Crossed Flags: Look at halfway point of the 2009 season
There was a sole exception: Will the championship chase go down to the wire? The answer was a unanimous and resounding "Yes," which only makes sense. With a tight points race through nine of the 17 events and the past three driver titles being decided in the season finale, all indications point to a showdown Oct. 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"Without a doubt; it has been too competitive for it not to be," said Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing's Graham Rahal, who's among the six pole winners this season.
Reigning series champion Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing claimed front-runner status with a third-place finish at Watkins Glen on July 5 – 19 points clear of teammate Dario Franchitti and Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe heading to the Honda Indy Toronto on July 12.
While tenuous, it's the largest points differential of the season between 1-2 (after seven of the nine races it had been 10 or less). Team Penske's Helio Castroneves, a two-time winner, and Andretti Green Racing's Danica Patrick are within 75 points. A victory earns 50 points, with 40 for second, 35, 32, etc. Four different drivers have held the top spot, with only Briscoe maintaining it after two consecutive races.
"For me, it's exciting to be in this title hunt," said Briscoe, who has a victory and four runner-up finishes including to Justin Wilson at The Glen. "It's going to be a tough one. It's going to go right down to the wire, but it's great. We're racing with a bunch of very good drivers and it's a lot of fun."
The remainder of the schedule is split down the middle into street/road courses and 1.5-mile ovals. There were five different winners in the first half, which comprised three street/road circuits, two 1.5-mile ovals, the Indianapolis 500 on the 2.5-mile oval and three races on ovals one mile or less.
"All of us are sort of looking at the championship so far and saying, 'Man, if that didn't happen here if that didn't happen there, I could have had a big lead in the championship at the moment,' '' Briscoe said. "But it is very close. Scott's got a bit of a lead at the moment, but it's pretty small for where we are in the championship."
Six drivers who led at the season's midpoint have gone on to claim the title, including Dixon and Franchitti the past two years. Dixon held off Helio Castroneves' charge to win by 17 points and Franchitti, driving for Andretti Green Racing in 2007, edged Dixon by 13 points in a championship chase that went down to the final lap.
In 2006, Castroneves was the midseason leader by five over Sam Hornish Jr. and 35 over Dan Wheldon. Hornish and Wheldon wound up tied in points after the finale, with Hornish claiming his third series title based on a tiebreaker (four wins to Wheldon's two). Castroneves finished two points back.
The complete questionnaire with leading vote-getters:
Team/Driver that have surprised you the most
Mario Moraes / KV Racing Technology
Team/driver that have disappointed you to date
Tony Kanaan / Andretti Green Racing
Pick to win the championship out of the current top five
Scott Dixon
Surprise during the second half of the season
Justin Wilson
Dark horse to win the title
None
Next first time winner
Hideki Mutoh
Predict a championship chase involving few or many
Four (5)
Will the championship go down to the wire at Miami
Yes
INDYCAR SERIES AT HALFWAY
The driver leading the IndyCar Series championship at the midway point of the season has won the title in six of the last 12 seasons, dating to the 1996-97 season.
Two-time series champion Scott Dixon assumed the points lead at Watkins Glen, the second consecutive year that he has held the lead at the halfway point.
Here's a look at the IndyCar Series history at the halfway point of the season.
A LOOK AT THE TOP FIVE OF 2009
| Driver | Points | Behind | Notable |
| Scott Dixon | 313 | — | Has three wins and seven top-10 finishes after starting the season with pair of finishes of 15th or worse |
| Dario Franchitti | 294 | -19 | Level with Briscoe in points, but gets the edge with two wins. |
| Ryan Briscoe | 294 | -19 | Won the opener at St. Pete and has finished second four times. |
| Helio Castroneves | 257 | -56 | Has two wins – Indy and Texas – but missed opener at St. Pete due to his trial. |
| Danica Patrick | 238 | -75 | Has run upfront all season, but is only driver in top five that has yet to score a win. |
HOW HALFWAY LEADER FARED:
| Year | Points Leader | Finished |
| 1996 | Buzz Calkins | 1st |
| 1997 | Mike Groff | 14th |
| 1998 | Scott Sharp | 4th |
| 1999 | Scott Goodyear | 9th |
| 2000 | Buddy Lazier | 1st |
| 2001 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 1st |
| 2002 | Helio Castroneves | 2nd |
| 2003 | Tony Kanaan | 4th |
| 2004 | Tony Kanaan | 1st |
| 2005 | Dan Wheldon | 1st |
| 2006 | Helio Castroneves | 3rd |
| 2007 | Dario Franchitti | 1st |
| 2008 | Scott Dixon | 1st |
| 2009 | Scott Dixon | ?? |
HOW EVENTUAL CHAMPION WAS AT HALFWAY MARK
|
Year |
Champion | At halfway | Gap To Leader |
| 1996 | Buzz Calkins & Scott Sharp | Calkins (1st) Sharp (5th) | Calkins led Mike Groff by 6 points Sharp trailed Calkins by 14 points |
| 1997 | Tony Stewart | 4th | Stewart trailed Groff by 15 |
| 1998 | Kenny Brack | 6th | Brack trailed Sharp by 73 |
| 1999 | Greg Ray | 3rd | Ray trailed Goodyear by 33 |
| 2000 | Buddy Lazier | 1st | Lazier led Goodyear by 22 points |
| 2001 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 1st | Hornish led B. Lazier by 50 |
| 2002 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 3rd | Hornish trailed Castroneves by 24 |
| 2003 | Scott Dixon | 2nd | Kanaan led Dixon by 31 |
| 2004 | Tony Kanaan | 1st | Kanaan led Wheldon 61 |
| 2005 | Dan Wheldon | 1st | Wheldon led Kanaan by 73 |
| 2006 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 2nd | Hornish trailed Castroneves by 5 |
| 2007 | Dario Franchitti | 1st | Franchitti led Dixon by 65 points |
| 2008 | Scott Dixon | 1st | Dixon led Castroneves by 43 points |
| 2009 | ??? | Dixon leads Franchitti by 19 points |