PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300

Saturday, Aug. 29 9 p.m. (EDT)VERSUS (Live)Track-Chicagoland SpeedwayDistance-200 laps/300 milesRadioIMS Radio Network / XM 145 / Sirius 211Qualifying Broadcast-Friday, Aug. 28 6 p.m. (EDT) VERSUS2008 WinnerHelio Castroneves

Chicagoland Speedway marks the first of three 1.5-mile ovals that comprise the drive to the IndyCar Series championship. Chicagoland has produced some of the most exciting races in IndyCar Series history, with four of the 10 closest margins of victory coming at the high-banked oval in Joliet, Ill. How will the unpredictable nature of 1.5-mile ovals such as Chicagoland shape the landscape of the championship battle in the final three races?

Areo options return at ChicagolandFor the second time this season, teams will have the options of rear tire ramps, sidepod extensions and wheel backing plates to the cars, adding up to an extra 300 pounds of downforce at the 1.5-mile oval at Chicagloand. The debut at Kentucky Speedway earlier this month produced exciting results, with Ryan Briscoe and Ed Carpenter running side-by-side for the final 10 laps. The Team Penske driver crossed the finish line with a margin of victory of .0162 of a second -- the 11th-closest finish in series history. Can these areo options produce similar results under the lights at Chicagoland?

Wheldon, Panther on the prowl at ChicagolandDan Wheldon and Panther Racing have spent plenty of time in Victory Lane at Chicagoland Speedway, just never together. Both have scored two wins at the track (Wheldon won in 2006 with Target Chip Ganassi Racing and in ’05 with Andretti Green Racing. Panther Racing won twice with driver Sam Hornish Jr.). Wheldon has led more laps at Chicagoland than any other active IndyCar Series driver. Now that Wheldon is behind the wheel of Panther’s No. 4 car, can this pairing find their way to the winner’s circle together?

Carpenter looks to build on Kentucky successOne of the biggest surprises to come out of the IndyCar Series’ last 1.5-mile oval race (Kentucky Speedway) was the career-best second place by Ed Carpenter. The result was Vision Racing’s second runner-up finish this season. Carpenter, whose No. 20 Menard's Vision Racing car was eighth on the time sheet in the lone practice of the weekend for the 200-lap prime-time race, led five different times for a career-high 34 laps (including 26 of the final 45 laps). Can Carpenter build on his success at Kentucky

Hometown teams look for Victory LanePlainfield, Ill.-based Dale Coyne Racing is experiencing its best season in history after Justin Wilson gave the team its first win at Watkins Glen in July. Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, which has earned two poles this season with driver Graham Rahal, is looking for its first win of the year. In its previous 26 seasons of open-wheel competition, N/H/L has only gone one season without a win. Can both teams put on a strong showing in front of the hometown crowd this weekend?

Race Notes:The PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 will be the ninth IndyCar Series event conducted at Chicagoland Speedway. Previous race winners entered are: Helio Castroneves (2008), Dario Franchitti (2007), Dan Wheldon (2006, ‘05) and Jaques Lazier (2001).Previous polesitters entered are: Ryan Briscoe (2008), Dario Franchitti (2007), Danica Patrick (2005), Helio Castroneves (2004) and Jaques Lazier (2001).

Twenty drivers entered in the event have competed in previous IndyCar Series races at Chicagoland Speedway. Ten of those drivers have led laps: Dan Wheldon (320), Helio Castroneves (235), Tony Kanaan (137), Jaques Lazier (116), Tomas Scheckter (114), Scott Dixon (79), Ryan Briscoe (41), Dario Franchitti (10), Milka Duno (5) and Danica Patrick (1).Three drivers will make their first IndyCar Series start at Infineon: Mike Conway, Robert Doornbos and Raphael Matos.

Championship Notes:Ryan Briscoe leads the IndyCar Series championship for the fourth time this season. It is the first time that Briscoe has led the point standings after 14 races and the latest he has led the championship.There have been four different point leaders (Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan) and 13 lead changes in 14 races.Ryan Briscoe leads Dario Franchitti by four points. It’s the 12th time in 14 races that the margin between first and second has been 10 points or fewer.The margin from first (Ryan Briscoe) to third (Scott Dixon) is 20 points, the third-closest gap with three races remaining. In 2002, 13 points separated first and third and in 2006, 17 points separated first and third.

