Part 1

ANDRETTI GREEN RACING

Tony Kanaan (Brazil)



Starts: 81
Wins: 12
Poles: 8
Winnings: $9,153,299
2004 IRL Champion

Just like I said last season, Tony Kanaan is always a genuine title contender. But this season he has lost his key teammate in Dario Franchitti and is left pretty much with 3 kids. Kanaan excelled in partnership with Franchitti and before that Bryan Herta but could find things tough with little other experience in the team. Kanaan won 5 races last season which was 1 more than Franchitti and Dixon but incositency and failure to bring the car home in 4 other races cost him a title shot. Kanaan will be a race winner again this season but a title challenge against Ganassi and Penske could be too much, I hope not.

Danica Patrick (USA)



Starts: 47
Wins: 0 (best 2nd)
Poles: 3
Winnings: $3,201,315
2005 Rookie of the year

The most marketable driver in the IRL is entering her 4th season now and this is a make or break year. After all the promise of her early days at Rahal Letterman Racing and the step forward she took last season at AGR it's now time to get a win. The problem that Danica has is that she isn't a drivers driver, she has little input into setups to help her teammates and usually leaves it up to Kim Green to make her car work. But Green has gone to Hideki Mutoh's car this season so Danica needs a new fall guy. If AGR get it right though she could win and i'm going to single out the Motegi race for Danica's big breakthrough

Marco Andretti (USA)



Starts: 31
Wins: 1
Poles: 0
Winnings: $2,490,756
2006 Rookie of the year

After a fantastic 2006 Marco Andretti had a nightmare 2007. There was no wins, there was only one podium and he was upside down on two different occasions. Andretti is similar to Danica, neither can set up their car and this was clear last season as Marco struggled badly on the 1.5 mile ovals and on some occasions ended up parking it for the day. I expect Marco to have a better 2008 but I don't expect him to be challenging for the championship. He could pick up a win one of the road course events but on the ovals he will be top 5 at best and I worry slightly that both he and Danica could be overshadowed by Hideki Mutoh.

Hideki Mutoh (Japan)



Starts: 1
Wins: 0 (best 8th)
Poles: 0
Winnings: $45,300

Let's get one thing straight, in particular for the Champ Car crew, drivers like Jay Howard, Alex Lloyd and Hideki Mutoh are living proof that the Indy Pro Series is working. Mutoh has stepped into the seat vacated by Dario Franchitti and most champ car fans would have you believe that it's because of Honda's money. On his debut in the last race of last season for Panther Racing Mutoh outpaced both of his teammates for most of the race and ran in the top 5 all day before a suspension problem late on set him back to 8th. He showed however that he has massive ablity and if I was Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti i'd be very worried about the new kid in town.

TEAM PENSKE RACING

Helio Castroneves (Brazil)



Starts: 97
Wins: 12
Poles: 24
Winnings: $11,109,118
2001 and 2002 Indy 500 winner

This could finally be the year that Helio Castroneves wins the championship he deserves. He has done everything else apart from win the title and he is the clear number 1 driver in this team following the departure of Sam Hornish Jr. 2007 was full of niggly little problems for Penske but such a professional organisation will put that right and Castroneves is a serious contender this season. His mix of road course skill and oval expertise means he will on the pace all season and his incredible qualifying record of being on the front row in 49 of 97 starts will help him with the bigger grids. Everyone knows that Penske are a winning team and Helio is a winning driver and that combination is going to be tough to beat

Ryan Briscoe (Australia)



Starts :19
Wins: 0 (best 3rd)
Poles: 1
Winnings: $1,304,610

Ryan Briscoe has had a stop start IndyCar career but in 2008 he has a massive chance. Briscoe was too green when he first entered the IRL in 2005 for Ganassi and was eventually moved aside after a huge crash at Nashville. He made occasional starts for Dreyer and Reinbold in 2006 scoring a superb 3rd in the rain at Watkins Glen and did a similary impressive job in a one off drive for Luczo Dragon Racing at Indy last year. But Penske has invested a lot of time in Briscoe and after racing for them in ALMS he gets another shot at Indycar. I expect Briscoe to take it this time and he will be a factor. A championship might be asking too much but he has one of the best cars on the grid so never write him off

TARGET CHIP GANASSI RACING

Scott Dixon (New Zealand)



Starts: 79
Wins: 10
Poles: 8
Winnings: $7,948,982
2003 IRL Champion

People laughed at me when I tipped Scott Dixon to win the championship last season....
Some say that he deserved to win the title in 2007 because of his consistency and intelligence alone. Whilst Dario Franchitti was being reckless Dixon was bringing home his car in the top 5 every race before a running out of fuel on the last corner of the last lap in the last race to lose the championship. However, Dixon is back again and this time there is no Dario and that could be crucial. With AGR weakened we could see a straight fight between the two Ganassi drivers and the Penske drivers. Scott Dixon is the best all round driver in Indycar, he can win on the ovals and dominate on the road courses, he is, as ever a serious title contender and is once again my pick to win and take the top honours.

