2007 IndyCar Series

2007 IndyCar season
IndyCar Series
Season
Races	17
Start date	March 24
End date	September 9
Awards
Drivers' champion	Dario Franchitti
Rookie of the Year	Ryan Hunter-Reay
Indianapolis 500 winner	Dario Franchitti
Chronology
Previous season	Next season
2006	2008

The 2007 IRL IndyCar Series began with a night race on Saturday March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The season's premiere event, the 91st Indianapolis 500 was held May 27. The season finale was held at Chicagoland Speedway on September 9. Dario Franchitti, who won four races during the season, including the Indy 500, clinched the 2007 IndyCar Series Championship on the final lap of the final race, by winning the race after points leader Scott Dixon ran out of fuel while leading with less than ⅓ of a lap to go.

At the conclusion of the season, Danica Patrick was voted Most Popular Driver for the third consecutive year.^[1]

All races were televised on the ESPN family of networks. In addition, all races were broadcast live on the IMS Radio Network, and XM IndyCar Channel 145 and simulcast on XM Sports Nation.

The 2007 schedule was the twelfth season of the IRL IndyCar Series, and part of the 96th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing. It also marked A. J. Foyt's 50th anniversary of participation in IndyCar racing.

Team and Driver Chart

Team	Chassis	No	Drivers	Notes
Team Penske	Dallara	3	Helio Castroneves
		6	Sam Hornish, Jr.
Rahal Letterman Racing	Dallara	8	Scott Sharp
		17	Jeff Simmons	Released July 17, 2007
			Ryan Hunter-Reay	Signed July 17, 2007, for the final six races
Andretti Green Racing	Dallara	7	Danica Patrick
		11	Tony Kanaan
		26	Marco Andretti
		27	Dario Franchitti
		39	Michael Andretti	Indy 500 only
Target Chip Ganassi Racing	Dallara	9	Scott Dixon
		10	Dan Wheldon
Delphi Panther Racing / Super Aguri Panther Racing	Dallara	4	Vitor Meira
		33	John Andretti	Indy 500 Only
		55	Kosuke Matsuura
		60	Hideki Mutoh	Chicagoland Only
A.J. Foyt Racing	Dallara	14	Darren Manning
		50	Al Unser, Jr.	Indy 500 only. #41 car also entered but not raced
Vision Racing	Dallara	2	Tomas Scheckter
		20	Ed Carpenter
		22	A. J. Foyt IV
		02	Davey Hamilton	Indy 500 only
SAMAX Motorsport	Dallara	23	Milka Duno	Competing in 7 races: Kansas, Indy, Texas, Iowa, Richmond, Michigan, and Chicagoland
Roth Racing	Dallara	25	Marty Roth	Homestead, Kansas, Indy, and Chicagoland only
		76	P. J. Chesson	Chicagoland Only
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Dallara	5	Sarah Fisher
		15	Buddy Rice
		24	Roger Yasukawa	Indy 500 only
CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports	Dallara	98	Alex Barron	Partial season entry. Ran Homestead, Kansas, and Indy. #43 car also entered for Indy 500 but not raced
Racing Professionals	Dallara	19	Jon Herb	Indy, Texas, and Michigan only
Indy 500 only entries
Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Dallara	99	Buddy Lazier	Indy 500 only
Playa Del Racing	Panoz	21	Jaques Lazier	Indy 500 only
		31	Phil Giebler	Indy 500 only, rookie of the year
Chastain Motorsports	Panoz	77	Roberto Moreno	Indy 500 only, crashed in race.
Stéphan Grégoire	Indy 500 only; crashed in practice and driver was replaced
Hemelgarn Racing	Dallara	91	Richie Hearn	Indy 500 Only, run in partnership with Racing Professionals
Luczo-Dragon Racing	Dallara	12	Ryan Briscoe	Indy 500 only, Luczo-Dragon Racing leased cars from Penske.
PDM Racing	Panoz	18	Jimmy Kite	Indy 500 only — failed to qualify
Team Leader/Dollander Racing	Dallara	40	P. J. Jones	Indy 500 Only — failed to qualify

• All entries utilize Honda engines and Firestone tires.

Series News

• Ilmor has been announced that they would no longer build IndyCar Series engines, instead of Honda has been selected as single engine builder and brand from 2007 until 2011.

Schedule announcements

• August 2, 2006 – The first event at Iowa Speedway will be held June 24, 2007.^[2]
• August 10, 2006 – Milwaukee will move from July to the weekend following the Indy 500.^[3]
• August 17, 2006 – Texas (June 9) and Kentucky (August 11). Kentucky will switch to a night race.^[4]
• September 19, 2006 – Kansas (April 29) and Watkins Glen (July 8). Kansas will become the final race before the Indy 500. The change was made to avoid hot and humid July temperatures.^[5]
• September 20, 2006 – Richmond (June 30).^[6]
• September 21, 2006 – Chicagoland Speedway (September 9). It will serve as the season finale.^[7]
• September 25, 2006 – Twin Ring Motegi (April 21)^[8]
• September 27, 2006 – Homestead (March 24). The race will switch to a Saturday night race.^[9]
• The race at Michigan International Speedway will move from the last weekend in July, up one week, or one week later. This is due to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard moving from the first weekend in August to the last weekend in July. Ticket renewal forms sent out by the speedway incicate the race will be held July 22. However, according to published reports, the IRL is requesting MIS accept the first week of August for the race date. On October 13, MIS confirmed August 5 for their IRL event.^[10]
• A rumor on irllive.com suggested a possible race on August 5 in Montreal at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. On September 20, Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart announced there would be a race on that date, but did not give any details. That date would be a NASCAR Busch Series combination event. However, as of September 27, the event was reported as unlikely.^[9] Instead, the league is expected to fill the slot with a race at Mid-Ohio. If a race at Mid-Ohio is announced, it will be scheduled for July 22.^[11]
• September 29, 2006 – The Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle will return and be held September 2^[12]
• October 12, 2006 – Mid-Ohio (July 22) and ^[13] Sonoma (August 26)^[13]
• After originally agreeing in principle to a July 22 date, the IRL and Michigan International Speedway rescheduled the 2007 event for August 5 in order to accommodate new venues.^[14] The announcement finalized the 2007 IndyCar schedule
• On December 8, 2006, the IRL announced that the June 9, 2007 race at Texas Motor Speedway would be lengthened to 550 kilometers (228 laps/342 miles).^[15]
• On December 14, 2006, it was announced that Marquis Sports Marketing, a Dallas-based company, is in coordination to add another race to the 2007 schedule. A non-points, exhibition race in the streets of Biloxi, Mississippi is in the planning stages for September or October 2007 as an effort to revitalize the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. The race would be the first step in what are plans to build an oval track in the area by 2009.^[16]

