IRL Preview: Round 8 - Kentucky.

With seven winners from seven races so far this year, it is unsurprising to learn that the inaugural Belterra Resort Indy 300 is wide open with any number of drivers in with a chance of victory.

Sunday's race will almost certainly be one of the most critical events of the year with the title race so close. Any one of nine drivers could theoretically leave the brand new 1.5 mile oval with the Indy Racing Northern Light Series points lead whereas a bad result for any one of those drivers could eliminate them from contention altogether.

Added to the mix is the fact that when several of the leading IRNLS teams tested at the track last month it was rookie Sarah Fisher who emerged on top ahead of fellow young gun Sam Hornish Jr.

Fisher's best lap of 218.517mph is a good marker for the race pace that fans can expect to see as the 26 drivers and cars battle it out in what has been an absorbing year from start to finish.

Current points leader Buddy Lazier will be hoping that the trend which has seen the points leader at the end of the proceeding even strike trouble in the following race does not strike the Hemelgarn driver. Lazier assumed the points lead from Eddie Cheever after finishing a distant second to Greg Ray in Atlanta in July and the #91 G Force-Aurora driver will be looking to become the first repeat winner in the series this year.

Perhaps the biggest threat to Lazier's points lead could be 1999 champion Greg Ray who was simply unbeatable in Atlanta in his first untroubled run of the year. Although he is out of the title race, Ray and his rejuvenated crew had been threatening to dominate a race for some time and despite the loss of long-time engineer Thomas Knapp, the Team Menard driver could be the perfect title spoiler this Sunday.

Deposed points leader Eddie Cheever goes into the race with the latest Infiniti modification to his Nissan power plant after an uncharacteristic (this year anyway) engine failure in Atlanta. Up until that point, Cheever had been one of the most consistent runners this year, completing all but eight laps run this year prior to the Atlanta event. The ex-Arrows Formula One veteran could be gain an advantage with the Infiniti's extra torque, especially during long green flag runs and if the latest modifications are half as good as they are expected to be, Cheever could be in prime position to regain his points lead.

Third in the points race, 32 marks behind Lazier is Scott Goodyear and the Canadian veteran would like nothing more than to end his relationship with current team Panther Racing with a first IRNLS title to add to his impressive CV. If latest rumours are to be believed, Goodyear may be considering retiring altogether at the end of the season and if the rumours are true, he will be more determined than ever to succeed.

Scott Sharp was crippled by a late race oil-pressure problem in Atlanta and is now tied for fourth in points with AJ Foyt's leading driver, Eliseo Salazar. Both have shown well throughout the year although Sharp has the distinction of leading the IRNLS in total wins, a record he broke in Texas back in June. The Team Kelley driver may have lost ground to Lazier thanks to his Atlanta DNF but he is still very much in with a shout at Kentucky, especially as the 14 degree corners will encourage close racing, a situation Sharp thrives in.

The list of winners continues for what seems like an age with Al Unser Jr, Mark Dismore, Robbie Buhl and Donnie Beechler all capable of taking the points lead on Sunday. Buhl's Dreyer & Reinbold team have pulled off a major coup with the hiring of Thomas Knapp from Team Menard and his expertise could push the only other Infiniti powered car in the field, Cheever aside, further up the grid.

Beechler and the tiny Cahill Racing Team came close to scoring their first win at Pikes Peak only to see the young driver crash on the final lap. Beechler made amends for his error by running Ray close in the early stages in Atlanta before going on to finish an encouraging fifth. Another strong performance from the Dallara driver could see the underdog still in with a shot in the Texas finale although the Springfield, Illinois native must finish ahead Lazier, Cheever, Goodyear, Sharp and Salazar to do so. Not a small task.

Others with the potential to shine include Jeret Schroeder, who led the chase of Ray for some time in Atlanta, Fisher, who shone in testing and was on her way to a strong finish in Atlanta but for a late race error and Airton Dare who was robbed of another chance to shine in Atlanta by an engine problem.

Two drivers will make their IRNLS seasonal debut on Sunday, David Pook and Roberto Guerrero for the PDM and Coulson teams respectively. Pook is the son of race promoter Chris Pook, the man behind the Long Beach Formula One and CART vents, and will be making his first ever IRNLS start. The young driver is short on experience but showed well in a half season of Indy Lights last year.

Guerrero returns to the series for the first time since Indianapolis where he unsuccessfully attempted to qualify a third string AJ Foyt machine. The veteran Colombian has joined forces with long time business associate Cory Coulson as the duo gear up for a full assault on the championship in 2001 and have bought a year old G Force from the Dick Simon squad as the basis of their challenge.