This Week in Auto Racing May 22 - May 25

This Week in Auto Racing May 22 - May 25

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - This is the week that all racing fans have been waiting for, particularly Sunday when there is racing around the clock. It starts early on Sunday with the historic Grand Prix of Monaco, then returns to the states for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. The day closes around midnight when the checkered flag drops on the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.

INDYCARS

Indianapolis 500 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Indianapolis, IN

After a long three weeks of preparation and qualifying its time to get down to actual racing. Eleven rows of three cars will squeeze onto the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and begin to accelerate down the front straight for 200 laps and a chance at immortality.

If you win the 92nd running of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," your name and likeness are forever enshrined on the Borg-Warner Trophy. You are seen on every television station and highlights of your win are seen around the world.

This year there doesn't seem to be an odd-on favorite as in some past years, but Scott Dixon, at 3-1, is the bettor's choice.

Dixon will start on the pole after posting a four-lap average of 226.366 m.p.h. The No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver and 2003 IndyCar Series champion, has three podium finishes this season in four starts, including a series-opening win at Homestead in March.

If Dixon can't get it done, then his teammate at Ganassi Dan Wheldon would be one of the next logical choices. Wheldon was second quickest on Pole Day and will start in the middle of the front row. The No.10 Ganassi driver has three top-fives and comes off a win at the Kansas Speedway a month ago, He won this event in 2005.

If previously winning the "500" is an indicator of performance then Helio Castroneves would have to be the race favorite. The Brazilian has won the race twice - in 2001 and again in 2002, finished second in 2003 and third last year.

Other drivers on the list of those who have a chance to win the race would have to include: 2004 IndyCar Series champion Tony Kanaan, front row starter Ryan Briscoe, Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick. The list does not include last year's winner, Dario Franchitti, who jumped to NASCAR for 2008 and is currently "on the bench" with a broken left ankle.

Kanaan, from the Andretti Green Racing stable, has come close with three top- five finishes in six career starts.

Marco Andretti is the fifth Andretti family member to race in the famed "500." The patriarch of the family, Mario Andretti won the race in 1969 and sat on the pole three times in 29 starts. He led an amazing 556 laps at Indy over his career.

Marco's father Michael Andretti made 16 starts at Indy and although he never won the race (as a driver), led 431 laps and was seemingly "snake-bit" on the historic 2.5-mile superspeedway. In 1991, he led with twelve laps remaining, but finished second to Rick Mears. The following year, Michael dominated the race, leading 80% of the laps (160), but with eleven laps remaining his fuel pump failed and his car coasted to a stop. He also dropped out of the race while leading in 1989, 1995 and 2003. John Andretti made eight starts at Indy while Jeff made three starts. Marco finished 24th last year, but in 2006 he just missed immortality, finishing second to Sam Hornish Jr.

And then there is Danica.

In three starts at Indy, Patrick has finished fourth, eighth and eighth. Earlier this season she became the first woman to win an IndyCar race when she took the checkered flag out front in Motegi, Japan.

But the Japanese race was won primarily through pit strategy and fuel conservation. There has been a disturbing trend in many of her races. She qualifies well, but drops back early in an event and has to work her way back through the field.

Patrick is starting in the middle of the second row on Sunday. I'd like to see her stay in the top-five for the first half of the race. That would probably keep her out of trouble and surrounded by veteran drivers. Then late in the race she would be right there in line for a historic win. A late-race pass for the lead and the win at Indy would be the crowning jewel for anyone's resume, especially Danica's.

Could it happen? Yes.

Will it happen? Probably not.

This is the year for Target Chip Ganassi Racing to shine. I'm going with Dixon or Wheldon to be gulping the tradition bottle of milk after the race is over.

Sprint Cup

Coca-Cola 600 - Lowe's Motor Speedway - Concord, NC

The last time the series was in real action, Kyle Busch won in Darlington to expand his championship lead to 79 points over Jeff Burton and annoy all the Earnhardt Jr. fans. But for the drivers at the top of the standings, who are feeling comfortable about making the "Chase," it's about wins.

Every win during the "regular" season earns a driver 10 points in the "Chase for the Sprint Cup." So far, Busch has earned 30 points for his three wins. Carl Edwards also has three wins, but a tainted win in Las Vegas cost him the 10 playoff points. He has earned 20 so far. Other drivers to win a race and earn a 10-point bonus are" Burton (10), Denny Hamlin (10), Clint Bowyer (10), Jimmie Johnson (10) and Ryan Newman (10).