Driver changes

• Danica Patrick switched from Rahal Letterman Racing to Andretti Green Racing.
• Buddy Rice left Rahal Letterman Racing and raced a one-off event in the Champ Car series at Mexico City on November 12, 2006, for Forsythe Racing. Afterwards, he signed full-time for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
• Kosuke Matsuura switched from Super Aguri Fernández Racing to Panther Racing.
• Scott Sharp switched from Delphi Fernandez Racing to Rahal Letterman Racing.
• A.J. Foyt Racing signed Darren Manning for a one car operation.
• Dario Franchitti was confirmed for Andretti Green Racing in both the IndyCar Series and ALMS.
• Vision Racing signed A.J. Foyt IV as their third driver.
• Sarah Fisher rejoined Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for a full-time ride.
• Michael Andretti announced he would compete in the 2007 Indy 500 for Andretti Green Racing.
• CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports raced in the season opener at Homestead, Kansas, and the Indy 500 with driver Alex Barron.
• Milka Duno signed to compete in ten races, including Indianapolis, for SAMAX Motorsport in 2007.
  • On August 6, 2007, Duno was put on probation by chief stewart Brian Barnhart. She will be required to improve her skills before racing in another event.^[17]
• On July 19, 2007, it was announced that Ryan Hunter-Reay would replace Jeff Simmons for Rahal Letterman Racing.^[18]
• On July 21, 2007, it was announced that Hideki Mutoh will run the final race of the IndyCar Series season at Chicago in a third Panther entry.
• On August 21, 2007, it was announced that both P. J. Chesson, and Marty Roth will run the final race of the IndyCar Series season at Chicagoland.

Rule changes for 2007

• All cars will utilize a 100% fuel blend of ethanol. In the 2006 season, cars utilized a 90%-10% blend of methanol and ethanol. From 1965 to 2005, Indy cars in USAC, CART, and IRL used a 100% methanol blend.
• Teams will utilize 3.5 liter displacement engines. From 2004 to 2006, the IndyCar Series used 3.0 L engines. From 2000 to 2003, the IndyCar Series also used 3.5 liter engines. The increase in displacement is to counter the expected horsepower loss resulting from the switch to a 100% ethanol fuel blend.
• Fuel cells in the cars will be reduced from 30 gallons to 22 gallons to offset the improved mileage experienced by ethanol.^[19]
• All cars will carry a rear-mounted safety light (similar use in Formula One), to be controlled by race officials.
• On short ovals and road courses, front wings may be set at any angle between negative 5 and positive 5 degrees.
• Race day morning warm-up practice sessions have been eliminated. As a result, pre-qualifying practice sessions will be extended by 15 minutes.
• If qualifications are cancelled for an event, the starting lineup will be based on entrant points. In previous seasons, top practice speeds have been used.
• Series officials will have the discretion to determine the rookie status of any driver, regardless of the number of races started in previous seasons.^[20]
• IndyCar Series teams that participate in the Indy Pro Series can earn bonus testing days for the 2007 calendar year. The bonus testing days will be awarded following participation in designated 2007 IPS events, and are shared by the team's IndyCar Series driver and IPS driver. They can be conducted at any IndyCar Series venue except Indianapolis or Mid-Ohio.

Television

• All races will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, or ESPN on ABC. Broadcast rights for the 2007 season adhere to a contract extension signed May 27, 2004, which extended broadcast rights to the IndyCar Series on ABC/ESPN through the 2009 season. 2007 will mark ABC's twelfth year broadcasting events of the IndyCar Series, and 43rd year at the Indianapolis 500.
• The announcing crew for the 2007 IndyCar Series season will be Marty Reid (play-by-play announcer), Scott Goodyear (Color commentator), along with three pit reporters: Jack Arute, Vince Welch and Brienne Pedigo. Rusty Wallace (analyst) and Jamie Little (pits) will join the crew for the broadcast of the Indy 500.^[21]
• The television ratings for the March 24 season-opening race at Homestead earned a 0.7 rating, the highest-rated IndyCar Series race ever on ESPN2. It was the fourth-highest IndyCar Series cable rating since 2000 and the highest cable rating since June 2005.

IndyCar Series testing

• Mid-Ohio (September 19, 2006) - Private testing featured Ed Carpenter, Tomas Scheckter, and Jeff Simmons.
• Daytona (September 26–27, 2006) - A highly anticipated compatibility test took place at Daytona International Speedway, utilizing a 10-turn, 2.73-mile (4.39 km) combined road course layout. Drivers participating included Vitor Meira, Sam Hornish Jr., Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan. No major incidents were reported.^[22]
• Indianapolis (October 2–3, 2006) - A two-day Firestone tire test took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Four drivers took part in the test, focusing on new 3.5 liter Honda engines utilizing a 100% ethanol fuel mixture. Tony Kanaan, Jeff Simmons, Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves participated. The top speed reported was 224.3 mph (361.0 km/h) by Kanaan. Jeff Simmons crashed exiting turn two on the backstretch. He was uninjured.^[23]
• Iowa (October 9–10, 2006) - The first IndyCar Series test featured drivers Vitor Meira, and Scott Sharp.^[24]
• Daytona (January 31-February 1, 2007) - Seventeen cars tested nearly 1,700 laps around the combined road course. Helio Castroneves completed the fastest lap at 1:12.3538.^[25]
• Homestead (February 21–22, 2007) - A full open test was held under the lights. Nineteen car and driver combinations participated. On the first day of testing, Dan Wheldon turned the fastest lap, at 214.858 mph (345.780 km/h). Wheldon, however, later crashed his car. The Indy Pro Series also tested at the track during daylight hours.^[26]
• Mid-Ohio (June 13, 2007) - A one-day open test featured eighteen car and driver combinations. Dario Franchitti drove the fastest lap (1:07.6667) on the 2.258-mile (3.634 km) circuit.^[27]
• Iowa (June 22, 2007) - Half-day open test. Scott Dixon was fastest at 182.857 mph (294.280 km/h).^[28]
• Detroit (July 24, 2007) - Helio Castroneves conducted a brief compatibility test on roads that comprise the circuit.^[29]

Race summaries

Round 1 of 17: XM Satellite Radio Indy 300

• Saturday March 24, 2007 – 8:00 p.m. EDT
• Homestead-Miami Speedway - Homestead, Florida (1.485 mile oval)
• Distance: 200 laps / 297 miles
• Race weather: 73 °F, mostly cloudy, isolated showers, windy
• Television: ESPN2 - race advertised as the Ethanol 300 Presented by XM Satellite Radio.
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.39 (pre-race), 0.7 (race)^[30]
• Attendance: 30,000+ (estimated)^[31]
• Pole position winner: Dan Wheldon- 24.9438 seconds, 214.322 mph (344.918 km/h)
• Race Summary: The start of the race was delayed about 30 minutes due to a short shower and was interrupted by a brief mist on lap 67. Even with the weather conditions the race was able to take place and complete all 200 laps. The race was dominated by driver Dan Wheldon who led 179 laps and won despite a mistake in the pits, which led to a pit stop over 22 seconds. Wheldon restarted 9th after the miscue, but retook the lead within 11 laps, and never looked back. Wheldon won for the third year in a row at Homestead and allowed only four other cars to finish on the lead lap. This marked the first race by a major racing series to use renewable fuel, as a 100% ethanol blend was used by all cars.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	10	Dan Wheldon	Target Chip Ganassi	200	1:48:06.8893	179	53
2	6	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	200	+6.4993	15	40
3	2	6	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Team Penske	200	+17.4754	0	35
4	10	4	Vitor Meira	Delphi Panther	200	+22.5373	0	32
5	4	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green	200	+23.1179	3	30
Race average speed: 164.825 mph (265.260 km/h)
Lead changes: 5 between 4 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 32 laps

