Casino Magic 500: What to watch.

Texas Motor Speedway plays host to what is widely tipped to be the most exciting race of the year this Saturday night, here's a quick rundown on what to look out for when the action gets underway.

The great race. The 2000 Casino Magic 500 was widely acknowledged as the greatest Indy Racing event in history. Scott Sharp edged Robby McGehee by .059 of a second for the victory in the closest finish in Indy Racing League history. There were a series-record 31 lead changes among eight drivers as packs of 10 to 12 cars ran wheel-to-wheel for 300 miles of on-edge racing without a single caution period due to accident. Can there be an encore performance this year on the high-banked, 1.5-mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway?

The Texas connection. Few states have a stronger connection to Indy Racing than Texas. 1999 Indy Racing champion Greg Ray hails from Plano and will be a threat to win the Casino Magic 500 in the No. 2 Johns Manville/Menards Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone. Two teams also are based in the Lone Star state. A.J. Foyt Enterprises, owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Foyt, is based in Waller near Houston, while Team Xtreme Racing is located in Rockwall near Dallas. Team owners Foyt and John Mecom III - co-owner of Heritage Motorsports - live in Houston. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, who leads special projects for the Indy Racing League, lives in Fort Worth.

Sam Hornish Jr. Hornish, 21, is arguably the hottest driver in American Motorsports this season after winning the first two races of the Indy Racing Northern Light Series. Hornish enters the Casino Magic 500 as the leader in the Northern Light Cup point standings and a favourite for victory in the No. 4 Pennzoil Panther Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone. Hornish has shown remarkable poise and speed in just his second full season of Indy Racing. Hornish will start Saturday's race from fourth place and had led the most laps of any driver this season.

Sarah Fisher. Fisher, 20, returns to the scene of her Indy Racing debut in October 2000, but much has changed since then. Fisher has made a stunning transformation from Indy Racing novice to Northern Light Cup contender this season in the No. 15 Walker Racing Kroger Special Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, as she is tied for 10th in the series point standings. Fisher showed her talent in early April at the Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami by finishing a career-best second, the best finish ever for a woman in Indy-style racing. Can she earn a historic victory at Texas?

Felipe Giaffone. Giaffone is dominating the Rookie of the Year point standings, holding a 100-40 lead over second-place Didier Andre entering this event. But Giaffone, 26, has his eyes on a bigger prize - the Northern Light Cup as series champion. Giaffone is third in the series standings, just 52 points behind leader Sam Hornish Jr. Consistency has been Giaffone's hallmark this year, as he joins veteran Eliseo Salazar as the only drivers to record a top-10 finish in each of the first four races of the year. Giaffone will aim for his first career victory in the No. 21 Hollywood G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone at Texas. Both Giaffone and Salazar appear to be in good shape to continue their streak in Texas with Salazar starting ninth and Giaffone 14th.

Buzz Calkins. 1996 Indy Racing co-champion Calkins has returned to the forefront of the series this season, as he is fifth in the point standings after four races. Calkins and the Bradley Motorsports team are reaping the benefits of a significant reorganization during the off-season, as the team moved its shops from Denver to Indianapolis. Calkins also is more focused this season, as he split the last two years between racing and earning his master's degree in business from the prestigious Kellogg School at Northwestern University in Chicago. With advanced degree now in hand, Calkins is concentrating on winning his first outright series championship and currently sits fifth in the point's standings.

Foyt doubles up. A.J. Foyt Enterprises, based near Houston, will be an even greater threat than usual to win at Texas Motor Speedway. Foyt has added another Harrah's A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone for Donnie Beechler to his stable that includes Northern Light Cup contender Eliseo Salazar. Beechler finished tied for fifth last season in the series point standings. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Foyt knows how to win at Texas, as Billy Boat edged Greg Ray in a thrilling duel at this event in 1998 to deliver Foyt a win at his home track. Beechler has taken this extra opportunity with both hands and qualified the No.11 Dallara-Aurora in sixth spot, three places ahead of his team-mate.

Strong market. Texas Motor Speedway is the only facility to play host to two Indy Racing Northern Light Series events, which it has done each year since 1998. This will be the eighth Indy Racing event at the state-of-the-art TMS track, as Indy Racing continues to grow in popularity with fans throughout Texas, with the series' largest crowds outside of Indianapolis. September's Indy Racing Northern Light Series finale at the track has recently been christened the Chevrolet 500 and is sure to be an extra special event promoted by the returning engine supplier.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Sam Schmidt is back in the pits this year at Texas, as a car owner. Schmidt, one of the rising driving stars of Indy Racing, was paralysed from the shoulders down in a testing accident in January 2000. Schmidt formed an Indy Racing Northern Light Series team this year with Davey Hamilton as the driver. The team's goals are for success on the track and raising awareness off the track for the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, which raises funds for spinal-cord injury research. Hamilton was the recent recipient of the prestigious Scott Brayton Award for his performance at Indianapolis although the driver who has started every IRL event to date has a tough task on his hands this weekend and has been struggling to get up to speed following a 22nd place qualifying effort.