Of those winners, only Newman is currently outside the top-12 and not in the "Chase."

Newman has struggled since winning the 2008 Daytona 500. He has just four top-10s in the 10 races since the February win and finished outside the Top-30 in three events. His efforts have been mirrored by most of the Dodge-powered drivers. Newman, at 13th in the standings, is still the top-ranked Dodge driver along with Kasey Kahne, 426 points behind Busch.

Since the Daytona 500, no Dodge driver has visited Victory Lane. Toyota has been there four times. Chevrolet and Ford drivers have won three times each. But Dodge has not been back. Dodge-powered cars won just three times last year, so the frustration is nothing new.

Kurt Busch, Newman's teammate on the normally powerful Penske Team, is also confused by their results.

"Honestly, I am really shocked at the horrible luck this Miller Lite team is having this year," Busch said. "We are just struggling to get our car to turn and have been testing our rear ends off trying to come up with something."

Penske is not alone in their frustration. The Chip Ganassi Racing team of Juan Pablo Montoya (16th overall), Reed Sorenson (31st) and injured rookie Dario Franchitti (40th) have performed less than expected.

The Ganassi teams have even tried swapping crew chiefs around, but nothing has helped. And owner Chip Ganassi is getting frustrated.

"These guys, these teams are not talking to each other, they are not working together, they are not using all the resources that are available to them," said Ganassi. "That's how you end up in a fix like this."

Of the No.41 team Ganassi, not one to mince words, got right to the point - "Everybody on the No.41 team is going to have to take a good look in the mirror and ask themselves if they are prepared for what's coming down the pike...It's a tough sport, a tough damn business and we really are a better organization than this."

With Dodge drivers ranked 13th, 14th and 16th - there is still hope that up to three drivers could crack the top-12 and make the season-ending "Chase."

But they will have to start there "playoff" run soon, the sooner the better. In fact, the Coca-Cola 600 would be a great place to start.

Casey Mears won last year's race, beating the field and J.J. Yeley by 9.561 seconds in a late-race fuel run. Dodge drivers Kyle Petty and Sorenson finished third and fourth, respectively.

Nationwide

Carquest Auto Parts 300 - Lowe's Motor Speedway - Concord, NC

With all the great racing this weekend, it's likely that the Nationwide Series race and the truck races on Saturday will be overlooked. But the racing is pretty good and the championship is still up for grabs.

While Tony Stewart won the last race, it was Clint Bowyer's second-place finish that helped him put some distance between himself and the competition. The No.2 Chevrolet driver has built his lead to 112 points over Kyle Busch and 150 over defending series champion Carl Edwards when both drivers had trouble at Darlington. Edwards completed just three laps and an accident stopped Busch after just 101 laps.

But it appears that the trio along with David Reutimann and Mike Bliss will compete for the top-five throughout the season. Bliss' only series win to date came at the 2004 fall race at the Lowe's Motor Speedway when he drove for Joe Gibbs Racing. Add rising start David Ragan and youngster Brad Keselowski and you have the makings for a good title chase.

Stewart winner of the last race, and four of six starts in the series, is not on the entry list this week. But that doesn't mean the race is open for anyone to win. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have won have been victorious in the last six races and eight of 12 this season.

With Denny Hamlin sitting in the driver's seat of a JGR Toyota, don't be surprised if they make is seven in a row. Kasey Kahne won the 2007 Carquest Auto Parts 300 and is back to defend his title. Kahne is coming off a win in the Sprint All-Star Race after the fans voted him into the main event.

If momentum is a factor, maybe Kahne can find a way to upset the JGR juggernaut.

Craftsman

Ohio 250 - Mansfield Motorsports Speedway - Mansfield, OH

The Craftsman Truck Series will run an early Saturday afternoon race at the tiny 0.50-mile Mansfield Motorsports Speedway oval. Short track specialist Dennis Setzer is the defending champion after he edged Jack Sprague by 0.522 seconds.

Setzer did it by completing all 250 laps without a pit stop. The race was interrupted by three rain delays and more than 100 caution-flag laps, but with 27 laps to go Rick Crawford led Setzer, Aaron Fike, Sprague and Ken Schrader to the restart.

