Briscoe has the advantage

Ryan Briscoe, winning the Chicagoland race by less than a hundredth of a second against Scott Dixon (see elsewhere), took an important step in the title race during the last weekend of August. However, the New Zealander only has a 25-point lead over his pursuer, Dario Franchitti, and a let-up in one of the last two events of the season could be fatal with a view to winning the title.

One thing is certain: with 67 points behind the leader, Helio Castroneves is out of the race. His setbacks during the last two races only allowed him to score 24 points while his opponents were full (Briscoe: 93; Franchitti: 85; Dixon: 57). It is therefore these last three who will compete for the coveted title. For the moment, the best placed is the one who has never been champion in Indycar Series, while Dario Franchitti was in 2007, and Scott Dixon won the championship twice (2003 and 2008).

In this final straight, before competing in the Motegi race and the final round in Miami, Ryan Briscoe will be able to count on the solid experience of the Penske team, in order to keep the advantage over his opponents. If this weekend's Japanese race may not be decisive, the ranking at the end of this round will help clarify the positions a little more before the final race at Miami Homestead.