Franchitti, Dixon Favorites for IRL Crown
Target Chip Ganassi Drivers Set to Battle for Championship
Jun 2, 2009
Chances are good that it will be a driver from either Target Chip Ganassi Racing or Penske Racing holding the Vanderbilt Cup aloft at season's end. Drivers from one of those two teams have won each of the first five races, beginning with Penske's Ryan Briscoe at St. Petersburg, followed by Ganassi's Dario Franchitti at Long Beach, Ganassi's Scott Dixon at Kansas, Penske's Helio Castroneves at Indianapolis and Dixon again at Milwaukee.
Danica Patrick Looking Good
Not even Andretti Green Racing, the league's other super team, has managed to break through with a win, but Andretti Green's Danica Patrick has fought her way into fourth place in the points after five races, behind Dixon, Briscoe and Franchitti. While Danica has not yet proven that she can run down either of the Penske or Ganassi cars, she has had an outstanding start to the season and is showing the kind of measured tenacity and smarts that will eventually pay off in race wins and, possibly, championships.
Newman Haas Lanigan Racing Struggling
With drivers Graham Rahal and rookie Robert Doornbos, the well funded (McDonald's sponsorship) Newman Haas Lanigan team has struggled out of the gate. Rahal stands 8th in points, while Doornbos sits in 15th. But Rahal rebounded from a disastrous Indy 500, where he crashed and finished 31st, by crossing the line in fourth at Milwaukee. He does have a pair of 7th place finishes to his credit, while Doornbos' best result is a ninth place showing at Long Beach.
Versus, ABC TV Package a Mixed Bag
The IRL's shifting of its primary TV coverage to the Versus cable channel (ABC carries five events), has been good and bad for fans. First, the good. Versus does a great job of presenting the races. it's pre- and post-race coverage is vastly superior to what the league was getting on ESPN and ABC last season. The announcing team of Bob Jenkins and ex-open wheel drivers Robbie Buhl and Jon Beekhuis is knowledgeable, but not overbearing. Now the bad news; Versus is a cable channel that virtually no one has heard of. In fact, most people probably have to take a trip through their channel guide to even locate it. Accordingly, the ratings have been pretty dismal thus far.
By moving away from ESPN, the league is missing out on the massive promotional and marketing resources it could derive from being on one of the most-watched cable networks in the country.
Scott Dixon Will Win It
The final 12 races of the season include seven road or temporary street courses and five ovals. Given Dixon's prowess on ovals and Franchitti's superiority on the road courses, it's looking like Dixon will claim back-to-back championships, which would make him a three-time IRL champ.
