Kansas is first race on an oval in 2009

 Road Runner Turbo Indy 300   Date / Time Sunday, April 26   5 p.m. (EDT)

Track Kansas Speedway

Distance

200 laps / 300 miles

TV  VERSUS (Live)

Radio  IMS Radio Network / XM 145 / Sirius 211

2008 Winner Dan Wheldon

2008 Polesitter Scott Dixon

Kansas Speedway

1.5-mile oval

First IndyCar Series race in 2001

Seats: 82,000

Kansas Lottery 100

Date / Time

1 p.m. (EDT) Sunday, April 26

Track

Kansas Speedway

(1.5-mile oval)

Distance 67 laps/100 miles

TV VERSUS (Taped)

4 p.m. (EDT)

April 27

2008 Winner  J.R. Hildebrand

2008 Polesitter  Richard Antinucci

 Road Runner Turbo Indy 300

Changing gears

After starting the season with two races on temporary street circuits for the first time in series history, IndyCar Series teams and drivers are preparing for their first race on an oval in 2009. How does the change affect teams and drivers, and who will come out on top?

Eye on Indy

Kansas is the only race on an oval prior to the 2009 Indianapolis 500. Teams and drivers will get there first chance to measure their own performance and gauge their competitors prior to the month of May. With fewer practice days at Indianapolis before the first qualifying weekend, how important is Kansas to the overall preparation for the month of May?

Wheldon eyes three in a row

If there's a driver who knows how to win three consecutive races at a racetrack, it's Dan Wheldon. Wheldon accomplished the feat at Homestead-Miami Speedway from 2005-07. Now he'll try and replicate the feat at Kansas Speedway where he's won the last two races. Wheldon has led 216 of 400 laps over the last two years while driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. This year, he has moved to Panther Racing where he earned a top-five finish at Long Beach. Can Wheldon win for a third time at Kansas?

Rookies prepare for first visit to Kansas

Four rookies will attempt to make their first start at Kansas, including Robert Doornbos and Mike Conway who will compete on an oval for the first time. Raphael Matos, the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights champion, and NASCAR veteran Stanton Barrett will make their first IndyCar Series starts on an oval. How will the rookies adjust to racing on an oval?

Depth of field

The 2009 championship promises to be one of the most competitive in series history. In the first two races, 16 drivers recorded top-10 finishes, and eight drivers recorded top-five finishes. Heading into Kansas, the top 10 drivers in points represent seven teams. How many teams will be represented in the top 10 at Kansas?

Race Notes:

The Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 will be the ninth IndyCar Series event conducted at Kansas Speedway. Past winners Dan Wheldon (2007-08) and Tony Kanaan (2005) are entered in this year's race. Past pole sitters Scott Dixon (2003, 2008), Kanaan (2007), Wheldon (2006) and Danica Patrick (2005) are entered in this year's race.

Eighteen drivers entered in the event have competed in previous races at Kansas Speedway. Seven of those drivers have led laps: Dan Wheldon (382), Scott Dixon (248), Tony Kanaan (108), Vitor Meira (37), Helio Castroneves (17), Justin Wilson (5) and Dario Franchitti (3).

Seven drivers have won the eight races at Kansas. Dan Wheldon is the only two-time winner.

Scott Dixon won the pole at Kansas in 2003 and 2008, the same seasons he went on to win the IndyCar Series championship.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers have led 520 laps at Kansas, including 384 of the last 400.

Andretti Green Racing has had at least one car finish in the top five in every race at Kansas since 2003.

Helio Castroneves, who leads the IndyCar Series with 26 career poles, has never won the pole at Kansas. He has finished in the top 10 in all seven starts at the track.

Season-to-Date:

· Sixteen drivers have recorded top-10 finishes in the first two races.

· Eight drivers have recorded top-five finishes in the first two races.

· The top 10 drivers in points come from seven teams.

· Ryan Briscoe earned his third career victory and Team Penske's 30th IndyCar Series victory in the season opener at St. Petersburg.

· Dario Franchitti earned his ninth career victory and Target Chip Ganassi Racing's 25th IndyCar Series victory in the race at Long Beach.

· Ryan Hunter-Reay gave Vision Racing its best-ever finish with a second at St. Petersburg.

· Justin Wilson gave Dale Coyne Racing its best-ever IndyCar Series finish with a third at St. Petersburg.

Milestones & Records:

•Tony Kanaan will make his 100th consecutive start, the active leader among IndyCar Series drivers.•The race at Kansas will mark Dan Wheldon's 100th career start.•If Dan Wheldon wins at Kansas, it will mark the third time a driver has won three consecutive races at a track. Wheldon accomplished the feat at Homestead-Miami Speedway from 2005-07, and Scott Dixon won three straight at Watkins Glen from 2005-07.•Scott Dixon needs two top-five finishes to reach 50 for his career. He ranks fifth all-time.•Andretti Green Racing's next victory will be its 35th. The team ranks first in the IndyCar Series.•Team Penske has 30 IndyCar Series victories.•Target Chip Ganassi Racing's has 25 IndyCar Series victories.•A victory in 2009 will give Tony Kanaan a victory in seven consecutive seasons, becoming the fourth driver to do so.•Tony Kanaan has 68 career top-five finishes, the most in IndyCar Series history.•Helio Castroneves has 89 top-10 finishes, the most in IndyCar Series history.•Scott Dixon ranks second with 16 career victories. Sam Hornish Jr. holds the record with 19.•The Indianapolis 500 will mark Scott Dixon's 100th career start.•Vitor Meira has gone 95 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Series, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver.Kansas Lottery 100

Talented field for 2009

The 2009 season features one of the deepest fields in series history with race winners such as J.R. Hildebrand, Ana Beatriz, Wade Cunningham, James Davison, Pablo Donoso, Jay Howard and Logan Gomez joining a promising rookie class that includes points leaders Junior Strous, Jonathan Summerton and James Hinchcliffe. Other newcomers include Pippa Mann and Mario Romancini (World Series by Renault), Charlie Kimball and Martin Plowman (F3 Euroseries), Stefan Wilson (British F3), Gustavo Yacaman (Spanish F3) and Sebastian Saavedra (German F3).