Round 2 of 17: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

• Sunday April 1, 2007 – 2:30 p.m. EDT
• Streets of St. Petersburg - St. Petersburg, Florida (1.8-mile street/airport course)
• Distance: 100 laps / 180 miles
• Race weather: 79 °F, sunny
• Television: ESPN - race advertised as Honda Indycar Grand Prix presented by XM Satellite Radio.
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.6 national, 0.4 coverage area
• Attendance: 100,000+ (estimated weekend attendance)
• Pole position winner: Helio Castroneves- 1:01.6839, 105.052 mph (169.065 km/h)
• Race Summary: Pole winner Helio Castroneves led 95 of the 100 laps, holding off Scott Dixon for the win by 0.6007 seconds, the closest finish on a road circuit in IRL history. On the first lap, five cars were involved in a spin, including Tony Kanaan. In practice, Kanaan had crashed his qualified car, but the team made repairs so he could start in the 6th position rather than using a backup. The spin dropped him to the rear of the field. After a series of pit stops under yellow, Dan Wheldon took the lead. On a lap 35 restart, Castroneves bumped Wheldon from behind, and slipped by to take the lead for good. In the best run by a Foyt team in a few season, Darren Manning ran as high as third until a late spin dropped him to 13th. After the first lap spin, Tony Kanaan recovered to finish third.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	3	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	100	2:01:07.3512	95	53
2	4	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	100	+0.6007	0	40
3	6	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green	100	+7.9130	0	35
4	2	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Green	100	+13.5090	3	32
5	3	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green	100	+14.5935	0	30
Race average speed: 89.166 mph (143.499 km/h)
Lead changes: 4 between 3 drivers
Cautions: 5 for 20 laps

Round 3 of 17: Indy Japan 300

• Saturday April 21 - 1:00 p.m. JST / 12:00 a.m. EDT
• Twin Ring Motegi - Motegi, Japan (1.52 mile oval)
• Distance: 200 laps / 304 miles
• Race weather: 70 °F, cloudy
• Television: ESPN (same-day tape delay at 3:00 p.m. EDT) - race advertised as Firestone Indycar 300
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute
  • Broadcast originally scheduled for 12 noon EDT, rescheduled for 3:00 p.m. due to NBA playoffs coverage.
  • Broadcast delayed 6 minutes due to Nets/Raptors game running long.
  • Ratings: 0.4
• Attendance:
• Pole Position winner: Helio Castroneves 26.6416 seconds, 205.393 mph (330.548 km/h)
• Race Summary: For the second time in two oval races this season, Dan Wheldon dominated much of the race. However, unlike at Homestead, he would not be victorious, and even lost use of his two-way radio. With about 15 laps to go, the final sequence of pit stops for fuel began, and threatened to shuffle the field. Tony Kanaan's AGR team used a late-pit strategy, which saw him take on less fuel and a shorter stop. With four laps to go, Kanaan took the lead and held off Wheldon to claim his first victory of the season. With Kanaan's win, the first three races of the season have produced three different winners representing three different teams. During practice, both Kosuke Matsuura and Danica Patrick turned in some of their best on-track performances thus far this season. Neither were factors during the race however, and Matsuura, in fact, crashed out on the first lap in front of his home country.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	3	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green	200	1:52:23.2574	26	50
2	2	10	Dan Wheldon	Target Chip Ganassi	200	+0.4828	126	43
3	7	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green	200	+11.5538	0	35
4	6	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	200	+13.0623	2	32
5	2	6	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Team Penske	199	+1 LAP	3	30
Race average speed: 162.295 mph (261.188 km/h)
Lead changes: 9 between 5 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 30 laps

Round 4 of 17: Kansas Lottery Indy 300

• Sunday April 29 - 3:30 p.m. CDT / 4:30 p.m. EDT
• Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, Kansas (1.52 mile oval)
• Distance: 200 laps / 304 miles
• Race weather: 85 °F (29 °C), Sunny
• Television: ESPN2 - race advertised as Kansas IndyCar 300
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.3 ^[32][33]
• Attendance: 70,000 (media estimate) ^[34]
• AAMCO Pole Award: Tony Kanaan 25.5476 sec, 214.188 mph (344.702 km/h)
• Race Summary: Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon dueled until the first pit stop when Kanaan and his teammate Danica Patrick made contact during the stop and Kanaan lost several laps due to repairs. The only other car that could run with Wheldon for the remainder of the race was teammate Scott Dixon until Dixon was brought in for a penalty for entering the pits improperly. Wheldon dominated the remainder of the race which finished under caution after a solo crash by Scott Sharp with 2 laps to go. This race made history as it was the first major open-wheel race to feature three female drivers: Patrick, Sarah Fisher, and rookie Milka Duno. It also registered the highest average speed of any race at Kansas Speedway.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	4	10	Dan Wheldon	Target Chip Ganassi	200	1:36:56.0586	177	53
2	6	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green	200	+18.4830	0	40
3	3	3	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	200	+33.2280	0	35
4	5	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	200	+34.4208	16	32
5	7	2	Tomas Scheckter	Vision	199	+1 LAP	0	30
Race average speed: 188.169 mph (302.829 km/h)
Lead changes: 9 between 3 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 15 laps

Round 5 of 17: 91st Indianapolis 500

• Sunday May 27 - 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Speedway, Indiana (2.50 mile oval)
• Distance: 200 laps / 500 miles, although reduced to 166 laps / 415 miles, due to rain.
• Race weather: Overcast, with rain throughout the day, high 76 F.
• Television: ABC - race advertised as Indianapolis 500 broadcast presented by GoDaddy.com
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Rusty Wallace, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo, Jamie Little
  • Ratings: 4.3/12
• Attendance: 251,000 (estimated based on track capacity)
• AAMCO Pole Award: Hélio Castroneves - 2:42.3336, 225.817 mph (363.417 km/h)
• Race Summary: Rain fell overnight, and in the morning, but the race started on-time as scheduled. In the early segments of the race, the competition was intense as Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and Scott Dixon all took their turn at the lead. After a caution period, with rain only a few miles away, a restart on lap 107 could have decided the winner. As the green came out, Tony Kanaan got the jump on Marco Andretti, and took the lead in turn 1. Moments later, Phil Giebler crashed, bringing the yellow out once again. Before safety crews could clear the track, heavy rain fell, and the race was red flagged after lap 113. After nearly three hours, the race resumed, with Kanaan leading. On the 156th lap, the field went back to green after Marty Roth's crash, however, in turn four, Tony Kanaan came up on the back of Jacques Lazier, sending Lazier into the wall, and sending Kanaan's car into a spin. He blew a tire and coasted into the pits. Moments later, the field assembled for what was expected to be the final restart before the rains came. Franchitti, working lap 163, held the lead into the backstretch. Behind him, Marco Andretti tangled with Dan Wheldon, and Andretti's car flipped down the backstretch. Before the track could be cleared, a heavy rainstorm fell on the track, and the race was called after 166 laps with Dario Franchitti declared the winner.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	3	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green	166	2:44:03.5608	34	50
2	4	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	166	+0.3610	11	40
3	1	3	Hélio Castroneves	Team Penske	166	+1.8485	19	35
4	5	6	Sam Hornish Jr.	Team Penske	166	+4.6324	2	32
5	7	12	Ryan Briscoe	Luczo-Dragon Racing	166	+5.2109	0	30
Race average speed: 151.774
Lead changes: 23 between 9 drivers
Cautions: 11 for 55 laps

