ESPN John Oreovicz Blog

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

IRL president Brian Barnhart, left, and president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Jeff Belskus, left center, scored a major coup with the help of Mike Kelly of the Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., bringing a major sponsor -- Izod -- into the sport.

"Let's get the party started!"

With those words from Indy Racing League vice president of public relations John Griffin, the IndyCar Series rolled out the red carpet for its first title sponsor since 2001. With the marketing muscle of Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. behind it, the Izod IndyCar Series may finally get noticed as "The Fastest Race in the World."

At first glance, the notion of an apparel brand and a racing series teaming together doesn't add up. But if you look at the initiatives taken (not to mention the promotional dollars spent) since Izod entered Indy car racing as a personal sponsor of American star Ryan Hunter-Reay 16 months ago, it starts to make sense.

"It obviously has been a long time since we've had a title sponsor, and to be honest with you, it's probably the first legitimate title sponsor we've ever had," said IRL competition president Brian Barnhart, without mentioning short-lived former partners Pep Boys (1998-99) and NorthernLight.com (2000-01).

"I think the best thing about it is going to be the activation aspect of it because they're going to spend a lot of money raising the awareness of the series and increasing the amount of eyeballs that are watching our sport. That's the first step in raising the value of participation in this series."

It certainly sounds like the way the six-year deal (with an option for Izod to extend) has been structured will benefit everyone involved with Indy car racing. Aside from the cash influx the Indy Racing League needed at a critical juncture for the company, Izod's money will be allocated to participants as part of the TEAM revenue-sharing program. It's a given that PVH will promote the sport through aggressive television, print and Internet media ad buys and driver appearances at Macy's stores.

Izod is likely to reserve plenty of track signage and work closely with promoters in local race markets.

"We expect to be very aggressive in our spending," said Mike Kelly, PVH executive vice president of marketing and creative.

The title backing, worth upward of $10 million annually, is part of PVH's strategy of building Izod's brand image through sports marketing, including securing naming rights for the Meadowlands arena that the New Jersey Nets call home.

The IndyCar Series also offers PVH the opportunity to cross-market its premium brands, including Calvin Klein, Timberland and Sean John, to the demographically upscale open-wheel audience.

Kelly was Hunter-Reay's guest at the 2008 Indianapolis 500 and said, "It took about four seconds before the needle was in my arm."

By the Watkins Glen race on July 4 weekend, RHR had earned a personal sponsorship contract from Izod. The driver arguably responsible for delivering the Izod title sponsorship to the IndyCar Series affirmed his enthusiasm for the partnership during the presentation at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda Pavilion on Thursday.

"This is a fresh start for the IndyCar Series," said Hunter-Reay, who is reportedly on the brink of clinching -- with Izod's support -- the open fourth seat with Michael Andretti's team. "This is what we've been waiting for. They're more a marketing company than anything else and the sky's the limit right now."

With the economy in a continued tailspin and Indy car racing's public profile at a low point, Izod couldn't have picked a better time to get on board with open-wheel racing and the chances of the sport making a comeback increased significantly with Thursday's title sponsorship announcement.

"As a corporation, if you see what we're doing across all of our brands, we have not pulled back in our marketing spend even though the environment became difficult," Kelly said. "We have grown, our brands have grown, we've grown in market share -- we believe in share of units, share of dollars, also share of voice and share of mind.

"While our competition has pulled back on their spending, we see it in the marketplace. We've been aggressive with the spend. We're fortunate to be able to do so as a healthy company. It's bearing fruit for us."

Kelly said he and PVH were captivated by the potential of using the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Centennial Celebration as a marketing platform and believe Indy car racing can regain the stature it enjoyed in the 1980s and '90s until the battle for control of the sport between the IRL and CART/Champ Car killed whatever momentum the formula carried.

"The assets are so rich," Kelly said. "If you think about the power of [Indy car racing] during the '80s and the '90s on the American racing landscape, now you've got a next generation that just doesn't realize how sexy and cool this sport is. I think we have a lot to offer the league, but the league has a lot of great assets to tell a story with.

"It's an opportunity, no question," he added. "If everything was rosy and the series was mature after the unification, I'm not sure we could afford it. I think it's right time, right place, and we do see upside. If you think of it as a toddler that's on its feet now, that's the kind of position we like. We want to be part of it, because we're not just committed for the short term."

By luck or design, the Indy Racing League's scoring system has created remarkably close championship battles, and for the fourth year in a row, the IndyCar Series title was not settled until the final lap of the season. Dario Franchitti edged his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon, with Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe right in the mix as well.

