With four races remaining in the battle for the 2008 IndyCar Series championship

Six drivers are mathematically eligible to win. Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Dan Wheldon, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Briscoe and Danica Patrick all remain alive for title contention.

Dixon, who leads all drivers with 505 points, has a 65-point lead over Castroneves. Dixon has held the points lead after 10 of 13 races this season, and has held it consecutively since winning the 92nd Indianapolis 500 in May. The 2003 IndyCar Series champion has recorded five victories, and along with Castroneves, is the only driver with 11 top-five finishes.

Castroneves has stayed a close second behind Dixon since Indianapolis. Castroneves, who led the points for three races in April, has finished second six times this season but has yet to drive into Victory Lane.

Wheldon, the 2005 IndyCar Series champion, started the season with a third-place finish on the 1.5-mile oval at Homestead-Miami and followed with a victory on the 1.5-mile oval at Kansas. He also won at Iowa and has eight top-five finishes in 2008. He trails Dixon, his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, by 115 points.

Kanaan, the 2004 IndyCar Series champion, is just three points behind Wheldon for third. Kanaan has two poles and a victory in 2008, and along with Dixon and Castroneves is the only driver with 11 top-10 finishes this season.

Briscoe, in his first season driving for Team Penske, has wasted no time throwing himself into championship contention. Following a slow start to the season that saw him finish 19th or worse in three of the first five races, Briscoe has recorded two victories. He is 181 points behind Dixon.

Patrick is 209 points behind Dixon. The Andretti Green Racing driver has not been lower than seventh in the point standings all season and was as high as third following her first career victory at Motegi in April.

Remaining races

Kentucky: Dixon has three second-place finishes in five starts, including the last two seasons. Castroneves has four top-fives in six starts. Wheldon has three top-four finishes in four starts. Kanaan won last year’s race and has two other top-five finishes. Briscoe finished 13th in his only start in 2005. Patrick won the pole in 2005 and has a best finish of eighth in three starts.

Infineon: Dixon won last year’s race and has not finished worse than seventh in three starts. Castroneves was second last year. Wheldon has two top-10s. Kanaan won the first race at Infineon in 2005 and finished fourth last year. Briscoe won the pole and led 16 laps in 2005. He has finished 16th and 19th in two starts. Patrick has two top-10s.

Belle Isle: Dixon finished eighth after spinning late in the race. Castroneves led 26 laps but crashed and finished 14th. Wheldon finished third. Kanaan won last year’s race. Patrick finished second, a career-best on a road/street course.

Chicagoland: Dixon has finished second three times in five starts, including the last two seasons. Castroneves has four top-fours in six starts. Wheldon has won twice and was running at the front last year before running out of fuel on the last lap. Kanaan has never finished worse than seventh in five starts. Briscoe was involved in a spectacular crash in his only start in 2005 and finished 22nd. Patrick has one top-10 in three starts.

History with four races remaining (2001-07)

2007

Driver Pts. Margin Final Pts. Pos.
Franchitti 494 – 1
Dixon 470 -24 2
Kanaan 413 -81 3
Wheldon 375 -119 4
Hornish 367 -127 5

2006

Driver Pts. Margin Final Pts. Pos.
Hornish 356 – 1
Dixon 331 -25 4
Castroneves 326 -30 3
Wheldon 324 -32 2
Kanaan 277 -79 6

2005

Driver Pts. Margin Final Pts. Pos.
Wheldon 505 – 1
Hornish 408 -97 3
Kanaan 385 -120 2
Franchitti 371 -134 4
Castroneves 348 -157 6
Sharp 348 -157 5

2004

Driver Pts. Margin Final Pts. Pos.
Kanaan 463 – 1
Rice 395 -68 3
Wheldon 381 -82 2
Castroneves 326 -137 4
Franchitti 319 -144 6

2003

Driver Pts. Margin Final Pts. Pos.
Kanaan 385 – 4
Castroneves 377 -8 3
Dixon 373 -12 1
De Ferran 372 -13 2
Hornish 308 -77 5

2002

Driver Pts. Margin Final Pts. Pos.
De Ferran 377 – 3
Castroneves 365 -8 2
Hornish 359 -12 1
Giaffone 330 -47 4
Barron 261 -116 5

2001

Driver Pts. Margin Final Pts. Pos.
Hornish 339 – 1
B. Lazier 299 -40 2
Sharp 244 -95 3
Giaffone 241 -98 6
Salazar 236 -103 5

source: indycar.com – By Tim Harms