Only four drivers – Ryan Briscoe, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves – remain eligible for the championship.

This is the ninth event at Chicagoland Speedway. The winning driver at Chicagoland has won the championship three times (Sam Hornish Jr. (2002), Dan Wheldon (2005) and Dario Franchitti (2007).

In 12 seasons, two drivers have won the 15th race of the season and also won the championship: Dan Wheldon won at Chicagoland in 2005, Sam Hornish won at Texas 2 in 2002.

Season-to-Date: Twenty-six drivers have recorded top-10 finishes. Seventeen drivers have recorded top-five finishes. The top 10 drivers in points come from five teams. Fourteen different drivers have podium finishes this season. Dario Franchitti’s win at Infineon was his fourth of the season and the 12th of his IndyCar Series career. It is the 32nd win in the IndyCar Series for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Scott Dixon’s victory at Mid-Ohio set an IndyCar Series record for career wins (20). Ryan Briscoe has finished second in seven of the past ten races, including Infineon. Mike Conway finished third at Infineon, his best finish in the IndyCar Series. Mario Moraes finished fourth at Infineon, his best finish in the IndyCar Series. Ryan Hunter-Reay finished fourth at Mid-Ohio, his best finish since joining A.J. Foyt Racing at Iowa. It was the team’s best finish since Watkins Glen 2008. Hideki Mutoh finished fifth at Mid-Ohio and Infineon, his third and fourth top-five finishes of the season. Ryan Briscoe’s win at Kentucky was the 11th closest finish in IndyCar Series history (0.0162 of a second). The win also was Team Penske/Penske Racing’s 34th in the IndyCar Series, tying for most wins with Andretti Green Racing. Ed Carpenter earned a career-best finish of second at Kentucky. Will Power earned his first IndyCar Series victory at Edmonton. His previous best finish was second at Long Beach earlier this season. Justin Wilson gave Dale Coyne Racing its first career open-wheel win at Watkins Glen. It was the first victory for a team other than Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing since Wilson won Aug. 31, 2008, at Belle Isle in a Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing car, a streak of 10 points races and one non-points race. Scott Dixon’s win at Richmond gave him two or more victories in three consecutive seasons.

With his pole at St. Petersburg this season, Graham Rahal became the youngest polesitter in IndyCar Series history at the age of 20 years, 90 days.Milestones & Records: Tony Kanaan will attempt to make his 112th consecutive start, the active leader among IndyCar Series drivers. Scott Dixon has 29 consecutive top-10 starts. Ryan Briscoe’s 11th-place start at Toronto ended his series of 17 consecutive top-10 starts. Sam Hornish Jr. holds the record with 32. A victory in 2009 will give Tony Kanaan a victory in seven consecutive seasons, becoming the fourth driver to do so. Helio Castroneves has 72 career top-five finishes, the most in IndyCar Series history. Helio Castroneves has 96 top-10 finishes, the most in IndyCar Series history. Helio Castroneves has led 77 races, the most in IndyCar Series history. Helio Castroneves has at least one race victory in each of the last nine seasons, an IndyCar Series record. Helio Castroneves has at least one victory from the pole in each of the last eight seasons, an IndyCar Series record. His eight career wins from the pole is also a record. Helio Castroneves has 27 career poles, the most in IndyCar Series history. Helio Castroneves ranks second all-time with 108 races running at the finish. Scott Sharp holds the record with 111. Helio Castroneves ranks second all-time with 3,206 laps led. Sam Hornish Jr. holds the record with 3,428.

At-Track Schedule (all times local):Friday, Aug. 289-10:30 a.m. – IndyCar Series practice1:30-3 p.m. – PEAK Performance Pole Qualifying4:30-5 p.m. – IndyCar Series practice

Saturday, Aug. 292:40 p.m. – IndyCar Series systems check8 p.m. – IndyCar Series pre-race9 p.m. – PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 (200 laps/300 miles)