At about this time a year ago, I wrote a column in which I used point-scoring systems from several other forms of motorsport to determine whether the results of the IndyCar Series championship hypothetically would have changed. I calculated that the IndyCar Series would have had a different champion in eight of the 15 scenarios I created, with the biggest shakeup coming to the 2006 standings, where Sam Hornish Jr. tied Dan Wheldon on points but won on a tiebreaker using the IRL points distribution.

Four drivers went into the final championship round that year with a shot at the title, and had either the CART or current Formula 1 scoring system been in use, Helio Castroneves would have won the title rather than finishing third. Castroneves would have won another crown in 2008 if either CART or Champ Car World Series points had been awarded.

Castroneves was out of championship contention this year, but once again, an alternate scoring system would have crowned a different champion. Let's crunch the numbers …

Formula One

The classic F1 points distribution rewarded excellence, and until 2002, only the top 6 finishers in a Grand Prix were awarded points. Expanding the points to the top 8 did little to slow down the Michael Schumacher express, but it did create more interesting F1 title races about half the time since then.

Prior to establishing himself as an IndyCar Series star, Briscoe had F1 aspirations, and the Australian would today find himself as the 2009 IndyCar champion if points were awarded F1 style. Despite scoring fewer race wins than either of the Target/Ganassi drivers, Briscoe's eight second-place finishes would have benefited him handsomely this year and he would have emerged as champion had the classic or current F1 system been in use. That's despite the fact that he suffered four finishes outside the top 12, compared to three for Dixon and just two for Franchitti.

It was feast or famine for Briscoe, who never finished lower than fourth except in his four bad events. He would have scored 81 points using the old F1 system, compared to 76 for Franchitti and 73 for Dixon. Using the current F1 points, Briscoe would have racked up 104 markers, with Franchitti second on 101 and Dixon third with 96.

CART

CART paid out points to the top 12 finishers, and also awarded single bonus points for pole position and leading the most laps.

Franchitti would have triumphed as this year's IndyCar Series champion using the CART system, with 226 points, but Briscoe would have beaten Dixon into second place with 221 points to the New Zealander's tally of 215.

With four poles and five races in which he led the most laps, Briscoe was the bonus point leader (Dixon had one pole and led the most laps six times, while Franchitti started the most races from the pole with five and topped the laps led chart only three times), but it wasn't enough for him to overcome the extra points Franchitti gained by winning five races to Briscoe's three.

Champ Car

Champ Car spread the points down to 20th place, and was also more generous with the bonus points, awarding them for pole position, laps led, most positions gained and fastest race lap.

Briscoe yet again dominated the bonus points, racking up 22 to Dixon's 18 and Franchitti's 17, but once more it was not enough to deliver him a championship. In fact, using the Champ Car system, he remained third in the final reckoning, scoring 396 points compared to 399 for Dixon and 409 for series champion Franchitti.

NASCAR

Dixon matched Briscoe with 90 NASCAR-style bonus points, which are dispensed in five-point increments for any driver who leads a lap and to the driver who leads the most laps in a race. Franchitti racked up 70 NASCAR bonus points but still came out on top of the mythical championship standings, with 2,818 points, plus-5 on Dixon and plus-36 on Briscoe.

Ultimately, the fact that Briscoe scored more poor finishes than the Target Ganassi drivers proved to be his undoing. Dixon and Franchitti salvaged bad days by finishing anywhere from third to seventh, and Franchitti was particularly effective in terms of damage control.

In fact, had Dario not suffered a brake failure leading to a crash at Kansas Speedway (where he probably would have finished second to Dixon) and an off-course excursion at Watkins Glen while avoiding another driver's accident, he would have put together an almost perfect season and won the championship by a landslide.

No matter what scoring system was in use.

The top spot in ESPN.com's IndyCar Series Power Rankings got passed around as often as the lead of the series championship this year.

We started the practice in the lead-up to the Indianapolis 500, and since then, Scott Dixon has topped the charts five times, including the final ranking for the 2009 season. Dario Franchitti was No. 1 on four occasions, Ryan Briscoe twice, and Helio Castroneves once.

After midseason, Castroneves was firmly planted at No. 4, while Briscoe, Dixon and Franchitti swapped the first three places almost on a weekly basis.

In the end, even though he didn't win the 2009 championship, I placed Dixon at No. 1, mainly on the basis that I believe the rankings represent a driver's potential going into the next race. In other words, if whatever race that kicks off the 2010 IndyCar Series season were next week (it could be St. Petersburg, because things have gone awfully quiet on the Brazil front), I'd put my money on Dixon to win it.

