The IZOD IndyCar Series is just around the corner with drivers and teams gearing up for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this weekend.
Ryan Hunter-Reay aims to defend his championship while Andretti Autosport teammate James Hinchcliffe seeks his first career win.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon will hope luck is on their side this season while Team Penske’s Will Power eyes his opportunity to finally win the championship.
Tune into the opening race of the 2013 IndyCar season, live from St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 24. Coverage begins on Sportsnet at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT. | Full 2013 IndyCar schedule
Before the green flag drops at St. Petersburg, here’s a look at the 27 drivers competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series this season.
A.J. ALLMENDINGER
Team: Team Penske
Car Number: 2
Hometown: Los Gatos, Calif.
Best Overall Finish: 3rd (2006, Champ Car)
2012 Finish: N/A
Breakdown: NASCAR driver Allmendinger returns to open-wheel racing for two races: Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama and the Indianapolis 500. Allmendinger won five Champ Car races in 2006 and gives IndyCar some much-needed name recognition.
MARCO ANDRETTI
Team: Andretti Autosport
Car Number: 25
Hometown: Nazareth, Pa.
Best Overall Finish: 7th (2006, 2008)
2012 Finish: 16th
Breakdown: The third generation IndyCar driver had an off year in 2012 with just three top-10 finishes but Andretti led the most laps at the Indianapolis 500, finished second at Iowa and earned pole position in Fontana, Calif. All three of those races are ovals and Andretti needs to gain ground on the road and street courses that his father Michael and grandfather Mario once reigned supreme.
ANA BEATRIZ
Team: Dale Coyne Racing
Car Number: 18
Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Best Overall Finish: 21st (2011)
2012 Finish: 29th
Breakdown: Beatriz only raced at Sao Paulo and Indianapolis last year but secured a full-time ride with Dale Coyne Racing for 2013. She had career-best finish of 11th place at Toronto in 2011.
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS
Team: Dragon Racing
Car Number: 7
Hometown: Le Mans, France
Best Overall Finish: 1st (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007; Champ Car)
2012 Finish: 25th
Breakdown: The four-time Champ Car World Series champion showed he can still compete with a fourth-place finish in Mid-Ohio. A full season with a Chevrolet engine, and being able to compete in all races, will aid in his quest to return to the top of the podium.
ED CARPENTER
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Car Number: 20
Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind.
Best Overall Finish: 12th (2009)
2012 Finish: 18th
Breakdown: The only driver/owner in IndyCar capped the 2012 with a bang by winning at Fontana. Carpenter also had top-10 finishes at Milwaukee and Iowa but struggled on the road and street course tracks.
HELIO CASTRONEVES
Team: Team Penske
Car Number: 3
Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Best Overall Finish: 2nd (2002, 2008)
2012 Finish: 4th
Breakdown: Castroneves enters his 14th season with Team Penske. He took the checkered flags at St. Petersburg and Edmonton last year and finished the season with an IndyCar-leading 12 top-10 finishes. The only thing that has eluded the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner is an IndyCar Series championship.
MIKE CONWAY
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Car Number: 17
Hometown: Bromley, Kent, England
Best Overall Finish: 17th (2009, 2011)
2012 Finish: 21st
Breakdown: Conway stated last year he’s no longer comfortable racing on ovals and so far he’s only signed up to race at Long Beach this year. Now driving for his fourth team in four years, Conway has won at Long Beach before and has earned podium finishes at Toronto and Sonoma.
SIMONA DE SILVESTRO
Team: KV Racing Technology
Car Number: 78
Hometown: Thun, Switzerland
Best Overall Finish: 19th (2010)
2012 Finish: 24th
Breakdown: Plagued with an uncompetitive engine at Lotus-HVM Racing last year, de Silvestro has switched to a new team and a Chevrolet engine. So far so good, de Silvestro finished 12th in pre-season testing last week.
SCOTT DIXON
Team: Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Car Number: 9
Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
Best Overall Finish: 1st (2003, 2008)
2012 Finish: 3rd
Breakdown: The two-time IndyCar Series champion missed out on a third title last year by a slim 33 points. Dixon hasn’t finished lower than fourth in points since 2005 and should make another run at the title this year.
DARIO FRANCHITTI
Team: Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Car Number: 10
Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland
Best Overall Finish: 1st (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011)
2012 Finish: 7th
Breakdown: Some drivers would be happy with seventh in the standings but not the three-time defending champion. Franchitti hasn’t lost his edge as he won the Indianapolis 500 and earned pole position three times last season and he should bounce back in 2013.
J.R. HILDEBRAND
Team: Panther Racing
Car Number: 4
Hometown: Sausalito, Calif.
Best Overall Finish: 11th (2012)
2012 Finish: 11th
Breakdown: Hildebrand had a quiet 2012 but still managed to improve upon his rookie season with six top-10 finishes. The 25-year-old nicknamed Captain America should continue his climb up the standings in 2013.
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE
Team: Andretti Autosport
Car Number: 27
Hometown: Oakville, Ont.
Best Overall Finish: 8th (2012)
2012 Finish: 8th
Breakdown: The Mayor of Hinchtown had a hot start in 2012 with seven top-six finishes in the first eight races and was as high as second in the championship standings. Hinchcliffe improved a lot in his second IndyCar season and should factor in the championship chase in 2013.
RYAN HUNTER-REAY
Team: Andretti Autosport
Car Number: 1
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Best Overall Finish: 1st (2012)
2012 Finish: 1st
Breakdown: Hunter-Reay won an IndyCar-leading four races en route to his first series championship. There’s no reason why the 32-year-old shouldn’t be able to defend his title and he could reach the top of the podium at the opening race in his hometown state.
