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ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt Indy 225 Preview

Jun 3, 2007 - 10:37 AM

June 3, 2007 
The Milwaukee Mile 
West Allis, Wisconsin 
Race 6 of 17 in the IRL season

TV: ABC, 4 p.m. EDT

Length: 225 laps 
Track length: 1 mile 
Race length: 225 miles

Qualifying record: Helio Castroneves, 172.477 mph, 2006 
Race record: Tony Kanaan, 133.513 mph, 2006

DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------

Helio Castroneves 
Team: Marlboro Team Penske 
2007 Earnings: $990,703

Indy 500 pole winner finished third in the rain-shortened race,
his second straight top-three finish; has claimed three poles
this season, which leads the circuit; took the checkered flag at
St. Petersburg on April 1, leading 95 of 100 laps in the road
course race.  It was his 12th career win; fourth in the
standings with 171 points, 10 behind third-place Dario
Franchitti and 13 off the pace of Scott Dixon; in 2006, was
third in standings on the strength of four wins and nine
top-five finishes; won the pole in this race last year but
finished 14th; has never cracked the top 10 in three tries here.

Scott Dixon 
Team: Target Chip Ganassi Racing 
2007 Earnings: $1,068,367

About the only thing he hasn't done is win.  Has five top-four
finishes, including a trio of runner-up performances at Miami,
St. Petersburg and Indianapolis; also has started no lower than
sixth and no higher than fourth this season, displaying
remarkable consistency; leads the standings with 184 points, one
more than Dan Wheldon.  Targeting his second career series
title, having also won in 2003; looking for seventh career win
and first since Nashville last July; has come home 10th and 13th
here the last two years and will need a better showing to
maintain his points lead.

Dario Franchitti 
Team: Andretti Green Racing 
2007 Earnings: $1,961,033

Riding a wave of momentum following his win in the Indy 500.  It
was his first triumph since October 2005 at California and
fifth career; checkered flag continued a progression up the
leaderboard that began with a seventh in the season opener in
Miami and has included a fifth, a third and a runner-up; has yet
to start on the pole this season; hurdled to third in the
standings with 181 points, two behind Dan Wheldon and three off
the pace of Dixon; won this race in 2004 and was runner-up the
following year before finishing sixth a year ago.

Sam Hornish Jr. 
Team: Marlboro Team Penske 
2007 Earnings: $622,389

Having a strange season, as he has finished no worse than
seventh but no better than third in the first five races.  Also
has led only five laps all year, including two in the Indy 500,
where he finished fourth; three-time series champion trying to
defend his title but is tied for fifth in the standings with
Tony Kanaan at 151 points, 33 off the lead; has podium finishes
in all three previous visits here, starting and finishing second
last year and winning from the pole in 2005.

Tony Kanaan 
Team: Andretti Green Racing 
2007 Earnings: $778,719

Season appears to have taken a turn for the worse.  Finished
fifth, third and first in the opening three races but has
struggled in the last two despite his best starting spots of the
campaign.  Won the pole in Kansas but finished 15th and started
second at the Indy 500 but came home 12th; tied for fifth in
the standings with 151 points, 33 behind Dixon, who leads the
circuit; Milwaukee Mile may help him get back on track as he won
last year's race, leading 127 laps after starting fourth. In
his first two visits here, he finished fourth.

Danica Patrick 
Team: Andretti Green Racing 
2007 Earnings: $500,705

Switch to Andretti Green Racing has not produced the anticipated
performance; series starlet still just that as she continues to
run in the middle of the pack, with no finish better than
seventh in the first five races; started eighth and finished
eighth in the Indy 500; ninth in the standings with 109 points,
well off the pace set by Dixon; owns just four top-five finishes
in 35 career starts and never has come home better than fourth;
one of those fourth-place finishes was in this event a year
ago, a strong showing after starting 14th.

Dan Wheldon 
Team: Target Chip Ganassi Racing 
2007 Earnings: $685,105

One of the favorites heading into the Indy 500 but came up with
his worst showing of the season, finishing 22nd due to an
accident; by comparison, his finishing spots in the season's
first four races totaled 13; won the season opener at Miami from
the pole and also won at Kansas, where he started fourth;
started and finished second in Japan; runaway leader in laps led
with 484, more than double the 157 of Castroneves, who sits
second; second in the standings with 183 points, one behind
Dixon; has been no lower than second in the final standings each
of the last three years, taking the series title in 2005; best
finish here is a fifth two years ago; was eighth last year
despite leading 58 laps.

2006 Top 10
-----------
 1. Tony Kanaan (11)
 2. Sam Hornish Jr. (6)
 3. Tomas Scheckter (2)
 4. Danica Patrick (16)
 5. Marco Andretti (26) 
 6. Dario Franchitti (27)
 7. Bryan Herta (7)
 8. Dan Wheldon (10)
 9. Jeff Simmons (17) 
10. Scott Dixon (9)

Past Champions
--------------
2006  Tony Kanaan, 133.513 mph 
2005  Sam Hornish Jr., 122.733 mph
2004  Dario Franchitti, 128.272 mph