Vegas will see more IndyCar ‘pack’ racing

When the two Izod IndyCar championship contenders contemplate Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's title-deciding clash, they imagine the race unfolding like some of the fast and furious finishes at Chicagoland Speedway.

"I have a feeling this is going to be easy, easy flat (on the accelerator), which makes it very much pack racing," Will Power said during Tuesday's teleconference previewing the season's final race. Power is 18 points behind series leader and two-time defending champ Dario Franchitti.

Adding to the drama should be Honda engines stripped of about "40 horsepower or so," Power predicted, citing Nevada's higher altitude. "That makes it even more so (pack racing). To me, it's going to be Chicagoland."

Three of the four closest finishes in IndyCar history have come at Chicagoland, including the closest, a 0.0024-second spread between Sam Hornish Jr. and Al Unser Jr. in 2002.

Neither Franchitti nor Power has raced an Indy car at Las Vegas. The last time the track hosted an open-wheel race was 2004 – Champ Car – won by Sebastien Bourdais.

Franchitti has raced NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series cars at LVMS, but that shouldn't be much of a benefit this weekend.

Practice begins Thursday with qualifying Friday, NASCAR trucks race Saturday, and the Izod World Championship on Sunday. Indy Star