Crawford's No.14 Ford pulled away from the field on the restart, but with 20 laps remaining Setzer started to chip away at Crawford's lead.

With 13 laps left a flat right-front tire for Crawford caused him to slide high on the track allowing Setzer to make the pass for first. Crawford brought out the caution flag as parts of his tire spread across the track.

Setzer led Fike and Sprague to the restart with only five laps to go. As Setzer held onto the lead Sprague would drive into second. After making the pass for second, Sprague set his sights on the leader. But the No.75 Chevrolet wasn't going to be caught as he crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead.

Ron Hornaday Jr. leads the 2008 Craftsman Truck Series championship, but eight drivers are within 78 points of the defending series champion. Crawford is just five points back, Todd Bodine is just 38 points back and last week's North Carolina Education Lottery 200 winner Matt Crafton is 45 points behind the leader. Crafton won for the first time in 178 races, a record number for series starts without a first win.

The Carolina race went back to green with 16 to go and Erik Darnell led Johnny Benson, Bodine and Crafton. When Darnell spun his tires on a restart, Benson passed him, but before the start/finish line and he was black-flagged by NASCAR officials. Crafton inherited the lead and would not give it up the rest of the way. It was Crafton's third top-five result in the last four races.

Could this be the start of a championship run for the previously little-known driver from Tulare, CA.?

Check in on Saturday afternoon to find out.

FORMULA ONE

Grand Prix of Monaco - Streets of Monte Carlo - Monte Carlo, Monaco
The Formula One traveling road show brings its circus to the narrow streets of downtown Monte Carlo for its traditional and most famous event of the season.

The Grand Prix stands alongside other racing events such as the Daytona 500, 24 Hours of Lemans and Indianapolis 500 as one of the great events in motorsports.

However, despite its prestige, star-studded audience and long history that dates back to 1950, the race presents many challenges to the teams. While it may be the height of glamour for the spectators, for the teams, the reality of working at Monaco is very different.

The nature of the 2.075-mile street circuit also makes it very hard to simulate during test sessions, resulting in it being one of the most unpredictable races.

It is a tricky track with plenty of slow-speed corners, forcing drivers to work hard throughout the 78-lap race.

However, despite such confining streets and very low average speeds, the cars still manage to reach speeds in excess of 175 m.p.h. This, coupled with the absence of gravel traps between the track and unforgiving steel barriers, leaves the drivers with no margin for error if they want to see the checkered flag.

"Monaco is the most difficult circuit on the calendar because of the nature of the street circuit and its surface. You're never more than a few inches from the barriers making overtaking a perilous task if not impossible," said three- time world champion Niki Lauda.

"Whatever else one thinks about it, the Monaco Grand Prix is just special," said Michael Schumacher. "Rushing round the track almost touching the barriers not only increases one's motivation, but is also a real challenge. The real peculiarity about it is that it is really narrow. There are some parts where you cannot even see the apex of a corner until you are actually on it and that adds to the excitement."

Even the slightest error here is punished," continued Michael. "Finding the limit on a road generally used for normal traffic, which is completely different to a usual race track, is always difficult. You also have to consider how much you can let the car slide, which it wants to do all the time. It is very exciting"

So is the championship. It appears that six drivers and three teams will vie for the title. Ferrari has the inside track with defending World Champion Kimi Raikkonen on top of the standings. Raikkonen, who won in Malaysia and Spain, holds a seven-point edge over teammate Felipe Massa and McLaren rival Lewis Hamilton.

But Hamilton has been seemingly nowhere since winning the season opener in Australia. Massa, on the other hand, started the season by failing to finish the first two events. Since then he has collected two wins and a second-place to climb back into the championship.

The biggest surprise this year has been the competitiveness of the BMW Sauber team. Robert Kubica (fourth overall) and Nick Heidfeld (fifth) have earned eight top-five between them and sit second in the manufacturer's championship.

Fernando Alonso is the defending race winner, although he did it in a McLaren, not the Renault he will bring to the starting grid this week. He also won the pole which on the narrow streets is usually what happens.

Watch the pole qualifying session. The drivers know how important track position is at Monaco and the competition for the pole is often more exciting than the actual race.