I agonized about ranking series champion Franchitti second and wrote, "I'll probably hear from Dario after ranking him No. 2, yet he probably won't argue that Dixon deserves to be No. 1."

Indeed I did hear from the Scotsman, who made a credible case for why he should be ranked No. 1 over his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate. There was no animosity or ego involved, just the well-crafted thoughts of a passionate racer who takes every part of his craft seriously -- right down to media relations.

To wit, Franchitti felt he deserved to be ranked No. 1 for several reasons:

• He led the IndyCar Series in pole positions with five, plus the one taken away at Kansas Speedway because of a minor infringement. That's proof that over one lap, at least, he was the fastest driver in Indy car racing, and the poles came on all types of tracks -- short ovals, speedways, road courses and street courses. His five wins were also thoroughly diverse, from his strategy-driven victory in the finale to his dominant flag-to-flag run on the Infineon Raceway road course.

• His fuel-strategy win at Homestead was countered by losing the Richmond race to Dixon on fuel mileage.

• His only real mistake was getting crossed up while avoiding an incident between Ed Carpenter and Mario Moraes at Watkins Glen.

"For the first year at a team and first year back, I'd say it was pretty good," he said. "I'm not normally one to sound my own trumpet, but … anyway, the case for the defense rests."

To restate: Franchitti was the better qualifier, with five-plus poles to Dixon's two; matched Dixon on race wins with five; had one more top-10 finish than his teammate (15 versus 14 in a 17-race season); and made fewer mistakes -- Dario's only DNF was a crash at Kansas caused by a brake problem.

Is he right? I'm not sure. I probably would have been happiest listing the Ganassi teammates as co-No. 1s, but that would have been a cop-out.

You certainly can't diminish what Franchitti achieved this year -- my own words were: "Returned to Indy cars motivated and refreshed after his NASCAR sabbatical, matched Ganassi teammate Dixon with five wins and thoroughly deserved to emerge as series champion."

But I'm going to stand by my choice of Dixon as the No. 1 driver in the IndyCar Series Power Rankings. And I hope Franchitti and his fans don't take being listed as an oh-so-close No. 2 as an insult. If you happen to read this rebuttal, Dario, we will have to continue this argument over a couple of beers. And maybe include Dixie to hear what he has to say about the matter.

Besides, had there been just one timely caution in that Homestead race, Briscoe could have emerged as IndyCar Series champion, and there would have been a different name at the top of the Power Rankings.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Danica Patrick leads the IndyCar Series in terms of column inches and television time.

But Scott Dixon tops the charts in all the important statistics that matter to racers. Like laps led, races won and championship points.

The 29-year-old New Zealander can notch another statistical hallmark Saturday afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway if he emerges from the Firestone Indy 300 as a three-time IndyCar Series champion. Dixon leads the points standings heading into the season finale, and he has the opportunity to match Sam Hornish Jr.'s if he wraps up title No. 3, to accompany the crowns he earned in 2003 and 2008.

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AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama

Scott Dixon set himself up for a third IndyCar Series title with a clutch victory at Motegi last month.

It won't be easy. Dixon has a slim five-point lead over his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dario Franchitti, and eight points in hand over Ryan Briscoe of Team Penske. But at the same time, the math is pretty simple: If Dixon finishes ahead of Franchitti and Briscoe on the track, the championship is his.

The odds are stacked in his favor. Dixon is a two-time winner at Homestead, and both victories came during his championship seasons. Already established as the most successful driver during the IndyCar Series-sanctioned era with 21 victories, Dixon's mission now is to put his marks out of reach. But he knows that Franchitti and Briscoe have goals of their own to shoot for.

"For me, trying to go for records and going for three [championships] would be fantastic," he said. "Obviously that's the reason I'm pushing. Dario's [reason] would be from winning the championship in '07 and trying to come back and do the same thing once he has a full season in IndyCar again, and obviously, with Ryan, it would be his first. So I think all of us have the motivation.

"For me it's more about records," he added. "I think agendas from all of us are a little different. But ultimately I think the goal is by all means the same. I think the motivation is the same from all of us."

Back in April, it would have been difficult to envision Dixon being in this position. His season started badly with a pair of poor finishes on street courses, which are usually his bread and butter. But five race wins, culminating in a dominant run three weeks ago at Motegi, Japan, have put the Kiwi on the brink of a third series triumph.

