IndyCar – Round 5: Chevrolet Indy Duel in Detroit Preview

detroit-belle_mapWhat: Chevrolet Indy Duel in Detroit
Where: Belle Isle Circuit, Detroit, MI
Who: Scott Dixon led flag to flag in 2012, but the track has been changed and Hondas are struggling. Takuma Sato won the last road/street event at the Anhembi Circuit in Sao Paulo, but had a rather lackluster Month of May. Marco Andretti enters the race weekend as points leader, exhibiting his offseason efforts to become more consistent.
When: 3:30pm EDT, ABC, both Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2 

Storylines
Tony Kanaan looks to continue the momentum from his first ever Indianapolis 500 Mile Race International Sweepstakes victory. (Yeah, I just used the old school name.) TK seems to be headed in the right direction, and had there not been a poor fuel strategy call by his team in Sao Paulo, we might be talking about Kanaan going for his third straight win. The only problem is TK needs a strong qualifying effort for Detroit, whuch really hasn’t been a strength this season.

Ryan Briscoe replaces J.R. Hildebrand in the #4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet. Hildebrand’s season got off to a lackluster start with his brain lapse at St. Pete and rather inimpressive showings at Barber and Sao Paulo, despite his second consecutive 5th place result at Long Beach. Hildebrand started 10th at Indianapolis, but finished 33rd after crashing in Turn 2 only 4 laps into the race.  Briscoe started the 2013 season without a ride, but drove for Chip Ganassi racing in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

Okay, I’m officially a believer in New Marco now. Marco Andretti enters the Detroit Dual as the points leader. Marco has exhibited a level of maturity and patience blended with aggressiveness in the car this year like none have ever seen from him before. The only question now is can he maintain his performance. If so, then Marco’s championship run might just begin in Detroit.

Takuma Sato has to be happy to be back on a street course. He’s not very far behind Marco Andretti in points, and could easily retake the points lead this weekend with an outstanding performance in both events. For Foyt Racing, the key is no mistake in the pits. They’ve been plagued this season by pit errors, which have cost them siginficant points. If Sato is to be a title contender, they absolutely have to keep errors in check.

Justin Wilson has quitely had an amazing season. Even though problems at several events have sent him to the back of the pack, he’s been able to recover and salvage top finishes. Justin’s coming off a rather impressive Top 5 run at Indianapolis, where he finished as the top Honda entry in the event. Like everyone else, key for Justin in this event is a high qualifying result to counteract the passing prohibitive nature of the circuit.

A Lap Around Belle Isle
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/ddIPLiXS-d4″]

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