Round 6 of 17: ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225

• Sunday June 3 - 3:00 p.m. CDT / 4:00 p.m. EDT
• Milwaukee Mile - West Allis, Wisconsin (1-mile oval)
• Distance: 225 laps / 225 miles
• Race weather: 70 °F (21 °C), mostly cloudy
• Television: ABC
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 1.0 (final), 1.2 (overnight)
• Attendance: 31,838
• AAMCO Pole Award: Hélio Castroneves - 21.3596 sec., 171.071 mph (275.312 km/h)
• Race Summary: Polesitter Hélio Castroneves appeared to have the race in hand until his rear wing support snapped coming out of turn 4 on lap 201. His car spun across the front stretch and into the inside retaining wall. Shortly after the restart Penske Racing teammate Sam Hornish, Jr.'s rear wing bent in a similar place, although mildly enough to allow him to finish the race, but he was forced to relinquish second place. These two somewhat bizarre part failures allowed AGR teammates Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti to cruise to a 1-2 finish. On lap 89, Danica Patrick and Dan Wheldon touched wheels, sending Patrick spinning. Both recovered to finish in the top ten, however, the incident led to a post-race confrontation where Patrick grabbed and pushed Wheldon, starting a feud between the two. Neither driver received any penalty.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	3	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green Racing	225	1:47:42.4393	25	50
2	10	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green Racing	225	+2.5707	0	40
3	4	10	Dan Wheldon	Chip Ganassi Racing	225	+3.1149	37	35
4	2	9	Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing	225	+3.4026	0	32
5	9	4	Vitor Meira	Panther Racing	225	+5.2864	0	30
Race average speed: 127.22 mph (204.74 km/h)
Lead changes: 8 between 4 drivers
Cautions: 6 for 51 laps

Round 7 of 17: Bombardier Learjet 550

• Saturday June 9 - 8:30 p.m. CDT / 9:30 p.m. EDT
• Texas Motor Speedway - Fort Worth, Texas (1.5-mile oval)
• Distance: 228 laps / 342 miles (550 Kilometers)
• Race weather: 85 °F (29 °C) Hazy
• Television: ESPN2 (tape delayed 30 minutes)
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.7/2
• Attendance: 86,000
• AAMCO Pole Award: Scott Sharp 24.3334 sec 215.260 mph (346.427 km/h)
• Race Summary: Sam Hornish, Jr. had built up a sizeable lead by lap 196 when A. J. Foyt IV lost his right rear wheel, causing Sarah Fisher to check up and several contenders including Helio Castroneves, Dan Wheldon, and Scott Dixon to be collected in the resulting melee. After the restart, Andretti Green teammates Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick attempted to mount an attack on Hornish but he was able to hold them off to collect his first win of the season. Danica Patrick's resulting 3rd place was the best finish of her career.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	2	6	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Team Penske	228	1:52:15.2873	159	53
2	4	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green Racing	228	+0.0786	1	40
3	6	7	Danica Patrick	Andretti Green Racing	228	+0.3844	2	35
4	3	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green Racing	228	+3.9765	0	32
5	13	4	Vitor Meira	Panther Racing	228	+4.0019	3	30
Race average speed: 177.314
Lead changes: 16 between 7 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 28 laps

Round 8 of 17: Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Ethanol

• Sunday June 24 - 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Iowa Speedway - Newton, Iowa (0.894 mile oval)
• Distance: 250 laps / 223.5 miles
• Race weather: Cloudy, high humidity, 71 degrees
• Television: ABC - race advertised as Ethanol IndyCar 250
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 1.2/3 (overnight rating); 1.1/3 final
• Attendance: over 35,000 (sold out)
• AAMCO Pole Award: #9 Scott Dixon 17.6486 sec, 182.360 mph (293.480 km/h)
• Race Summary: The first IndyCar Series race at the Iowa Speedway was one of attrition with several experienced drivers involved in incidents. First, Dan Wheldon spun, collecting Tomas Scheckter, although Wheldon was later able to return to the track over 100 laps down. Next, Tony Kanaan spun, collecting Jeff Simmons. The largest incident of the day come on a restart with Ed Carpenter, Danica Patrick, A. J. Foyt IV and Dario Franchitti running four-wide down the front straight. Carpenter, Foyt, and Patrick made contact entering turn one and Kosuke Matsuura spun into the wall trying to miss them. The final 100 laps were more orderly with fewer cars on the track and Franchitti was able to hold off teammate Marco Andretti for his second victory of the season.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	3	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green Racing	250	1:48:14.1344	96	53
2	12	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Green Racing	250	+0.0681	4	40
3	4	8	Scott Sharp	Rahal Letterman Racing	250	+1.0577	4	35
4	17	15	Buddy Rice	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	250	+4.2426	5	32
5	15	14	Darren Manning	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	250	+5.2156	0	30
Race average speed: 123.896 mph (199.391 km/h)
Lead changes: 13 between 8 drivers
Cautions: 6 for 67 laps

