2009 IndyCar preview: New places and a familiar face
By Chris Symeon
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - After a long seven-month off-season, the IndyCar Series is back in action Sunday on the streets of St. Petersburg, FL. The 2009 ICS season will feature two new tracks on the 17-race schedule, a points modifications and the return of a past Indianapolis 500 winner and series champion. But many questions remain to be answered in this year's campaign, particularly how the outcome of Helio Castroneves' federal tax evasion trial will affect Team Penske's bid for a series title.
CHANGES IN THIS YEAR'S SCHEDULE
The Grand Prix of Long Beach will run for the first time on April 19 in Long Beach, CA, and the series will also debut in Toronto on July 12. The Honda Indy Toronto will be the first of back-to-back temporary course events in Canada, with a date in Edmonton scheduled for July 26.
The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix was originally scheduled for September 6, but has been dropped due to difficult economic times in the Motor City.
Nashville Superspeedway was also cut from this year's schedule, as Toronto replaced its date.
Due to more favorable weather conditions, the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan will move from April to September.
After hosting the season-ending race for the past three years, Chicagoland Speedway will run at night for the first time on August 29. The series moved its season-finale to October 11 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The South Florida track had hosted the season-opener since 2002.
POINTS MODIFICATION
For the first time since 2000, the pole winner for each race is awarded one championship point. The driver who leads the most laps receives two points.
During the previous eight seasons, all three bonus points had been given to the lap leader for each race.
The points system for each event - descending from 50 for first place, 40 for second, 35 for third, etc. - remains unchanged.
DIXON'S BID FOR A THIRD INDYCAR TITLE
Scott Dixon enters the 2009 season as the heavy favorite to win the championship. Dixon won his second series title in convincing style last year, as he scored a season record-tying six victories, including the Indy 500.
If Dixon can win this year's championship, he would become just the second driver in series history to win consecutive titles.
"The only way that you can try and do better than last year is to try and repeat," Dixon said. "It's going to be a hard season, with a lot of the new people as such from last year, have had a lot of time in the cars now, and the teams have been able to prepare the cars maybe a little bit better, the competition level is going to be a lot tougher."
Sam Hornish Jr. was the first driver to win back-to-back titles from 2001-02. Hornish has since moved on to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.
FRANCHITTI'S HOMECOMING
Dixon might have his hands full this season, as 2007 Indy 500 winner and series champion Dario Franchitti returns to the circuit and teams with him at Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
Franchitti spent a year in Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series competition, but his efforts in stock car racing did not go as well as he and Ganassi expected. Franchitti's Sprint Cup team at Ganassi ceased operation due to lack of sponsorship in the middle of last year.
After an impressive run in the October exhibition race in Australia and then near top-of-the-chart speeds in recent pre-season testing at Homestead and Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL, Franchitti appears to have settled back into open-wheel racing quite well.
"Driving the car to start the IndyCar Series season couldn't be more fitting for me," Franchitti said. "'It's good to be home' pretty much sums up my thoughts on the (St. Petersburg race) to start the year after racing in NASCAR in 2008."
Franchitti replaced Dan Wheldon in Ganassi's No.10 car in September.
In 2007, Franchitti led Dixon by just three points heading into the season- finale at Chicagoland. The two battled all the way to the final lap with Franchitti taking the checkered flag and the title. Dixon held the lead on the last lap, but Franchitti passed Dixon, who suddenly slowed when he ran out of fuel. Dixon managed to coast to a second-place finish. Franchitti drove for Andretti Green Racing at the time.
CASTRONEVES' LEGAL ISSUES
Helio Castroneves, the two-time Indy 500 champion and "Dancing with the Stars" winner, will not run in the season-opener this weekend at St. Petersburg, and might be out of his Team Penske car for quite some time while his federal tax evasion trial continues in Miami.
Will Power is driving the No.3 for Penske until Castroneves' legal issues are resolved. Power turned in the fastest lap during last month's test session at Barber. The Australian was a newcomer to the series last year, posting a best finish of fifth at Chicagoland. He won the pole in his home country in October.
"We're really working well together now," Power said. "We found some good things in the car, and we found a car that suits me. We're happy and we'll be pretty confident going into St. Pete."
Power will be paired with Ryan Briscoe, who had a remarkable season last year, winning at Milwaukee, Mid-Ohio and Australia.
Many speculate how Penske will stack up against the potent Ganassi teams this year, especially if Castroneves is sidelined for a lengthy period of time. Ganassi and Penske were the stellar teams in IndyCar last season.
Castroneves nipped Dixon to the finish line by inches to win in September at Chicagoland, but Dixon wrapped up the 2008 title by 17 points over the Brazilian.
OTHER COMPETITORS
The four teams at Andretti Green Racing hope to rebound after a somewhat disappointing season last year. During the off-season, AGR retained drivers Danica Patrick (No.7), Tony Kanaan (No.11), Marco Andretti (No.26) and Hideki Mutoh (No.27), but made considerable personnel changes in team operations.
