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Motorola Indy 300 Preview

Aug 26, 2007 - 10:28 AM

August 26, 2007 
Infineon Raceway 
Sonoma, California 
Race 15 of 17 in the 2007 IndyCar Series season

TV: ESPN, 3:30 p.m. EDT

Length: 80 laps 
Race length: 184 miles 
Track length: 2.26-mile 12-turn road course

Qualifying record: Ryan Briscoe, 108.248 mph, 2005 
Race record: Marco Andretti, 93.486 mph, 2006


DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Scott Dixon 
Team: Target Chip Ganassi Racing 
2007 Earnings: $1,876,367

Bounced back from a DNF at Michigan by finishing second to Tony
Kanaan at Kentucky; remains second in the standings, but is now
just eight points behind leader Dario Franchitti; won three
straight races to climb to second in the standings; took the
checkered flag at Mid-Ohio for his ninth career IndyCar series
victory; also won at at Nashville after starting on the pole to
became the first repeat winner there; started his winning streak
on July 8 at Watkins Glen; has finished out of the top-10 just
twice this season; has been a runner-up five times this year;
earned his only other pole of the season at Iowa but finished
10th; finished fourth in this event last year.


Dario Franchitti 
Team: Andretti Green Racing 
2007 Earnings: $2,752,233

Finished eighth two weeks ago at Kentucky; was involved in a
violent wreck at Michigan, where he flipped upside-down before
landing on the cockpit of his car; miraculously walked away from
the crash uninjured, but did not finish the race; still remains
atop the series standings, bit once comfortable cushion is now
down to a mere eight points ahead of Scott Dixon; finished
second to Dixon for the second straight race at Mid-Ohio; is
tied with Dixon for wins this season with three - Richmond, Iowa
and the Indy 500; has been runner-up four times this year and
has been remarkably consistent, finishing in the top five in 11
of 14 starts; finished second in this race last year to Marco
Andretti.


Tony Kanaan 
Team: Andretti Green Racing 
2007 Earnings: $1,511,769

Followed up his win at Michigan by starting and winning from the
pole at Kentucky; is third in the standings, 52 behind
Franchitti; has a series-best four wins this season, also taking
the checkered flag at Milwaukee and Japan; started second at
the Indianapolis 500, but finished a disappointing 12th; has
finished fourth three times - at Watkins Glen, Richmond and
Mid-Ohio; captured pole at Kansas, yet finished 15th; won this
race in 2005, but slipped to 11th last year.


Danica Patrick 
Team: Andretti Green Racing 
2007 Earnings: $990,305

Was involved in an accident and finished 16th at Kentucky;
struggled to a disappointing seventh-place finish at Michigan;
posted her second consecutive top-five finish with a fifth place
showing at Mid-Ohio; matched her career-best IndyCar Series
finish by taking third at Nashville prior to that; has three
top-five finishes this season, including a third at Texas  on
June 9; dropped to eight in the standings, and is a distant 181
points behind Franchitti; started second at Mid-Ohio, but had
started no better than sixth in eight races before that; ran
eighth in this event last season.


Sam Hornish Jr. 
Team: Marlboro Team Penske 
2007 Earnings: $1,150,139

Has failed to finish past two races after being involved in
accidents; in addition to completing just 35 laps at Kentucky,
also failed to finish at Michigan after getting involved in wild
multi-car wreck; defending series champion finished 14th at
Mid-Ohio but remains fifth in the standings, 139 points off
Franchitti's pace; placed fourth at Nashville and second at
Watkins Glen before the disappointing finish at Mid-Ohio; lone
win this season was at Texas Motor Speedway in June; made
headlines at Watkins Glen with a post-race altercation with Tony
Kanaan; was ninth in this event last year.


Dan Wheldon 
Team: Target Chip Ganassi Racing 
2007 Earnings: $1,165,905

Yet another top driver who has not finished the past two races
after wrecking at both Kentucky and Michigan; has finished out
of the top five over his past five races; was third at Richmond
six races ago; dropped to fourth in the standings after
Mid-Ohio, and is currently 130 behind Franchitti; has two wins
this season, starting and finishing from the pole in the season
opener at Homestead; also won at Kansas; placed sixth in this
race last year.

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


Past Champions
--------------
2006  Marco Andretti, 93.486 mph 
2005  Tony Kanaan, 91.040 mph