One down, more to come? Danica Patrick earned her first career victory April 20 at Twin Ring Motegi, joining a list of 37 drivers who have won in the IndyCar Series. Of those drivers 22, have won two or more races. Drivers have won back-to-back races 18 times in IndyCar Series history. Can Danica add her name to those lists? Will we see the first repeat winner at Kansas Speedway? In seven races at Kansas Speedway, seven different drivers have taken the checkered flag. Can Buddy Rice (2004), Tony Kanaan (2005) or Dan Wheldon (2007) become the first driver to repeat at Kansas Speedway or will an eighth driver take home the trophy? Round two on the ovals This will be the second race on an oval for the five teams that transitioned to the IndyCar Series for 2008. Oriol Servia’s 12th was the best finish at Homestead. How much higher on the grid can the newcomers climb? Indy tune-up? Teams and drivers will use the race as a final tune-up for the month of May and the Indianapolis 500. No team has more to gain than Luczo Dragon Racing, which makes its 2008 debut at Kansas Speedway. Luczo Dragon finished fifth in last year’s Indy 500 with Ryan Briscoe. This year, Tomas Scheckter takes the wheel. Scheckter has four top-10 finishes at Kansas in six starts. A missing pole Helio Castroneves leads all IndyCar Series drivers with 23 career poles, but he’s never won the pole at Kansas Speedway. His best start at Kansas was third last year. Can Helio win his first pole at Kansas Speedway? RLR back to the front? Rahal Letterman Racing won consecutive poles at Kansas Speedway with Buddy Rice (2004) and Danica Patrick (2005). Rice also won the race in 2004. This year, Ryan Hunter-Reay has finished seventh in two races on 1.5-mile ovals. Can Ryan Hunter-Reay lead the team back to the front of the grid? Race Notes: The Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 will be the eighth IndyCar Series event conducted at Kansas Speedway. A different driver has won the race each year. Past winners Dan Wheldon (2007), Tony Kanaan (2005) and Buddy Rice (2004) are entered in this year’s race. Fifteen drivers entered in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 have raced in previous IndyCar Series events at the track. Seven of those drivers have led laps (Dan Wheldon 333, Tomas Scheckter 165, Tony Kanaan 108, Scott Dixon 103, Buddy Rice 95, Vitor Meira 37 and Helio Castroneves 16). Three Indianapolis 500 champions are expected to participate in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Buddy Rice (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005). Three IndyCar Series champions are scheduled to participate in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300: Scott Dixon (2003), Tony Kanaan (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005). Drivers entered in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 as of April 22 have combined for 56 IndyCar Series victories, 66 pole positions and 945 starts. Season-to-Date: ·         Helio Castroneves is the only driver to finish in the top five in all three races this season. Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick are the only other drivers to finish in the top 10 in all three races. ·         For the second consecutive season, three drivers representing three teams have won the first three races of the season. Milestones & Records: Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 101st career IndyCar Series start. It would also be his 98th consecutive start. Helio Castroneves can establish an IndyCar Series record for most consecutive seasons with at least one win should he win the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300. Castroneves is tied with Scott Sharp with victories in seven consecutive seasons. Helio Castroneves can extend his IndyCar Series record for consecutive seasons with a pole to seven if he can win the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award. Tony Kanaan will attempt to qualify in the top 10 for the 21st  consecutive race. Vitor Meira has gone 79 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Series, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver. Kansas Lottery 100 Highly-competitive season resumes at Kansas After taking two weeks off, the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season resumes with the Kansas Lottery 100. Richard Antinucci holds a 26-point lead over Raphael Matos, but six points separate Matos from fourth-place J.R. Hildebrand, meaning the championship is far from over. Is No. 7 still lucky for Sam Schmidt? The driver of Sam Schmidt Motorsports' No. 7 car has won the driver's championship the last two seasons. Richard Antinucci, who won two road course races during a limited 2007 campaign for Cheever Racing, takes over the car for 2008. Can Antinucci be the third straight driver of the No.7 to win the title? Matos shifts gears Raphael Matos, who won the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic championship, jumps on the fast track to the IndyCar Series with AFS/Andretti Green Racing in 2008. Matos won his series debut at St. Petersburg in 2006. Can he add to his win total on the Streets of St. Petersburg? Ladies first? For the first time in series history, two female drivers will compete for the 2008 championship. Brazil's Ana Beatriz and Switzerland's Cyndie Allemann join the series as Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year candidates. Beatriz benefits from the championship experience of Sam Schmidt Motorsports, while Allemann drives for American Spirit Racing, which was one of six teams to win in 2007. Race Notes: No Place Like Home The Firestone Indy Lights returns to the site of its first-ever race. 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 The three previous race winners at Kansas Speedway went on to win the Firestone Indy Lights title that season. Will that trend continue after a three-year layoff? Season To Date: ·         Richard Antinucci has finished in the top-two in every race this season. He won Race #2 at St. Petersburg after finishing second at Homestead and St. Petersburg #1. ·         Antinucci and J.R. Hildebrand are the only drivers to record top-10 finishes in every race this season. ·         Raphael Matos is the only driver to win the SWE Pole Award this season. Milestones: ·         Arie Luyendyk Jr. will attempt to make his 50th Firestone Indy Lights start at Kansas Speedway, which would extend his series record. ·         Bobby Wilson can tie Wade Cunningham's series record for consecutive seasons with a win should he win the Kansas Lottery 100. Wilson has won in each of the last two seasons. ·         Bobby Wilson will attempt to make 32nd consecutive start, which would give him sole possession of second on the all-time list. ·         Three different drivers have won the first three races of the 2008 season, marking the first time since 2005 that has occurred. The record for longest streak of different winners is six, which last happened in 2006. Weekend Schedule (local time): Saturday, April 26 6:30 a.m. – Garages open 8:45-10:15 a.m. – IndyCar Series practice 10:30-11:15 a.m. – Firestone Indy Lights practice 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. – IndyCar Series practice (two groups) 2:10 p.m. - PEAK Motor Oil Pole Qualifying 3:45 p.m. – Press Conference (Front row) 3:45-4:35 p.m. – Firestone Indy Lights practice Sunday, April 27 7 a.m. – Garages open 9-10 a.m. – SWE Firestone Indy Lights Pole Qualifying 12:45 p.m. – Kansas Lottery 100 (67 laps/100 miles) 2 p.m. – Press conference (Firestone Indy Lights 1st, 2nd, 3rd) 4 p.m. – Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) 6:15 p.m. – Press conference (1st, 2nd, story of the day)