Dan Wheldon (England)



Starts: 80
Wins: 13
Poles: 5
Winnings: $9,233,420
2005 Indycar champion, 2005 Indy 500 winner

The Dream Team line up of Ganassi is completed by Dan Wheldon and he is going all out to make up for a dissapointing 2007. After winning two of the first 4 races last season Wheldon suffered a drastic loss of form and completley dropped out of the championship running. He is the class of the field on the 1.5 mile ovals though and if his motivation comes back and the Wheldon will be challenging all season. He might be NASCAR bound in 2009 but for now he's in IndyCar and 'differcult dan' has had a facelift in the off season, not sure his new teeth will make him go faster though. Wheldon struggled on the road courses last season and that could be his downfall again but i'd expect an all round improvement.

NEWMAN/HAAS/LANIGAN RACING

Justin Wilson (Yorkshire, England)



Indycar Debut

The first of the champ car teams is Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and they arrive with a strong driver line up. Justin Wilson never got a fair shot in F1 and for a while it looked like he might never get a fair shot in Champ Car but he will now get a fair shot in the IRL. It will take the driver and the team a bit of time to get used to things but NHL ran well in all the Indy 500's they entered and i'd expect them to be pretty much on the pace on the road course events. And it's on the road courses that Wilson will have his best chance to score a win.

Graham Rahal (USA)



Indycar Debut

Much like Wilson i'd expect his greater success to come on the road courses but I wouldn't count him out on the ovals just yet. Rahal has shown how quick he adapts to new challenges and if NHL get it right then he could cause an upset. It could be strange for him to race for one team whilst Bobby Rahal runs another team but such is the professionalism of both i'd doubt that will be a negative factor.

Part 2

RAHAL-LETTERMAN RACING

Ryan Hunter-Reay (USA)



Starts: 6
Wins: 0 (best 6th)
Poles 0
Winnings: $307,300
2007 Rookie of the year

Rahal-Letterman Racing downsize to a one car team following the departure of Scott Sharp and his sponsors but they have a massive budget for this car and I expect it too be competitive. Ryan Hunter-Reay has never found a long term home in America but this may be it, he did a solid job for the team last season after they sacked Jeff Simmons. Hunter-Reay showed he could adapt quickly to the ovals and along with his road course experience he should have a good 2008. A win is a possibilty and i'd certainly expect this car to be near the front throughout the season. RLR will look to add a 2nd car at Indy but while they pump all their resources into RHR's car then can only be a good thing for him.

PANTHER RACING

Vitor Meira (Brazil)



Starts: 75
Wins 0 (best 2nd, 7 times)
Poles: 2
Winnings: $5,485,620

Another one car team and another driver who will benefit from a decent budget and lots of resources focusing just on him. Vitor Meira is now an IRL veteran and despite not having a win to his name is one of the best drivers out there. Meira has proved he can run at the front and 2008 will be a good season for this team. Panther have shown they can produce successful one car teams, they did in in 2001 and 2002 with Sam Hornish Jr winning titles both season and again in 2006 when Meira finished 5th in the championship to mix it with the top teams. I'd like to say they will definatley get a win but they will certainly run top 10 most races.

VISION RACING

Ed Carpenter (USA)



Starts: 65
Wins: 0 (best 5th)
Poles: 0
Winnings: $3,482,400

2007 was a step backward for Ed Carpenter but he was impressive in both pre season tests and with backing from Menards i'd look for this team to improve. They will have an early advantage over the champ car teams on the ovals but the road courses is where they come up short. Carpenter is an oval specialist and is now quite a steady hand but 1 top 5 in 65 starts is not a great record.

AJ Foyt IV (USA)

Starts: 65
Wins: 0 (best 3rd)
Poles: 0
Winnings: $3,349,310
2002 Indy Pro Series Champion



Look at the statistics of Foyt IV and Carpenter, they are almost indentical. But whereas 2007 was a step back for Ed, it was very much a step forward for AJ. He proved for the first time in his IndyCar career that he can be competitive and I was massively impressed with both his driving and his attitude. AJ is no longer the butt of the jokes in the pit lane and he sent out a big "f**k you" to everyone when he finished 3rd at Nashville, ahead of Marco Andretti, Dario Franchitti and Helio Castroneves who were all in better cars. I hope the development of AJ's skills continue in 2008 and he keeps on proving that Tony George was right to give him a 2nd chance.

