YEAR IN REVIEW: IndyCar Series--A Drivers' Tale
What has happened to the Indy Car series this year? I was very curious too…curious enough that even when I was hurrying to find an Acura Cl clutch, I found this tale of the 2007 IndyCar Series.
What happened to IndyCar’s racetrack this year? See below.
1. Dario Franchitti (637 points)
HIGH: He won his first Indianapolis 500 and his first major championship, the latter on the strength of four wins and 11 consecutive top-five finishes.
LOW: Franchitti launched into the air two times, both within a six-day stretch in August. The first, at Michigan, came after contact with co-leader Dan Wheldon. The second, at Kentucky, occurred when the 34-year-old Scot didn't see the checkered flag and drove into the back of Kosuke Matsuura. Amazingly, Franchitti walked away from both incidents.
2. Scott Dixon (624)
HIGH: He became the third driver in Indy Racing League history to win three consecutive races (Watkins Glen, Nash-ville, Mid-Ohio) and had the series lead with two races left. He lost by 13 points.
LOW: Dixon finished second in the season finale at Chicagoland and lost the title because he ran out of fuel on the final lap while leading.
3. Tony Kanaan (576)
HIGH: Kanaan won a series-high five races, further proof that Andretti Green Racing had rebounded from a very lackluster 2006 season. The Brazilian won at Motegi (Japan), Milwaukee, Michigan, Kentucky and Detroit.
LOW: He became embroiled in a highly publicized spat with longtime friend Helio Castroneves in the early part of the season. He drew criticism at Infineon Raceway in August when he gave up a chance to win the title so he could protect Franchitti, who had a damaged car after contact with teammate Marco Andretti.
4. Dan Wheldon (466)
HIGH: He won the season-opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the second consecutive year, leading 179 of 200 laps in a dominating performance. He went on to lead 177 of the 200 laps at Kansas for his second win, making him the points leader (and race favorite) heading to the Indy 500, which he won in 2005.
LOW: After leading six of the first seven races, the former series champion went into a funk and wasn't a threat at Indy after setting the early pace in practice. In fact, he was never the same after Danica Patrick confronted him on pit road at Milwaukee.
5. Sam Hornish Jr. (465)
HIGH: The reigning series champion won at Texas, extending his career mark to 19 wins. The oval-track expert also scored an impressive second-place finish on the Watkins Glen road course.
LOW: Like Wheldon, last year's Indy 500 winner wasn't the same after a pit-road incident (his was at Watkins Glen, when his father shoved Kanaan and scrapped with a friend of Michael Andretti's). He led only two more races the rest of the season and finished outside the top three in points for the first time since 2004.
6. Helio Castroneves (446)
HIGH: Winning the St. Petersburg street-course race from the pole appeared to be the launching pad he needed in pursuit of his first championship. He would go on to win a series-record seven poles, including Indy's for the second time, to extend his career mark to a record 23.
LOW: Castroneves led 480 laps during the season, but he seldom seemed to be in contention to win. Like Hornish, he finished with only one win (for the third time in four seasons). It was a good thing he had Dancing with the Stars to look forward to.
7. Danica Patrick (424)
HIGH: She showed considerable progress in finishing "Best of the Rest" in her first season with AGR. She led four races and was in position to win her first IRL race on five occasions (Texas, Nashville, Mid-Ohio, Michigan and Detroit). She qualified second at Mid-Ohio and finished a career-best second at Detroit.
LOW: Lows for Patrick included pit-road spins at Homestead, Kentucky and Chicago-land. She should have picked a better time and place to confront Wheldon.
