Dan Wheldon --- The dust didn't really get a chance to settle from Danica Mania, when Dan Wheldon stole the media attention right out from under her. The 27 year old sophomore driver of the #26 Andretti/Green Honda from Emberton, England won the Indy 500 and had won four out of the last five events.
Wheldon seems to be on a crash course for the championship. In the 8 events that have been run this season, his worst two finishes are 6th places at Phoenix and Texas. He has a fifth place at Richmond and a second place at Kansas, with wins at Homestead, St. Petersburg, Twin Ring Motegi, and Indy.
He leads last season's champion, Tony Kanaan, in the driver's championship points by 76 points. This is a margin which can't be over come in just a couple of events as long as the leader is still competing. Wheldon placed second in the 2004 championship and is the odds on favorite to win this season.
Danica Patrick --- Not to be outdone, the rookie driver is still in the top ten in driver's points. It appears that she is well on her way to winning this season's rookie title, as long as she can stay healthy and competitive, it's in the bag.
Patrick's stats for the first 8 events are really great for a rookie, and are a lot better than those of some of the veterans. She brought the #16 Rahal/Letterman Honda in at 15th at Homestead and Phoenix. Her first road course at St. Petersburg was an inaugural event for all drivers and a 12th place finish there wasn't bad at all. Then she had her two top five finishes of 4th at Twin Ring Motegi and Indy, followed by a 13th at Texas. She managed to finish in 10th on the short Richmond track, followed by a 9th place finish last week at Kansas.
Toyota Bows Out --- It wasn't much of a surprise to hear of the Toyota announcement to leave the IRL at the end of the 2006 season. It seems that the Asian auto manufacturer is also pulling out of CART as well. There has been speculation that Toyota would build on its NASCAR presence by moving into the elite Cup Series. The Toyota Tundra has been a successful factor in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series for a couple of seasons.
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