Round 9 of 17: SunTrust Indy Challenge presented by XM Satellite Radio

• Saturday June 30 - 7:30 p.m. EDT
• Richmond International Raceway - Richmond, Virginia (0.75 mile oval)
• Distance: 250 laps / 187.5 miles
• Race weather: 82 °F (28 °C), Mostly Cloudy
• Television: ESPN - race advertised as Richmond IndyCar 250 presented by XM Satellite Radio
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.6
• Attendance: 45,000^[35]
• AAMCO Pole Award: Dario Franchitti (rained out, field set by owner points)
• Race Summary: Qualifying was rained out and the field was set by entrant points. As a result, points leader Dario Franchitti started the race from the pole. Franchitti dominated the race, leading all but 9 laps on his way to his third win of the season, and eighth consecutive top-5 finish. He opened up a 65-point lead in the championship ahead of Scott Dixon. The race was under yellow as soon as it went green when Sam Hornish, Jr. spun his Penske car on the inside of Turn 4. When the green flag flew on lap 4, Franchitti opened up a lead, before another caution period on lap 61 for debris. Lap 64 saw the leaders make pit stops, and it was Tony Kanaan who made the pit exit first. He led until lap 72, when Franchitti took advantage of a sluggish restart from his AGR team-mate to retake the lead. He led the next 88 laps until a single car crash involving Jeff Simmons. Hélio Castroneves led for a solitary lap, before serving a drive-through penalty for illegal blending under the pace car. The pace car then picked up what driver Johnny Rutherford believed was a puncture while leading the field, and had to switch to one of the others. Ultimately an excess amount of rubber debris had built up on the car's tires. Franchitti led the rest of the way, despite another caution for contact between Hornish and Kosuke Matsuura. Franchitti held on to win by 0.4194 seconds from the Ganassi pair of Dixon and Dan Wheldon, with Kanaan coming home 4th. Buddy Rice continued on his recent success, rounding out the top five despite starting on the outside of the sixth row.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green	250	1:24:19.6684	242	53
2	3	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	250	+0.4194	0	40
3	4	10	Dan Wheldon	Target Chip Ganassi	250	+1.3629	0	35
4	2	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green	250	+2.9088	8	32
5	12	15	Buddy Rice	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	250	+5.9130	0	30
Race average speed: 133.408
Lead changes: 4 between 3 drivers
Cautions: 4 for 33 laps

Round 10 of 17: Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix

• Sunday July 8 - 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Watkins Glen International - Watkins Glen, New York (3.37 mile permanent road course)
• Distance: 60 laps / 202.5 miles
• Race weather:
• Television: ABC
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 1.0
• Attendance:
• AAMCO Pole Award: Hélio Castroneves 1:29.1919, 136.021 mph (218.905 km/h)
• Race Summary: Castroneves led the first 19 laps, and on lap 20, under growing pressure from Scott Dixon, crashed in turn 11, bringing out the first yellow of the race. The green came out on lap 23, with Dixon leading. Lap 25 saw the second caution of the race, a spin by A. J. Foyt IV at Turn 8. As Dixon pitted, Vitor Meira grabbed the lead, which he would hold until lap 33. Meira's pit strategy was midjudged, and ran out of fuel, causing the 3rd full course caution. Dan Wheldon would lead lap 33, before pitting, allowing Marco Andretti to take the lead on lap 34. Andretti led until his final pitstop on lap 44, which would give Dixon the lead until the finish. Sam Hornish, Jr. ended up 2nd, with the Andretti Green trio of Dario Franchitti, Andretti and Tony Kanaan rounding out the top 5. Dixon also cut into Franchitti's massive points lead, reducing it from 65 to 47, after Dixon accumulated the maximum 53 points for the win, and most laps led (23) compared to the 35 that Franchitti earned for 3rd position. After the race, there was a bizarre incident in the pit lane. On the track, Hornish, Jr. and Kanaan clashed on the track (sidepod to wheel), which caused damage to each racecar. Then, Kanaan faked a turn on the reigning champion, while coming into the pitlane on the slow-down lap. This made Hornish, Jr. come towards Kanaan to discuss events on the track. Sam Hornish, Sr., the father of the Penske driver, then pushed Kanaan, making his frustration known. He was then tackled to the ground by someone standing nearby. Marco Andretti stepped in and stopped his father Michael from getting involved, and Jaime Camara, the IPS driver for AGR, was also involved in breaking up the melée. In total, some 15 to 20 people were involved in the incident.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	2	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	60	1:43:51.5094	23	53
2	5	6	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Team Penske	60	+6.2591	0	40
3	3	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green Racing	60	+9.7492	0	35
4	4	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green Racing	60	+14.4830	0	32
5	6	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Green Racing	60	+15.4749	9	30
Race average speed: 116.813
Lead changes: 5 between 5 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 7 laps

Round 11 of 17: Firestone Indy 200

• Sunday July 15 - 1:00 p.m. EDT, postponed from Saturday July 14 - 7:30 p.m. EDT due to rain
• Nashville Superspeedway - Lebanon, Tennessee (1.33 mile concrete oval)
• Distance: 200 laps / 266 miles
• Race weather: 90 °F (32 °C), Scattered clouds and showers
• Television: ESPN2 (originally scheduled for ESPN)
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.4 ^[32][33]
• Attendance: 25,000 ^[36]
• AAMCO Pole Award: Scott Dixon 22.8947 sec 204.414 mph (328.972 km/h)
• Race Summary:

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	200	1:35:06.2615	105	53
2	2	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green Racing	200	+2.2400	88	40
3	7	7	Danica Patrick	Andretti Green Racing	200	+3.1884	0	35
4	4	6	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Team Penske	200	+3.2914	0	32
5	8	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Green Racing	200	+4.1409	0	30
Race average speed: 164.030 mph (263.981 km/h)
Lead changes: 6 between 4 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 25 laps

Round 12 of 17: The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance

• Sunday July 22 - 1:30 p.m. EDT
• Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, Ohio (2.25 mile permanent road course)
• Distance: 85 laps / 192 miles
• Race weather: 80 °F (27 °C), Mostly Sunny
• Television: ABC (first hour broadcast on ESPN due to 2007 British Open running long)
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 1.7/5 (final), 1.9/5 (overnight)
• Attendance: 60,000
• AAMCO Pole Award: #3 Hélio Castroneves 1 min 06.8375 sec 121.620 mph (195.728 km/h)
• Race Summary: Castroneves' sixth pole of the season tied Billy Boat's record for most poles in a season, set in 1998. On the first lap, Andretti Green teammates Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan, and Marco Andretti tangled, resulting in Andretti's car flipping over Kanaan's rear tire and landing upside-down. Andretti was uninjured. On the final fuel stop, Scott Dixon's Chip Ganassi Racing crew was able to short-fill and get him out ahead of rivals Castroneves and Dario Franchitti. This was Dixon's third win in a row, tying Kenny Bräck (1998) and Dan Wheldon (2005) for the longest win streak in league history.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	6	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	85	1:47:24.0663	29	50
2	5	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green Racing	85	+2.6917	6	40
3	1	3	Hélio Castroneves	Team Penske	85	+8.6783	37	38
4	3	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green Racing	85	+8.9611	13	32
5	2	7	Danica Patrick	Andretti Green Racing	85	+25.2578	0	30
Race average speed: 107.222 mph (172.557 km/h)
Lead changes: 8 between 4 drivers
Cautions: 2 for 9 laps