Patrick made racing history one year ago when she took the checkered flag in Japan and became the first woman to win an IndyCar event. Her popularity continues to escalate, as she was featured once again in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue in February. But will IndyCar's "golden girl" win another race and be a serious contender for the title this year? We'll find out if her team has improved any during the off-season, starting with this weekend's race.
"I have to say that I'm really looking forward to going to St. Pete this year," Patrick said. "In the years past, I have not always had a strong finish at that particular track, but I feel that I have gotten better and more confident on the street courses. We have had a couple successful tests and hopefully we found what we need to get the Motorola car a strong finish for the first race of the 2009 season."
Kanaan finished third in last year's point standings, despite only one victory for the season, which came at Richmond. He signed a five-year contract extension with AGR and remained the senior driver of the organization. Kanaan, the 2004 series champ, should be a perennial threat for the title if he returns to his winning ways. He also finished third in points in 2007 with a series-best five victories.
Andretti and Mutoh are long-shots for the title, but could turn in some top-notch performances during the year.
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing begins its second season in IndyCar, with veteran Graham Rahal at the helm. Rahal, in the No.02 car, became the youngest race winner in series history by scoring the victory in last year's event at St. Petersburg. He was 19 years old at the time. Rahal, the son of 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, could have a breakthrough season this year.
NEW RIDES IN '09
While Franchitti takes over Wheldon's former seat at Ganassi, Wheldon moves over to Panther Racing, where he made his series debut six years ago.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think we could win it," Wheldon said. "The team has shown that they can win championships before, and so have I, and I think with the combination and hard work and determination, we can definitely do it."
Wheldon, the 2005 Indy 500 winner and series champion, replaces Vitor Meira, who lands a ride with AJ Foyt Enterprises in the No.14 car.
Ryan Hunter-Reay takes over driving duties in the No.21 car for Vision Racing, after Rahal Letterman Racing suspended its efforts in IndyCar this year due to lack of sponsorship.
Justin Wilson leaves Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and jumps over to Dale Coyne Racing. Wilson occupies the seat formerly held by Mario Moraes.
Moraes replaces Oriol Servia at KV Racing Technology.
Servia, AJ Foyt IV, Buddy Rice, Milka Duno and Tomas Scheckter competed in the series last year, but are currently without a ride.
THE NEWCOMERS
Robert Doornbos, Stanton Barrett, Raphael Matos and Mike Conway will make up this year's IndyCar rookie class.
Doornbos teams with Rahal at Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing after a most recent career in Champ Car and Formula One.
Barrett, a NASCAR competitor and Hollywood stuntman, drives for the new Team 3G this year. He'll run in select Nationwide races in addition to his IndyCar duties.
Matos makes the switch to the "big leagues" after winning the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights Series championship. He is behind the wheel of a Luczo Dragon Racing entry.
Conway, a British road-racing expert, takes over driving duties at Dreyer and Reinbold Racing.
2009 IndyCar Series teams:
Car #, Driver, Hometown, Car/Name
02 Graham Rahal (New Albany, OH) McDonald's/Newman/Haas/Lanigan
2 Raphael Matos (Belo Horizonte, Braz.)Luczo Dragon Racing
3 Will Power (Toowoomba, Australia) Penske Racing
4 Dan Wheldon (Emberton, England) National Guard/Panther Racing
5 Mario Moraes (Sao Paulo, Brazil) KV Racing Technology
06 Robert Doornbos (Netherlands) Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
6 Ryan Briscoe (Sydney, Australia) Penske Racing
7 Danica Patrick (Roscoe, IL) Motorola/Andretti Green Racing
9 Scott Dixon (Auckland, New Zealand) Target Chip Ganassi Racing
10 Dario Franchitti (Scotland) Air Wick/Chip Ganassi Racing
11 Tony Kanaan (Salvador, Brazil) 7-Eleven/Andretti Green Racing
13 EJ Viso (Caracas, Venezuela) PDVSA HVM Racing
14 Vitor Meira (Brasilia, Brazil) ABC Supply Co/AJ Foyt Racing
18 Justin Wilson (Sheffield, England) Sonny's Bar-B-Q/Dale Coyne Racing
20 Ed Carpenter (Indianapolis, IN) Menards/Vision Racing
21 Ryan Hunter-Reay (Boca Raton, FL) Vision Racing
23 Darren Manning (Yorkshire, England) Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
24 Mike Conway (Bromley, England) Dad's Root Beer/Dreyer & Reinbold
26 Marco Andretti (Nazareth, PA) Andretti Green Racing
27 Hideki Mutoh (Tokyo, Japan) Formula Dream/Andretti Green Racing
34 Alex Tagliani (Lachenaie, Quebec) Rexall Edmonton Indy/Conquest Racing
67 Sarah Fisher (Commercial Point, OH) Sarah Fisher Racing
98 Stanton Barrett (Bishop, CA) Curb/Agajanian/Team 3G