He's happy that the title decider will be held at Homestead, which is unique among the six 1.5-mile speedways the IndyCar Series visits.

"I've been in the IndyCar Series for seven or eight years and it's always been the kickoff event, the first race of the season," he said. "It's in a lot of ways quite fundamental in how the championship rolls out, because the person who has won the first race at Homestead has a lot of the time gone on to win the championship.

"But I think it's a perfect scenario. It's Florida, it's Miami in October, and it's hot. It's going to be a twilight race, which is even better. I tend to like the scenario of being at Homestead a little more than being at Chicago, because Chicago's almost pretty much just straight-out speed, whereas Miami-Homestead, is definitely a little more technical. There's a little more grip reliance, to make sure you have a car mechanically that's quite good and the driver can manipulate that quite a bit. It's more of a team effort for whoever wins at Homestead."

The teaming of Franchitti and Dixon has produced one of the most successful seasons in the history of Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Although the team boasts six CART and IndyCar Series championships since 1996, TCGR has never finished 1-2 in the standings, which is a distinct possibility this year.

Dixon has found Franchitti to be a much more team-oriented running mate compared to his past partners, who include Dan Wheldon and Tomas Scheckter.

"I think Dario and I understand in racing that you have the same equipment as someone else -- your friends and your teammates and things like that," he observed. "Some days you've just got to understand that your teammate's having a better day. It might be hard to swallow, but that's the way it goes. I don't think it changes anything. That's what racing is all about.

"First you've got to work together with your teammate, and then see what plays out. But both of our teams have done a lot of preparation and are looking forward to it. Obviously, the winner picks up the bar tab."

Despite all that is on the line -- the record-tying third consecutive championship and the $1 million bonus that goes with it -- Dixon insists he's treating Homestead as he would a typical race weekend.

"I think if you try to change your strategy or the way you approach the race, it might affect how quick you go over the outcome of the race, and ultimately the outcome of the championship," Dixon said. "So I think you try to keep it simple, and not put too much pressure on yourself and let it all play out. It's pretty much whoever beats who is going to walk away with the championship. So it's definitely good for all the fans and one of the toughest days for the drivers.

"But I'm definitely looking forward to it. It should be a great show, and a happy time for one of us. It's been a great shootout so far as the whole championship's gone, and I think everybody's definitely put in a lot of hard work this season -- teams and drivers and everybody else.

"We'll all find out probably by 7 o'clock Saturday night."

They don't give out a "Most Improved Driver" award in the IndyCar Series, but if they did, Ryan Briscoe would likely win it for the second year in a row.

Not that the Australian, who turned 28 just a couple of weeks ago, had much room for improvement.

Briscoe had a breakthrough season in 2008, winning two races (plus an unofficial exhibition contest in his homeland) and finishing fifth in the IndyCar Series standings. This year, he's upped the victory tally to three heading into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and he's third in the championship, just eight points behind leader Scott Dixon.

More importantly, he's added consistency to his repertoire, with a string of second-place finishes and fewer mistakes.

"We always knew Ryan was quick," observed Dario Franchitti of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, who sits between his teammate Dixon and Briscoe in the standings. "He's just kind of calmed down. I think Roger [Penske] has helped him a lot and he's become very consistent.

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Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Ryan Briscoe has been out front a lot in 2009. He'll want to be there again on Saturday at Homestead.

"We all make mistakes. At this stage, I still make mistakes even with a bunch of experience. His mistakes are getting fewer but the pace is still there. He's a challenge."

Briscoe had a 25-point championship lead prior to the recent race at Motegi, Japan, but made one of his rare errors this season by crashing into the pit wall. Ryan's Team Penske running mate Helio Castroneves said he believes Briscoe has put the gaffe behind him and will be mentally strong for Homestead.

"As I see it, after Japan, Ryan was able to turn the page and focus on what he needs to be doing now," Castroneves said. "That's pretty big. Sometimes you keep asking yourself 'Why this or why that?' But I noticed he already moved on and that's good. That's the right attitude you have.

"He's young, but he has a lot of experience in different cars and different scenarios. He's faced a lot of ups and downs. I feel it's going to be a very interesting finish to the championship."

For his part, Briscoe is satisfied with his season and the job he has done for Team Penske -- to a point.

"You know, it really has been a fantastic year for me," he remarked. "Mistakes have been made on my part, but I feel I'm still improving and getting stronger and need to improve on some areas. But it's just a phenomenal feeling being where I am right now. I wouldn't have thought it a few years ago. [The championship] would be unbelievable. I don't think I've ever wanted something so much.

