get him a full-time ride and sponsor for 2010, please?)
   
5. Justin Wilson
6. Paul Tracy
7. Helio Castroneves
8. Alex Tagliani
9. Tony Kanaan (oh, what the hell - let's toss AGR a bone - Kanaan did lead some laps here last year)
10. Tomas Scheckter (quietly building some momentum for 2010)
11. Marco Andretti (sure a top 10 sounds nice, but let's be honest - more is expected)