Round 13 of 17: Firestone Indy 400

• Sunday August 5–12:00 p.m. EDT
• Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, Michigan (2-mile oval)
• Distance: 200 laps / 400 miles
• Race weather: 77 °F (25 °C) Rainy/Foggy
• Television: ESPN Classic (rain delay coverage aired on ESPN2)
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.28 (ESPN 2 rain delay coverage), no ratings available for ESPN Classic
• Attendance: 35,000^[37]
• AAMCO Pole Award: Dario Franchitti 32.981 sec 218.308 mph (351.333 km/h)
• Race Summary: The race start was delayed 4 and a half hours due to persistent rainy conditions. As a result, the US telecast was moved to ESPN Classic. Once the race began, it became a war of attrition marked by two significant incidents. The first came when Helio Castroneves and Vitor Meira hooked wheels just past the start-finish line, slamming both cars hard into the outside wall. Castroneves was visibly upset with Meira after the incident and walked all the way to the infield care center, later complaining of knee pain and being diagnosed with only a bruised knee. On Lap 139, polesitter Dario Franchitti and leader Dan Wheldon hooked wheels on the back-stretch, sending Franchitti sideways and later sailing upside down, landing on the cars of Scott Dixon and A. J. Foyt IV. Franchitti's car was the same one he had driven to victory in the Indy 500.^[38] The incident collected seven cars and all drivers, including Franchitti, were uninjured. A lengthy caution followed with just seven cars remaining running and on the lead-lap. Andretti Green Racing was set to capture a 1-2-3 finish until Danica Patrick suffered a puctured right-rear tire with 13 laps to go, forcing her to pit, leaving AGR driver Tony Kanaan to hold off teammate Marco Andretti for his third win of the season. The carnage resulted in career-best finishes for Kosuke Matsuura (4th), Ryan Hunter-Reay (6th), and Foyt (8th) despite his car not running at the finish. There was no race at Michigan on the 2008 calendar, so this may be the last major open wheel race held at the speedway in the foreseeable future.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	8	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green Racing	200	2:49:38.0509	29	50
2	13	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Green Racing	200	+0.0595	12	40
3	4	8	Scott Sharp	Rahal Letterman Racing	200	+0.3867	11	35
4	14	55	Kosuke Matsuura	Super Aguri Panther Racing	200	+0.4703	0	32
5	17	15	Buddy Rice	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	200	+4.9097	0	30
Race average speed: 141.481 mph (227.692 km/h)
Lead changes: 23 between 9 drivers
Cautions: 6 for 63 laps

Round 14 of 17: Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Edy's

• Saturday August 11 - 6:30 p.m. EDT
• Kentucky Speedway - Sparta, Kentucky (1.5-mile oval)
• Distance: 200 laps / 300 miles
• Race weather: 91 °F (33 °C) Sunny
• Television: ABC
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.6
• Attendance: 56,482^[39]
• AAMCO Pole Award: Tony Kanaan 24.4307 sec 218.086 mph (350.975 km/h)
• Race Summary: Starting from the pole for the first time since Kansas in April, the AGR car of Tony Kanaan led the opening 38 laps, right up to the first round of pitstops, under caution, after a crash on lap 36 involving Team Penske's Sam Hornish, Jr. & Ganassi's Dan Wheldon. Dario Franchitti would leapfrog his AGR team-mate on the pitstops, taking the lead on lap 39 for the restart on lap 44. Franchitti would lead until the second round of pitstops, under green flag conditions. Franchitti was the first to pit, on lap 91. This allowed Kanaan and Scott Dixon into the lead and second positions respectively. Both drivers would pit the following lap for their second pitstops. A. J. Foyt IV took the lead, and he would two laps, before pitting on lap 94. On the pitstops, Kanaan and Dixon had passed Franchitti, allowing them to be first and second, when everyone had made their pitstops. The race continued under green, until lap 126, when a caution was flown for debris in turn 3. Yellow-flag pitstops would occur, and a fast pitstop from the #9 crew allowed them, to lead for the restart on lap 132. Kanaan would pass Dixon the very next lap, and would hold the lead until the final round of pitstops. As Kanaan, Dixon and most of the other frontrunners pitted on lap 179, Foyt returned to the lead. As Foyt pitted on lap 181, the final yellow was flown, after an incident which began on pitlane. The AGR cars of Franchitti and Danica Patrick collided on pit entry, causing damage to Franchitti's right front wing endplate. He would need the nosecone replaced, but would not lose a lap. Meanwhile, Patrick was exiting pit road, and got on the power too early, causing her to spin. She would be bump-started by the Delphi safety crew. Next time by, still under caution, a tyre blew on the #7 car in turn 2, making her spin again, and narrowly avoided the safety crew. Foyt would lead the field to the restart on lap 190, but Kanaan was not to be denied, taking the lead for good on lap 191. Leading 131 of the 200 laps, the Brazilian won his 4th race of this season, and moved back into the championship running. Dixon finished 2nd, to further close on Franchitti's championship lead. The Scotsman, suffered his second backflip in a row, after hitting the #55 car of Kosuke Matsuura. He put all the blame on himself, saying that he thought the race was not over. He was the last of the cars on the lead lap, finishing in 8th, giving up 16 of his 24-point championship lead. Foyt finished a career-high 3rd, just holding off the final AGR car of Marco Andretti and his Vision Racing team-mate Tomas Scheckter.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green Racing	200	1:38:21.7078	131	53
2	4	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	200	+1.7457	4	40
3	10	22	A. J. Foyt IV	Vision Racing	200	+2.1070	13	35
4	15	26	Marco Andretti	Andretti Green Racing	200	+2.2998	0	32
5	6	2	Tomas Scheckter	Vision Racing	200	+2.3660	0	30
Race average speed: 180.558
Lead changes: 10 between 4 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 23 laps

Round 15 of 17: Motorola Indy 300

• Sunday August 26 - 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, California (2.3-mile road course)
• Distance: 80 laps / 184 miles
• Race weather: 80 °F (27 °C), Sunny
• Television: ESPN
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.6
• Attendance: 40,000^[40]
• AAMCO Pole Award: Dario Franchitti 1:16.7017, 107.961 mph (172.738 km/h)
• Race Summary: Points leader Dario Franchitti took the lead at the start, and held it for 58 of the first 63 laps. On the 69th lap, Franchitti's AGR teammate Marco Andretti was exiting the pits, and entered the track directly in front of Franchitti. In turn two, the two cars made contact, and Andretti was spun out into the barrier. Franchitti suffered a badly damaged front wing, but stayed out on the track. The race went back to green with eight laps to go, with Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves in close pursuit. Both Dixon and Castroneves were able to pass Franchitti's ill-handling machine, and went on to finish 1st-2nd. Tony Kanaan, however, stayed behind Franchitti and refused to pass him, and helped his teammate by preventing anyone from passing either, which protected Franchitti's third-place finish. With the victory, Scott Dixon took over the championship points lead. Franchitti's contact with Marco Andretti, son of team co-owner Michael Andretti, sparked an in-house feud as the elder Andretti considered Franchitti's actions "impatient."