"I'm just really graceful for the opportunity that's been given to me, especially by Roger Penske and [team president] Tim Cindric getting me to where I am now. It's just amazing. And to win the championship is really just an added bonus for everything that's happened. But win or lose, it's been a great year and I'll be back next year to try to do it again."

He's anticipating an exciting battle between himself and the Ganassi drivers at Homestead. Of the three championship contenders, Briscoe has the best record on 1.5-mile speedways in 2009, with an average finish of fifth. He won recently at Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, both in photo finishes.

"I think the three of us have raced very closely throughout the whole season," he said of himself, Franchitti and Dixon. "We have a bit of confidence and faith in each other's abilities at this point and I think that's got to continue. I don't really see anything different happening in this race. We've got to be smart and aggressive, but safe as well. And certainly take it to the line. We've sort of worked up a certain amount of respect between the three of us, which we're going to need going into this race.

"Otherwise the approach going into the race is the same. We've all been doing a great job at all of these races this year. And there is no reason to change up what we've been doing. There's just a bit more on the line there as you come down to the final stages of the race."

If anything, Briscoe said he thinks he could have an advantage because the Ganassi drivers will be racing each other for the title, whereas Castroneves will be working to Team Penske's benefit if he manages to find himself racing with the championship contenders.

"I think we're all feeling the same pressure going in," Briscoe said. "I'm sure Scott and Dario will still be working together to try to get the best performance out of their car, but in the same way, I'll be working with Helio moving into the race, trying to get the best setup as well. I think we're all in the same boat.

"I've been spending time with the team, trying to be 100 percent prepared for this week and we tested down at Homestead with Dario. Aside from that, I've just being sort of doing my day-to-day life at home. It's actually been quite easy. I've been really excited and motivated and really just can't wait for this weekend to come. So I'm happy we're finally here."

Dario Franchitti returned to the IndyCar Series in 2009 after a brief foray into NASCAR, and it looks like he never missed a beat.

Franchitti won four races and won the 2007 IndyCar championship while driving for Andretti Green Racing, and after switching to Target Chip Ganassi Racing this year he has matched that victory tally to date in 2009. He's five points behind teammate Scott Dixon heading into the season-ending Firestone Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe just three points behind Franchitti.

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AP Photo/AJ Mast

Dario Franchitti's biggest fan? It's wife Ashley Judd, of course.

The 2007 championship was a two-man battle between Dixon and Franchitti, resolved in Dario's favor when Dixon ran out of fuel on the final lap at Chicagoland Speedway while leading. Now they are racing for the same team, but Dario insists that the dynamic between the championship protagonists hasn't changed.

"It's different because I know Scott better and we're in the same equipment," Franchitti said. "But when you get out on the track it's the same, really. We've always raced each other pretty clean and with the same level of respect. Obviously now being teammates, that increases, but once we get out there, whoever does the best job at Homestead is going to win it.

"It's kind of cool, isn't it? We're all going to go out there and it comes down to this."

Still, Franchitti believes that no matter what happens Saturday, the championship will not have been determined by one race or one moment -- even though that's what the focus was after the dramatic last-lap conclusion to the 2007 season.

"A lot of factors throughout the year have gotten us to this point," he noted. "We've lost points at some races through mistakes or bad luck, and we've also gained some through making the right choices and having some good luck.

"A championship doesn't all come down to one race or one point," he continued. "The last lap at Chicago is the moment that everybody remembers, but it was a long season and a lot of things got us there. Each day you have to make the most of the car you have, and that day our car wasn't quick enough to win it. So I had to use the only weapon I had, which was fuel mileage. There were many points that year where we had the quickest car and got screwed."

The key difference to this year's championship decider is that the venue has changed from Chicagoland to Homestead. Franchitti believes that could change the complexion of the action.

"Homestead is a much tougher track to drive," he noted. "Chicago is a much more banked track and the corners are so open; it's more about speed than handling. Homestead is really a handling track, and we've noticed that this year especially."

All three of the championship contenders tested within the last week at Homestead.

"It was just the three of us, so it was kind of weird," laughed Franchitti.

Win or lose on Saturday, Dario plans to walk away with his head high, comfortable in the knowledge that 2009 was one of the best years of his 14-year career in American open-wheel racing. Aside from his 2007 IndyCar Series title, he tied Juan Pablo Montoya on points for the 1999 CART Champ Car World Series crown, but lost out to the Colombian on a tiebreaker.