Ladies first?

For the second consecutive season, two female drivers will compete for the championship. Brazil's Ana Beatriz, the first female to win in Firestone Indy Lights and England's Pippa Mann each have a legitimate shot to walk away with the Firestone Firehawk Cup. Beatriz, who finished third in the point standings in 2008, benefits from the championship experience of Sam Schmidt Motorsports, while Mann drives for Panther Racing, which claimed four wins in 2008.

America's next open-wheel star

Named one of RACER Magazine's 12 U.S. stars poised for a breakout year in 2009, Californian J.R. Hildebrand slides behind the wheel of an Andretti Green Racing/AFS Racing car, replacing 2008 Firestone Indy Lights champion Raphael Matos. The 21-year-old from Sausalito, Calif., who won on the Streets of Long Beach last weekend, returns to the site of his maiden victory - Kansas Speedway in search of the series point lead.

Former drivers transition to Firestone Indy Lights team owners

Former IndyCar Series competitors Bryan Herta and Jim Guthrie have found a second career on top of the pit cart as Firestone Indy Lights team owners. Herta, the 1993 Indy Lights champion and former Kansas Speedway winner, founded Bryan Herta Autosport this season with driver Daniel Herrington behind the wheel. Guthrie, who made 15 starts in the IndyCar Series from 1996-1998, winning at Phoenix in 1997, formed Guthrie Racing in 2005 to support his son, Sean.

Racing for a reason

Team PBIR's Charlie Kimball competes at a high-level of motorsports despite being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 18 months ago. Kimball races with a blood-sugar monitor that operates like his own personal dashboard and allows him to adjust his blood-sugar levels while in the car. In addition to his racing success, Kimball serves as a role model for diabetics, as his goal is to show others with the disease that there are no limitations to what they can do.

Hildebrand eyes Kansas repeat

On the heels of his first win in 2009 at Long Beach, J.R. Hildebrand returns to Kansas Speedway in search of a repeat win on the 1.5-mile oval. Hildebrand nipped Robbie Pecorari to win the eighth-closest finish in series history last year and hopes to become the fifth driver to win back-to-back races at the same track.

No Place Like Home

Firestone Indy Lights returns to the site of its first race under the Indy Racing League banner. Kansas Speedway played host to three Firestone Indy Lights races from 2002-2004, with A.J. Foyt IV winning the first race on July 7, 2002.

Win at Kansas, win the title

Three of the four previous race winners at Kansas Speedway have won the Firestone Indy Lights title in the same season. Can the winner of the Kansas Lottery 100 continue that trend?

Season To Date:

· Junior Strous and J.R. Hildebrand are the only drivers to win in the series this season. Strous swept the doubleheader at St. Petersburg. Hildebrand won at Long Beach

· Seven drivers who have previously won in Firestone Indy Lights - Ana Beatriz, Wade Cunningham, James Davison, Pablo Donoso, J.R. Hildebrand, Jay Howard and Junior Strous are entered in the Kansas Lottery 100.

· At least 14 rookie drivers are entered in the Kansas Lottery 100. Some drivers, including points leaders Junior Strous and Jonathan Summerton are making their oval racing debut.

Milestones:

· J.R. Hildebrand claimed his second career win at Long Beach,tying Aaron Fike, Jay Howard, Hideki Mutoh and Junior Strous for 15th on the all-time victories list.

· J.R. Hildebrand earned his second career pole position at Long Beach tying Jay Howard, Hideki Mutoh, Franck Perera and Jeff Simmons for 12th on the all-time pole winners' list.

· Wade Cunningham made his 50thFirestone Indy Lights start at Long Beach. Sean Guthrie made his 40th start.

· Sean Guthrie, the series' active Ironman with 36 consecutive starts, is scheduled to make his 37th consecutive start at Long Beach. Jaime Camara made 42 consecutive starts from 2005-2007.

· A win in 2009 for Wade Cunningham would give him a record-setting fourth season with at least one win. Cunningham won races from 2005-2007. He failed to win a race in 2008 running selected events.

Weekend Schedule (all times local):

Saturday, April 25

7 a.m. - Garages open

9-9:45 a.m. - Firestone Indy Lights practice

10-11:30 a.m. - IndyCar Series practice

11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. - Firestone Indy Lights practice

2-3:30 p.m. - PEAK Performance Pole Qualifying

3:30-4:30 p.m. - Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying

Sunday, April 26

7 a.m. - Garages open

10-11 a.m. - IndyCar Series practice

11:45 a.m. - Kansas Lottery 100 pre-race

Noon - Kansas Lottery 100 (67 laps / 100 miles)

3 p.m. - Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 pre-race

4 p.m. - Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)