JAMES JAKES
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Car Number: 16
Hometown: Leeds, England
Best Overall Finish: 22nd (2011, 2012)
2012 Finish: 22nd
Breakdown: Jakes brings a wealth of experience from overseas and the 25-year-old is still an up-and-comer in the IndyCar Series. He finished a career-high eighth place in Toronto last year. Jakes joined RLL Racing this season and should continue to improve.
TONY KANAAN
Team: KV Racing Technology
Car Number: 11
Hometown: Salvador, Brazil
Best Overall Finish: 1st (2004)
2012 Finish: 9th
Breakdown: Kanaan slipped a bit in his second season at KV Racing Technology but the 38-year-old is still a contender with three podium finishes last year including a third place at the Indianapolis 500. Kanaan was fourth during pre-season testing, showing he’s still roaring for another run at the championship.
CHARLIE KIMBALL
Team: Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
Car Number: 83
Hometown: Camarillo, Calif.
Best Overall Finish: 19th (2011, 2012)
2012 Finish: 19th
Breakdown: Kimball earned his first podium in 2012 by finishing second at Toronto and picked up a total of six top-10 finishes. Kimball would have finished higher in the standings if an injury hadn’t forced him to miss the Mid-Ohio race.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN
Team: Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
Car Number: 67
Hometown: Hendersonville, Tenn.
Best Overall Finish: 23rd (2012)
2012 Finish: 23rd
Breakdown: The 2011 Firestone Indy Lights champion made the leap to the IZOD IndyCar Series last year. Newgarden had his share of struggles but came close to reaching the podium in Toronto until a block from Simon Pagenaud sent him out of contention.
SIMON PAGENAUD
Team: Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports
Car Number: 77
Hometown: Montmorillon, France
Best Overall Finish: 5th (2012)
2012 Finish: 5th
Breakdown: Pagenaud was a wild card in the championship chase during his return to open-wheel racing in 2012 and captured the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. Pagenaud, who raced in Champ Car in 2007, earned four podium finishes last season and could reach the top in 2013.
WILL POWER
Team: Team Penske
Car Number: 12
Hometown: Toowoomba, Australia
Best Overall Finish: 2nd (2010, 2011, 2012)
2012 Finish: 2nd
Breakdown: Power has finished runner-up for the title in three consecutive seasons and is due to finally win the championship. He swept all four pre-season testing sessions last week and should dominate the road and street course races again in 2013.
GRAHAM RAHAL
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Car Number: 15
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Best Overall Finish: 5th (2007, Champ Car)
2012 Finish: 10th
Breakdown: Rahal joins his father Bobby’s team at RLL Racing and a change could do him good. Both father and son had their moments in 2012 and together they could return to the winner’s circle.
SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA
Team: Dragon Racing
Car Number: 6
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Best Overall Finish: 25th (2011)
2012 Finish: 27th
Breakdown: Saavedra returns to IndyCar full-time after spending most of last season with Andretti Autosport’s “farm team” in the Firestone Indy Lights series. The 22-year-old showed tremendous potential during his time in Indy Lights and should improve upon his previous stints in IndyCar.
TAKUMA SATO
Team: A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Car Number: 14
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Best Overall Finish: 13th (2011)
2012 Finish: 14th
Breakdown: Sato earned two podium finishes in 2012 but his season will be best remembered for his attempt to pass Dario Franchitti for the lead at the Indianapolis 500 only to make contact and spin out of the race. Still, it showed Sato can hang with the best and isn’t afraid of making risky moves to try and win a race.
ORIOL SERVIA
Team: Panther DRR
Car Number: 22
Hometown: Pals, Spain
Best Overall Finish: 2nd (2005, Champ Car)
2012 Finish: 13th
Breakdown: An uncompetitive Lotus engine set back Servia at the start of the 2012 season, but a switch to Chevrolet saw him reach the top five in four races, including Indianapolis and Toronto. A full season with Chevy should see Servia improve in the standings.
ALEX TAGLIANI
Team: Barracuda Racing
Car Number: 98
Hometown: Lachenaie, Que.
Best Overall Finish: 7th (2004, 2005; Champ Car)
2012 Finish: 17th
Breakdown: Tagliani was saddled with a poor Lotus engine to begin the 2012 season but a change to Honda saw him close the gap with the leaders, claiming pole position for the second consecutive year at Texas and earn eight top-10 finishes. Continuity with his Barracuda Racing team and a full year with Honda should give Tagliani a better chance in the chase for the championship.
TRISTAN VAUTIER
Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Car Number: 55
Hometown: Corenc, France
Best Overall Finish: N/A
2012 Finish: N/A
Breakdown: Vautier will not have much competition for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award as he’s the only first-time IndyCar driver who’s scheduled to race the full season. Vautier won the 2012 Firestone Indy Lights championship with a dominant performance and already looks comfortable in IndyCar, finishing 13th in pre-season testing in Alabama.
E.J. VISO
Team: Andretti Autosport
Car Number: 5
Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
Best Overall Finish: 17th (2010)
2012 Finish: 20th
Breakdown: Joining Andretti Autosport as the team’s fourth driver should help Viso move up from the pack. A fifth-place finish in Milwaukee highlighted his 2012 season that saw him earn a total of four top-10 finishes.
JUSTIN WILSON
Team: Dale Coyne Racing
Car Number: 19
Hometown: Sheffield, England
Best Overall Finish: 2nd (2006, 2007; Champ Car)
2012 Finish: 15th
Breakdown: Wilson returns for another year with Dale Coyne Racing. Last season saw Wilson back in victory lane with a win at Texas. He’ll need a better season from his ride as car problems resulted in DNFs at Sao Paulo, Detroit, Milwaukee and Fontana.