"It's got to be pretty close to my best," Franchitti said. "Certainly it's up there with '07; 1999 and '98 were good years too. It's always clouded, though. Some years you're in really good stuff; in '07 the car was very good and obviously this year the car was very good. In 2000, I think I drove a good season but the car wasn't really that good.

"I think the one difference this year is we let Indy slip away with the pit stop and we let a couple of others slip away that we probably could have won. So to be in this situation, it's been a pretty strong year."

Helio Castroneves is out of contention for the 2009 IndyCar Series championship, but the 34-year-old Brazilian could play a crucial supporting role to help his Team Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe win the crown this Saturday in the Firestone Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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AP Photo/Tom Strickland

Helio Castroneves, left, will be championship contender Ryan Briscoe's best friend Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

With eight points separating championship leader Scott Dixon and third-placed Briscoe -- and a 10-point difference between finishing first and second in the race -- Homestead is shaping up as a winner-take-all affair. Yet if Castroneves wins the race, it could still benefit Briscoe because every point he takes away from Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Dixon and Dario Franchitti (who trails Dixon by five points) will be critical.

Castroneves has two victories this season (at Texas and the Indianapolis 500), and the Miami resident knows how he would like to see Saturday's 300-miler play out.

"If I have the opportunity to win the race right in my backyard, it would be great," Helio remarked recently during a break from tire testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "The perfect scenario would be for me to finish first and Ryan to be second so we can have a great celebration party at the end of the season.

"Certainly, I want to be in the mix," he continued. "The two Ganassi guys are going to fight each other to clinch the championship, and I'm sure each one is looking out for their own interest. The beauty for us is that I don't have to look in that direction. But you want to make sure everything is fair and square."

Castroneves could make things difficult for the Ganassi duo if he qualifies well and races at the front. Briscoe would like nothing more than to see his Penske teammate run interference on the Target cars so that he can drive away to win the race and the championship in one fell swoop.

Helio knows he can help out in that way, but he insists he'll play it clean, even if it means backing off like Vitor Meira did in the closing laps of the 2002 IndyCar Series finale when Castroneves and eventual champion Sam Hornish Jr. were disputing the title.

"There is a way of helping and there is a way of being stupid as well," Castroneves remarked. "You don't want to do anything stupid to anybody, including yourself. If you're going to take a chance, it's got to be a good risk and not an unnecessary one. If I can do anything, I will do it, obviously. But you have to think about the whole scenario."

Franchitti said he believes that Castroneves will behave in an appropriate manner if the championship hangs in the balance as the laps wind down at Homestead.

"You never know those things, but in Japan, when I was leading, we lapped Helio when he was having a bad day and he was great," Dario said. "He played absolutely fairly by all of us."

It's been a disappointing second half of the season for Castroneves in terms of results following his victory at Texas in early June. Now 10 years into his career with Team Penske and wrapping up his eighth IndyCar Series campaign, the three-time Indy 500 winner is still in search of his first overall championship. It's a goal he refuses to give up on, even if it won't happen in 2009.

"You always want to achieve your goals, and a championship has always been one of my goals," he said. "Along with that I want to win races, finish well in races and collect as many points as I can. But at the end of the day, you want to collect a championship.

"The good news is we keep ourselves hungry. When I come back next year I'm going to be as hungry as ever, because there will be more opportunities. There is an opportunity to be a four-time winner at Indy, and there is a championship as well. If it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't the right time. The Indy 500 this year is proof. We didn't finish three years in a row and now it happened. Now we know why."

Helio disputes the notion that he hit an emotional wall in the aftermath of his third Indianapolis triumph, which came on the heels of his acquittal from federal tax-evasion charges.

The previous year also was an emotional roller coaster for Castroneves. He gained a new legion of fans by winning ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" in late 2007, but went through most of 2008 riding out the longest winless streak of his IndyCar career before rallying with two late-season victories to nearly steal the IRL title from eventual winner Dixon. That's when the federal government came knocking with the tax-evasion indictment.

Since winning in Texas, Castroneves has racked up four DNFs and has achieved only one podium finish. He also crashed heavily in qualifying for the most recent IndyCar race, at Motegi, Japan.

But he insists he's ready to give his best for himself and his team Saturday near his adopted hometown.

"We're human beings, we always have ups and downs," Castroneves said. "Unfortunately we had some races where a lot of things happened outside of our control. Thank God it happened to my car, because if it happened to Ryan's car, it would have been goodbye to his challenge for the championship.

"It's one of those things. Sometimes we hit the right setup, sometimes we don't. Certainly, I'm ready for a nice race at Homestead, then I'll go home and recharge the batteries and have a great next year."