PK RACING TECHNOLOGIES

Oriol Servia (Spain)



IndyCar Debut

PK Racing are one of the major teams defecting and they have an excellent driver line up. Oriol Servia is an extremely competent driver who showed he could win races in champ car and be competitive in lesser cars. He now has a good team with a big time owner and is one the few champ car drivers I expect to quickly master the ovals. A win is maybe a little bit too much but a solid season for Servia.

Will Power (Australia)



Indycar Debut

Another talented driver in Will Power and he brings the Team Australia backing to add to an already powerful team. Power proved his race winning ability in champ car and he will make the transition to IndyCar with minimum fuss. As with Servia perhaps a win is asking too much but he is agressive although that could lead to his downfall on the ovals.
It's also worth noting that PK Racing won the pit stop challenge at Sebring.

ROTH RACING

Marty Roth (Canada)



Starts: 9
Wins: 0 (best 14th)
Poles: 0
Winnings: $829,300

Despite his pretty rubbish record Marty Roth has earnt almost $100,000 a race in his career so far, this is mainly because most of his starts have come at Indy where the prize money is so much higher. Marty Roth has a place in IndyCar for sure, but it's not as a driver. He has lots of money and he has a good team around him but he doesn't have the ablity as a driver on either ovals or road courses to get anywhere near the top. The team will improve vastly as a two car outfit but it won't help Marty, everyone would like to see him step out of the car and just run the team. Any top 10 finish for Roth would be like a win.

Jay Howard (England)



IndyCar Debut
2006 Indy Pro Series Champion

One thing is for sure, if Howard is going to beat anyone it will be his teammate! But he will do better than that and his challenge will be helped by the addition of more road courses. I seriously believe he could run in the top 10 at St Pete but on the ovals he might struggle a bit. Roth Racing has invested heavily over the winter, a new shop, lots of equipment and a promising young driver and they may just get where they want to be, but it won't be in 2008, it's too early for them. Jay Howard will impress some people though.

Part 3

A.J FOYT ENTERPRISES

Darren Manning (Yorkshire, England)



Starts: 41
Wins: 0 (best 4th)
Poles: 0
Winnings: $2,447,400

Darren Manning spoke of his complete dismay over the winter, not because of his team but because of his golf playing partner and great friend Kosuke Matsuura has left IndyCar. I want Darren to do well because he is English and from Yorkshire but Foyt will struggle this season as the Champ Car teams arrive they will get pushed further down the grid. They might get some good results on the road courses but it will even be tough for them there. Foyt plans to run Pablo Donoso at some races but he is inexperienced and won't be able to help Manning as much as Al Unser Jr could last season. I hope I am wrong but this will be a season at the back for Manning and Foyt.

DREYER AND REINBOLD RACING

Buddy Rice (USA)



Starts: 80
Wins: 3
Poles: 5
Winnings: $6,258,215
2004 Indy 500 winner

Despite rumours of a move to an incoming champ car team Buddy Rice goes into a 2nd season for IRL strugglers Dreyer and Reinbold Racing. Rice had several impressive showings at the road course races last season but stuggled badly on the short ovals. He is the clear number 1 driver here though and will continue to receive the lion shares of the teams resources. Rice won't reach the heights of 2004 which saw him win 3 races including the Indy 500 but his road course skill should provide some good results. This team will struggle on the ovals, particulary Milwaukee and Richmond.

Shared 2nd car

Milka Duno (Venezuela)



Starts: 7
Wins: 0 (best 11th)
Poles: 0
Winnings: $435,355

Townsend Bell (USA)



Starts: 12
Wins: 0 (best 5th)
Poles: 0
Winnings: $638,255

Rumours of DRR scaling back were quashed last month but only because they received Milka Duno's money from Citgo. The downside of this of course is that they actually have to name her as a driver and she will compete in 11 races. The other races will be contested by seasoned veteran Townsend Bell who does a good job wherever he fills in. Don't expect anything from Duno but Bell and Rice could be a decent combination although I still expect this team to struggle. Both Duno and Bell will be entered for the 500.