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	5	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	80	1:51:58.5533	15	50
2	4	3	Hélio Castroneves	Team Penske	80	+0.5449	0	40
3	1	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green Racing	80	+8.3814	62	41
4	3	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green Racing	80	+8.9864	0	32
5	6	6	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Team Penske	80	+9.9473	0	30
Race average speed: 98.593 mph (158.670 km/h)
Lead changes: 9 between 4 drivers
Cautions: 2 for 5 laps

Round 16 of 17: Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone

• Sunday September 2–3:30 p.m. EDT
• The Raceway on Belle Isle - Detroit, Michigan (2.07 mile temporary street course)
• Distance: 90 laps / 186.3 miles (shortened to 89 laps 184.23 miles (296.49 km) due to time limit)
• Race weather: 77 °F (25 °C), sunny
• Television: ABC
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 1.0 ^[41]
• Attendance: 30,000 (est. raceday)^[42] 100,000 (weekend attendance) ^[43]
• AAMCO Pole Award: Helio Castroneves 1:12.0688, 103.401 mph (166.408 km/h)
• Race Summary: After a six-year absence, open wheel racing returned to the Belle Isle circuit. Minor track modifications intended to increase passing opportunities, however, saw lead changes only during pit stops, and several crashes. On the 31st lap, Sam Hornish, Jr. tangled with lap car Sarah Fisher, which took both cars out, along with Vitor Meira. Darren Manning hit the back of Danica Patrick's car, causing her to spin, but both continued. Later in the race, Helio Castroneves crashed out with Tomas Scheckter as the two were battling for position. Danica Patrick then climbed to the lead for nine laps by pitting out of sequence. After the final series of pit stops, a four-car battle at the front ensued, and held significant season championship implications. With time running out, Tony Kanaan was leading, and second place Buddy Rice ran out of fuel. Third place Scott Dixon, the championship points leader going into the race, took evasive action to get by Rice, which crashed out both cars. The pileup collected points contender Dario Franchitti as well. Danica Patrick slipped by the crash and took a career-best second place, while Kanaan went on to win. Franchitti managed to continue and limped to a sixth-place finish. Tempers flared as AGR co-owner Michael Andretti was quick to accuse Dixon of intentionally taking out Franchitti by letting off the brakes and rolling into the path of Franchitti. The incident tightened the championship chase, and moved Franchitti into the points lead by only three points with one race remaining.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	4	11	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green Racing	89	2:11:50.5097	20	50
2	11	7	Danica Patrick	Andretti Green Racing	89	+0.4865	9	40
3	16	10	Dan Wheldon	Chip Ganassi Racing	89	+1.2207	0	35
4	8	14	Darren Manning	A.J. Foyt Enterprises	89	+1.9217	0	32
5	14	55	Kosuke Matsuura	Super Aguri Panther Racing	88	+1 LAP	0	30
Race average speed: 83.841 mph (134.929 km/h)
Lead changes: 5 between 5 drivers
Cautions: 6 for 19 laps

Round 17 of 17: Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 presented by Mr. Clean

• Sunday September 9 - 3:30 p.m. EDT / 2:30 p.m. CDT
• Chicagoland Speedway - Joliet, Illinois (1.52 mile oval)
• Distance: 200 laps / 304 miles
• Race weather: 82 °F (28 °C), sunny
• Television: ABC
  • Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • Ratings: 0.9 ^[44]
• Attendance:
• AAMCO Pole Award: Dario Franchitti - 25.4931 seconds, 214.646 mph (345.439 km/h)
• Race Summary: The final race of the season saw Dario Franchitti enter with a three-point lead over Scott Dixon in the championship chase. Tony Kanaan held third, the only other driver mathematically eligible for the title. Penske teammates Sam Hornish, Jr. and Helio Castroneves dominated most of the race, leading a combined 146 laps. Tony Kanaan saw his championship hopes go away early in the race when a flat tire forced an unscheduled pit stop. He would eventually finish 6th in the race. Single-car crashes by Marco Andretti and later Vitor Meira were the only significant on track incidents of the day. Meira's crash on lap 136 caused damage to the SAFER barrier, and a long 15-lap caution ensued as track workers repaired the barrier. It set up a dramatic fuel strategy, as both Franchitti and Dixon decided to pit to top off their tanks, and thus gamble on stretching their fuel to the end of the race. With the laps winding down, most of the leaders ducked into the pits for a quick fuel stops. That left Dixon leading, Franchitti second, and Danica Patrick third. Patrick headed for the pits on lap 195, but spun at the entrance, bringing out the caution. Both Dixon and Franchitti attempted to conserve fuel under the yellow, and prepared for a two-lap sprint to decide the race winner, and ultimately the season championship. The green came out with two laps to go, and the two battled side-by-side. On the final lap, entering turn three, Dixon ran out of fuel. Franchitti slipped by to take the lead, win the race, and clinch the 2007 IndyCar Series Championship title. With Franchitti reportedly heading to NASCAR, along with possibly Sam Hornish Jr., it marked what could be the final IndyCar Series race for the 2006 and 2007 Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champions, respectively.

Top Five Finishers
Fin. Pos	St. Pos	Car No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time	Laps Led	Points
1	1	27	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green Racing	200	1:44:53.7950	10	50
2	6	9	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	200	+1.8439	41	40
3	2	6	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Team Penske	199	+1 LAP	90	38
4	3	3	Hélio Castroneves	Team Penske	199	+1 LAP	56	32
5	11	8	Scott Sharp	Rahal Letterman Racing	199	+1 LAP	0	30
Race average speed: 173.886 mph (279.842 km/h)
Lead changes: 13 between 5 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 27 laps

Season Summary

Race results

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Track	Location	Pole position	Fastest lap	Most Laps Led	Winner
1	March 24	XM Satellite Radio Indy 300	Homestead-Miami Speedway	Homestead, Florida	Dan Wheldon	Dan Wheldon	Dan Wheldon	Dan Wheldon
2	April 1	Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg	Streets of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg, Florida	Hélio Castroneves	Marco Andretti	Hélio Castroneves	Hélio Castroneves
3	April 21	Indy Japan 300	Twin Ring Motegi	Motegi, Japan	Hélio Castroneves	Hélio Castroneves	Dan Wheldon	Tony Kanaan
4	April 29	Kansas Lottery Indy 300	Kansas Speedway	Kansas City, Kansas	Tony Kanaan	Dan Wheldon	Dan Wheldon	Dan Wheldon
5	May 27	91st Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Hélio Castroneves	Tony Kanaan	Tony Kanaan	Dario Franchitti
6	June 3	ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225	The Milwaukee Mile	West Allis, Wisconsin	Hélio Castroneves	Dan Wheldon	Hélio Castroneves	Tony Kanaan
7	June 9	Bombardier Learjet 550	Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth, Texas	Scott Sharp	Marco Andretti	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Sam Hornish, Jr.
8	June 24	Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Ethanol	Iowa Speedway	Newton, Iowa	Scott Dixon	Hélio Castroneves	Dario Franchitti	Dario Franchitti
9	June 30	SunTrust Indy Challenge presented by XM Satellite Radio	Richmond International Raceway	Richmond, Virginia	Dario Franchitti	Dan Wheldon	Dario Franchitti	Dario Franchitti
10	July 8	Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix	Watkins Glen International	Watkins Glen, New York	Hélio Castroneves	Dario Franchitti	Scott Dixon	Scott Dixon
11	July 15	Firestone Indy 200	Nashville Superspeedway	Lebanon, Tennessee	Scott Dixon	Dan Wheldon	Scott Dixon	Scott Dixon
12	July 22	The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio	Hélio Castroneves	Dario Franchitti	Hélio Castroneves	Scott Dixon
13	August 5	Firestone Indy 400	Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn, Michigan	Dario Franchitti	Danica Patrick	Dario Franchitti	Tony Kanaan
14	August 11	Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Edy's	Kentucky Speedway	Sparta, Kentucky	Tony Kanaan	Dan Wheldon	Tony Kanaan	Tony Kanaan
15	August 26	Motorola Indy 300	Infineon Raceway	Sonoma, California	Dario Franchitti	Tony Kanaan	Dario Franchitti	Scott Dixon
16	September 2	Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone	The Raceway on Belle Isle Park	Detroit, Michigan	Hélio Castroneves	Dario Franchitti	Dario Franchitti	Tony Kanaan
17	September 9	Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 presented by Mr. Clean	Chicagoland Speedway	Joliet, Illinois	Dario Franchitti	Hideki Mutoh	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Dario Franchitti

  Oval/Speedway

  Road Course/Street Circuit

BOLD indicates a Superspeedways.