The IndyCar Series championship will go down to the wire for the fourth year in a row, but the Firestone Indy Lights title has already been settled. And for the first time since 2002, the Lights champion is an American -- J.R. Hildebrand, a 21-year-old from Sausalito, Calif.

Hildebrand has been considered a top American open-wheel prospect since he won the Team USA Scholarship in 2005. His progression through the fractured American ladder system since that success has been rapid. Hildebrand cruised to the 2006 Formula Ford 2000 crown, raced in the Champ Car Atlantic Series and made his Indy Lights debut in 2007, and broke into the Lights winner's circle with Andersen/RLR Racing in 2008, finishing fifth in the standings.

For 2009, J.R. moved to AFS/Andretti Green Racing's Lights efforts, and he set the bar high for himself. With four wins and six poles, Hildebrand accomplished his goals with relative ease, and now he faces the challenge that has stumped almost every Lights champion since the Indy Racing League took over the developmental series in 2002: making the jump to the IndyCar Series. Of the seven Lights champions who preceded Hildebrand, only 2008 titlist Raphael Matos had a full-time IndyCar Series ride this year.

"I went into this year feeling like it was my turn to put the rubber to the road and really show I can make it happen," Hildebrand said. "After driving against Rafa last year, I knew the equipment was good and the team was quite good. Certainly the AGR Lights program is a well-oiled machine.

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Mark J. Rebilas/US Presswire

J.R. Hildebrand, 21, has already locked up the Firestone Indy Lights title, but is an IndyCar Series seat in his future?

"Even with a little bad luck here and there with freak mechanical failures, I think we were the car to beat almost everywhere we went," he added. "We were certainly the team to beat. I'm extremely happy with how the year went and what I got back from the team. It couldn't have gone much better, really."

Hildebrand's signature victory came at Watkins Glen, where after qualifying fourth, he methodically picked off the cars in front of him to win going away. His other victories came at St. Petersburg, Edmonton and Infineon Raceway, the circuit he considers his home track.

He's delighted with the way his season with AGR has gone. With Andretti Green's IndyCar team suffering the worst season in the seven-year history of the organization, Hildebrand and Lights teammate Sebastian Saveedra (who is third in the championship, just five points behind James Davison of Vision Racing) have provided most if not all of AGR's 2009 highlights.

"I was made to feel like part of the AGR family since even before I signed up," Hildebrand said. "I've had a great relationship with everybody at the shop and the management of the team. Everybody is happy to talk to you if you have any questions … Michael [Andretti], Tony [Kanaan], Marco [Andretti], anybody … they're all willing to give you helpful advice and it's a very welcoming atmosphere for a guy like me trying to come into the scene."

While he was growing up, Hildebrand and his father often attended races at nearby tracks Infineon and Laguna Seca Raceway. Despite not racing competitively until he was 14, Hildebrand has made a smooth, rapid ascent and he has put himself in position to be the next American IndyCar star.

Of course, as former champions Alex Lloyd, Jay Howard, Wade Cunningham, Thiago Medeiros, Mark Taylor and even A.J. Foyt IV can attest, winning the Lights crown isn't an automatic entry into Indy cars. Hildebrand maintains a realistic outlook in that regard. He's already tested one of AGR's Indy cars on two occasions, and he remains in the mix as AGR reorganizes under the sole leadership of Michael Andretti.

"It's always hard to say what a championship will translate into," Hildebrand said. "More than anything, it means a lot to me because I knew at the beginning of this year that it had to be my end result. If I was going to have a shot at continuing as a professional race car driver and get into the IndyCar Series eventually, I really had to win the championship. I knew that I had the tools and the team to do it; the people were in place and all my cards were stacked up just right. It was my job to make sure that I took full advantage of that. So I prepared as best as I could and worked hard at it. I'm sort of relieved in a way, but happy that we were able to put it all together. To do that at this level, winning a championship and gaining that momentum, hopefully we'll turn it into something good for next year.

"I'm optimistic about things moving forward," he added. "This last year, with the economic climate changing as much as it did, I wouldn't say it helps my cause. I'm just trying to make sure I have as many options as possible when things do come around and trying to come up with some money on my own. There's no rhyme or reason to how guys get rides a lot of the time, they're just in the right place at the right time. While I'd certainly like to be a lot more in control of my own future than that, hopefully I can get something lined up so when the planets do align, I'll be able to take full advantage."