DALE COYNE RACING

Bruno Junqueira (Brazil)



Starts: 4
Wins: 0 (best 5th)
Poles: 1
Winnings: $1,026,985

If Marty Roth's career earnings per race is good then Bruno Junqueira's are amazing. A veteran of 4 Indy 500's with two 5th places he knows all about oval racing. Junqueira's last oval race ended in a visit to the hospital however after he tangled with AJ Foyt IV whilst running 3rd. His injuries cost him a serious chance to win the champ car title and following that he was dumped by NHL. Dale Coyne Racing is a team that believes in him though and last season's double podium effort in champ car showed he can do great things with poor equipment. Bruno will be a factor on both ovals and road courses if Coyne can give him an half decent car, he's also one of my outside bets for a champ car team win this season.

Mario Moraes (Brazil)



IndyCar Debut

I don't know much about Mario Moraes but I do know that he brings sponsorship from Brazil and that can only help the team to improve. He has a strong teammate and was impressive in the Sebring test but has never raced on an oval and that is worrying. It will be a steep learning curve for him but Coyne is great at picking out new talents so lets see him before we judge him.

CONQUEST RACING

Franck Perera (France)



IndyCar Debut

Conquest Racing have driven more IndyCar miles that any of the other incoming Champ Car teams. They had a competitive season in 2002 with Laurent Redon finished 10th in the championship but they defected to champ car with then owner Mike Lanigan. Ownership changes have followed since then but Conquest finds itself back where it started.
Frank Perera is a quality driver, make no mistake about that and I expect him to be competitive on the road courses but once again it's a driver with no oval experience and you've got to expect these ex champ car guys to struggle at first.

Enrique Bernoldi (Brazil)



IndyCar Debut
Despite little success in F1 Enrique Bernoldi is a fairly big name in motorsport and it's good to have him in the IRL. He also brings sponsorship dollars with him and had good pace at Sebring. But once again, the ovals will be where he struggles.

HVM RACING

Ernesto Viso (Venezuela)

IndyCar Debut

Up until Indy this team will be a one car effort and Viso is almost certain to be bringing up the rear. Team owner Keith Wiggins has Champ Car and Formula 1 experience but with a rookie driver and little investment it's going to be a long haul. A second car is expected later on but that could only stretch the teams resources even further.

**********************************************

One thing that slightly worries me heading into this season is the lack of oval exeperience that so many of the drivers have. This will be an early advantage for the IRL regulars and Mutoh and Howard who already have driven and won on ovals in the Pro Series.

I don't expect the Champ Car teams to become a factor until after Indy. Newman Haas Lanigan are the team most likely to make a breakthrough but their previous IRL races have all been with the old G-Force Panoz chassis and they have never even tested the Dallara.

My names to look out for this season are Hideki Mutoh, Oriol Servia and Ryan Briscoe

One thing that will be interesting is how Newman/Haas/Lanigan fare. Their resources eclipse those of any of the other exiled Champ Car teams, so they in particular will have the weight of expectation upon them to deliver before long. It would be nice to see Justin Wilson finally get the break he deserves, but it will most likely take NHL a fair proportion of the season at least to be on the pace of the top IRL teams.

2008 is in many ways going to be a transitional season for IndyCar; with the merger announced so late and so many questions still to be answered, the story of the season is likely to be how smoothly everything operates. But I will be watching with interest, not only to witness the start of the re-unification but also to watch the great racing that IRL and Champ Car have both delivered over the years. Roll on the new season!

great preview, and i am actually looking forward more to this than i was f1. Am excited that sky sports are promising to show both indycar and nascar in full this season, its gunna be a great year of motorsport

I think they will be mixing it up before the end of the season.

they are currently moaning about the lack of equipment that they have received

Coyne, Conquest, KV and HVM have all got on with things

time for NHL to stop moaning and just get on with it

excellent review stradders - much better than some of the bland ones you often read in the mags. <sleep>

i hadnt realised ernesto viso was driving for a one car team with quite limited resources.
a brave choice in that case as ernesto has never been what you would call a safe pair of hands. no doubt he brought a bit of cash but they could soon be needing it for the spare parts bill. :D

but i hope he does well - he was great value in f3 imo and to a lesser extent in gp2 as well.

naturally i will be supporting the baldy brazilian indy option in tony kanaan.but as you say be interesting to see how he does "on his own" in many ways. <think>

Yeah fantastic preview Straddlin.

Think I'm going to get back into this now, last time I watched Cart was back in 2001 or so, I recognise a few names.

What's the best channel for the coverage? Before I used to watch ESPN with Ben Edwards, he's moved on since then though :P

Sky Sports will have coverage all season

in the states the races are split between ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN on ABC