THE CANADIAN PRESS
EDMONTON - On Sunday, 25 IndyCar drivers will race 95 laps through 14-turns on the 1.96-mile road course at the City Centre Airport in the Honda Edmonton Indy (5 p.m. ET, Versus). Here are 10 drivers to watch:
Will Power: The 29-year-old from Toowomba, Australia, will start from the pole. He is having a career year. Driving for Penske Racing, he is the only multiple winner in the series this season, with four victories. He leads the points championship and is at home in Edmonton. He won this event almost from wire to wire in 2009. Drivers say he's the real deal: a fast, savvy racer who now competes on a team with deep enough pockets that he gets the best car possible every time out.
Paul Tracy: Tracy used to be about breaking records; now he's just a broken record. For yet another season, the 41-year-old Toronto racing vet remains probably the best open wheel driver in North America who doesn't have a fulltime ride. Perhaps it's his price, or his fiery personality, or both. Edmonton will be just his third race in 2010 - he was 14th in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and 13th in Toronto. He'll start 15th in Edmonton and the storyline will be the same: Tracy, with KV Racing Technology, will have to drive an inferior, unfamiliar car in borderline reckless fashion to compete with the big boys but in doing so will make contact with a wall or another driver that will knock him down the grid or out of the race.
Dario Franchitti: The 37-year-old Scotsman for Target Chip Ganassi is second behind leader Will Power in the points race, but is the defending points champion and is always a threat to take the checkered flag. He has been on the podium in five of the first 10 races and won the Indianapolis 500 in May. Franchitti needs only to keep pace with Power over the next three road events before the final four races on ovals, where Power is weaker.
Tony Kanaan: The Brazilian racer for Andretti Autosport was knocked out of the 2009 Edmonton Indy when his cockpit caught fire, burning his hands and a bit of his face. He is fully recovered, has one won race this year (Iowa), sits seventh in the point standings, and says he wants a "champagne shower" in this year's race rather than an ethanol one. He crashed in qualifying Saturday, however, and will start second-last on the grid.
Danica Patrick: The 28-year-old Andretti Autosport driver and super-celebrity still struggles on road courses but was buoyed by her sixth-place finish in Toronto last week. She's 11th in the driver standings. She has never raced well in Edmonton and given she will start 21st in the field Sunday, it's hard to imagine a breakout finish.
Alex Tagliani: The 37-year-old from Lachenaie, Que., has been knocking on the door of a strong finish all season and hopes it will be in Edmonton. He's benefited from a fulltime ride with FAZZT Race Team and has three top-10 finishes in 10 races in 2010. His chances were dimmed Saturday when he finished 19th in qualifying.
Scott Dixon: The 2008 IndyCar champion sits an uncharacteristic third in the points championship this season but hopes to regain his moto-mojo in Edmonton. He has won just one race for Target Chip Ganassi this year (Kansas) after winning 11 times in the previous two seasons. More alarmingly, he has yet to start the race from the pole in 2010. He hasn't missed starting at least one race from the front since 2005.
Milka Duno: If the race for the lead is boring, spectators can always watch other drivers try to lap this perennial backmarker from Venezuela. Duno, with Dale Coyne Racing, has been ordered out of the race at two events this year for driving too slowly. She was not allowed to qualify Saturday, because she was too slow in practice and will start last. Drivers say the main problem is that Duno doesn't use her mirrors and cuts and dives in front of competitors without warning. It's a horrific accident waiting to happen.
Justin Wilson: The Brit from Dale Coyne Racing won at Edmonton in 2006 with the old Champ Car series. He is now eighth in the standings, allowing Dreyer and Reinbold Racing - which doesn't have the deep pockets - to compete with the big boys. The 31-year-old from Sheffield was second in St. Petersburg, Fla., and took the pole last week in Toronto, finishing seventh.
Simona De Silvestro: The 21-year-old rookie from Switzerland is just 15 points back of Alex Lloyd for the lead among IndyCar rookies. She's coming off her best finish of the season, 9th in Toronto. She says her hand has fully recovered after it got burned in a cockpit fire during the race in Texas last month. She needs to overcome a hex in Edmonton. In her last two races here, in the development series, she got knocked out early after crashing, both times in Turn 8.
19:12ET 24-07-10
Story ID: S4945 (Via Satellite Feed)