Hildebrand is one young driver potential sponsors would be wise to get behind. He's handsome, articulate and brainy -- his high school GPA was 4.12 -- and if the racing gig doesn't pan out, he earned a two-year deferment after being accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

And let's not forget, he's American -- which for many open-wheel drivers has been a double-edged sword. But again, Hildebrand has a healthy attitude about the road ahead.

"I think at this time in particular, being from the USA is something that could help my cause quite a bit," he said. "There are American companies that need a boost, and certainly American drivers and teams that are looking to make a bit of a splash and get things going again. Hopefully I can be one of the guys to help do that.

"I certainly know Graham Rahal, Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick as American drivers, but at the same time, they are also Graham Rahal, Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick. They are all extremely talented drivers that deserve what they have been given, but at the same time, there is a part of all three of them where their star power is in their name, and obviously Danica is a female. That's a big part of the draw to those individuals, and there is nothing they can do about it.

"I feel being just the American kid, maybe there is something more to that than originally meets the eye."

Dario Franchitti might not win the IndyCar Series championship Oct. 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But in his open-wheel comeback season, he cemented his status as a champion for American motorsports.

To most, Franchitti's brief foray into NASCAR in 2008 was not a success. The obvious lows included an ankle-breaking accident in a Talladega Nationwide Series race and an embarrassing Sprint Cup DNQ at the Infineon Raceway road course.

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AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama

Dario Franchitti, left, and teammate Scott Dixon have shown an extreme thirst for winning in 2009.

It's easy to miss the highlights: a Nationwide pole at Watkins Glen, and many laps led in the same series at Bristol. In fact, Franchitti showed more promise in his handful of stock car appearances than any of the recent open-wheel transplants currently racing in NASCAR.

Although things didn't work out the way he wanted in NASCAR, Franchitti's perceived failure in stock cars only strengthened his resolve and desire to drive Indy cars. He admitted those were lacking in the latter stages of his 10-year tenure with Andretti Green Racing, even during his IndyCar championship and Indy 500-winning season of 2007.

In a fresh environment at Target Chip Ganassi Racing, alongside a teammate he likes and respects in Scott Dixon, Franchitti adjusted back to open-wheelers as if he had never been away. His 2009 season has been every bit as competitive as his 2007 championship campaign, with four race wins and only five points separating him from Dixon's championship lead.

"Yeah, I'm having a blast," he said, smiling, after finishing second in the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi. "I'm really enjoying it again. I thought at one point I would have retired maybe by the time I was 35. But I'm still enjoying it. I still love it. The fact I can still be competitive, I'm still out there winning races and challenging for championships, it's just for fun. It's just because I enjoy it.

"For me, a big part of enjoyment has been being in the position to win races. I've got to thank Chip and those guys for inviting me back."

He won't want to hear it, but at age 36, Franchitti is a standard-bearer -- if not an elder statesman -- of the IndyCar Series. Despite his success on the track -- and the fact that he is married to one of the world's most-admired women, Ashley Judd -- Franchitti remains as unpretentious as he was the day he arrived in America to race in the CART series in 1997.

He knows there is a point coming when the wins aren't going to come as frequently. There's plenty of statistical evidence to show that Indy car drivers start to lose a fraction of their pace in their late 30s, the latest example being Franchitti's old pal Paul Tracy.

But Franchitti insists he's not there yet, which has allowed him to race in lockstep this season with Dixon, who at age 29 is already a two-time IndyCar Series champion with the potential to go down as one of the sport's all-time greats.

"It depends day to day, but I feel similar to what I did when I was 30, but maybe smarter," Franchitti said. "I think there's definitely a crossover. You improve as a driver and you improve your race craft and your sort of race smarts. You become a bit smarter. At the same time, your reactions start going a lot. I don't think I've reached that crossover point yet, and hopefully it doesn't come for a while."

With 50-year-old Mark Martin leading the Sprint Cup Series in wins and points, there's obviously time for Franchitti to eventually make the transition into stock cars if he still wants to. Sports cars are another option; he's a favorite at Honda and is co-driving Patron Highcroft Racing's Acura prototype in this weekend's Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

For the time being, he is happy to watch Juan Pablo Montoya -- his former rival from the CART series -- fly the Ganassi flag in the Chase for the Cup.

Or maybe a little envious.

"I wish they'd been that good last year!" he said. "It's brilliant for the whole team. Chip puts a lot into his racing and gives every team everything it needs to do their job. I mean, to see the improvement there, to see JPM is not only in the Chase but stuck it on the pole down there in Loudon is really great to see.

"Hopefully we can keep our end of the bargain."