Final driver standings

Pos Driver HMS STP MOT KAN INDY MIL TXS IOW RIR WGL NSH MDO MIS KTY SNM DET CHI Pts 1 Dario Franchitti 7 5 3 2 1 2 4 1* 1* 3 2 2 13* 8 3* 6* 1 637 2 Scott Dixon 2 2 4 4 2 4 12 10 2 1* 1* 1 10 2 1 8 2 624 3 Tony Kanaan 5 3 1 15 12* 1 2 16 4 4 18 4 1 1* 4 1 6 576 4 Dan Wheldon 1* 9 2* 1* 22 3 15 11 3 7 8 10 12 17 7 3 13 466 5 Sam Hornish, Jr. 3 7 5 6 4 9 1* 14 15 2 4 14 9 18 5 12 3* 465 6 Hélio Castroneves 9 1* 7 3 3 16* 16 8 11 18 6 3* 17 9 2 14 4 446 7 Danica Patrick 14 8 11 7 8 8 3 13 6 11 3 5 7 16 6 2 11 424 8 Scott Sharp 12 11 6 13 6 6 7 3 8 14 7 11 3 6 14 11 5 412 9 Buddy Rice 10 10 10 20 25 18 8 4 5 6 17 8 5 12 11 7 9 360 10 Tomas Scheckter 8 6 9 5 7 17 14 19 7 13 11 9 11 5 8 13 20 357 11 Marco Andretti 20 4 16 19 24 15 19 2 12 5 5 18 2 4 16 17 22 350 12 Vitor Meira 4 16 17 8 10 5 5 9 9 17 10 17 18 10 9 15 18 334 13 Darren Manning 13 12 12 11 20 11 13 5 14 9 9 6 15 13 12 4 21 332 14 A. J. Foyt IV 18 13 13 9 14 13 17 12 13 15 12 13 8 3 15 9 10 315 15 Ed Carpenter 6 18 15 17 17 7 18 6 10 12 13 16 14 7 13 10 16 309 16 Kosuke Matsuura 16 17 18 18 16 11 9 15 17 8 16 12 4 11 10 5 17 303 17 Sarah Fisher 11 15 14 12 18 14 10 7 16 16 15 15 16 14 17 16 12 275 18 Jeff Simmons 17 14 8 10 11 10 6 17 18 10 14 201 19 Ryan Hunter-Reay 7 6 15 18 18 7 119 20 Milka Duno 14 31 11 18 19 19 15 96 21 Marty Roth 15 21 28 14 53 22 Alex Barron 19 16 15 41 23 Jon Herb 32 20 20 34 24 Ryan Briscoe 5 30 25 Hideki Mutoh 8 24 26 Davey Hamilton 9 22 27 Michael Andretti 13 17 28 P. J. Chesson 19 12 29 Buddy Lazier 19 12 30 Roger Yasukawa 21 12 31 Richie Hearn 23 12 32 Al Unser, Jr. 26 10 33 Jaques Lazier 27 10 34 Phil Giebler 29 10 35 John Andretti 30 10 36 Roberto Moreno 33 10 — P. J. Jones DNQ 0 — Jimmy Kite DNQ 0 Pos Driver HMS STP MOT KAN INDY MIL TXS IOW RIR WGL NSH MDO MIS KTY SNM DET CHI Pts

Color Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green 4th & 5th place Light Blue 6th-10th place Dark Blue Finished (Outside Top 10) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Brown Withdrawn (Wth) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Not competing In-line notation Bold Pole position Italics Ran fastest race lap * Led most race laps (3 points) DNS Any driver who qualifies but does not start (DNS), earns half the points had they taken part. Rookie of the Year Rookie

• Ties in points broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc., and then by number of pole positions, followed by number of times qualified 2nd, etc.

See also

• 2007 Indianapolis 500
• 2007 Indy Pro Series season
• 2007 Champ Car season
• 2007 Champ Car Atlantic season

References

1. "Danica Patrick most popular IndyCar driver for 3rd straight year". Yahoo! Sports. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
2. "Indy racing to come to Iowa Speedway". USA Today. August 2, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
16. www.indystar.com
17. Dead Link, The Indianapolis Star, August 6, 2007
18. Freeman, Glenn. Hunter-Reay to replace Simmons, Autosport.com, July 19, 2007
20. "INDYCAR: Rules Changes Announced for '07". http://www.speedtv.com. 2007-01-23. Retrieved 2007-01-29. External link in |publisher= (help)
21. "Reid returns as lead announcer for IRL, Indy 500". IndyStar.com. 2007-03-07. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
25. "IRL remains mum on Daytona future". ndyStar.com. 2007-02-02. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
26. "Wheldon tops IRL testing". ndyStar.com. 2007-02-21. Archived from the original on October 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
27. "Test sets the stage". Indycar.com. 2007-06-13. Archived from the original on September 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
28. "IndyCar Series Timing & Scoring Reports" (PDF). Indycar.com. 2007-06-22. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
29. "Formula One exciting once again". Detroit Free Press. 2007-07-24. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
30. "Opener earns highest ESPN2 rating". Indycar.com. 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
31. , Miami Herald
32. Hot News Page, AutoRacing1.com, 08-08-2007
33. Racing Numbers Game, Sports Media Watch, 08-08-2007
34. Kansas IRL race near sellout, The Score, 04-27-1008
35. Sports - inRich.com
36. 'Oreovicz, John', Nashville race hampered by lack of second racing groove, espn.com, 07-16-2007
37. TSN : AUTO RACING - Canada's Sports Leader
38. http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9645 Collectible loses value.
39. ESPN - Kanaan keeps his cool all the way to fourth win of season - Open-Wheel
40. Sports - Dixon prevails at Infineon - sacbee.com
41. (Belated) weekend ratings.
42. Amber Hunt, Kathleen Gray and Naomi R. Patton, 'Simply Grand: Thousands of race fans cheer Prix's return to Detroit.', Detroit Free Press, 09-03-2007
43. IPS: IRL: Behind The Barriers - Chicagoland
44. , Sports Media Watch, 09-14-2007

External links

• IndyCar.com - official site
• Indianapolis 500 - official site
• Indianapolis Star