Kansas: Round four preview

Danica comes to Kansas riding ecstasy from first career victory
Seven races at Kansas Speedway, seven different winners

FAST FACTS

Road Runner Turbo Indy 300

Date / Time: Sunday, April 27 4 p.m. (EDT)

Track: Kansas Speedway

Distance: 200 laps / 300 miles

TV: ESPN2 (Live)

Radio: IMS Radio Network / XM Satellite Radio (Live)

2007 Winner: Dan Wheldon

2007 Polesitter: Tony Kanaan

Kansas Speedway: 1.5-mile oval
First IndyCar Series race in 2001
Seats: 82,000

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Kansas Lottery 100

Date & Time: Sunday, April 27 1:45 p.m. (EDT)

Track: Kansas Speedway

Distance: 67 laps/100 miles

TV: ESPN2 (Taped). Airs 2 p.m. (EDT) May 1

Most Recent Winner: Thiago Medeiros (2004)

Most Recent Polesitter: Thiago Medeiros (2004)

Road Runner Turbo Indy 300

Race Notes:

The Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 will be the eighth IndyCar Series event conducted at Kansas Speedway. A different driver has won the race each year. Past winners Dan Wheldon (2007), Tony Kanaan (2005) and Buddy Rice (2004) are entered in this year's race.

Fifteen drivers entered in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 have raced in previous IndyCar Series events at the track. Seven of those drivers have led laps (Dan Wheldon 333, Tomas Scheckter 165, Tony Kanaan 108, Scott Dixon 103, Buddy Rice 95, Vitor Meira 37 and Helio Castroneves 16).

Three Indianapolis 500 champions are expected to participate in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Buddy Rice (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005).

Three IndyCar Series champions are scheduled to participate in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300: Scott Dixon (2003), Tony Kanaan (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005).

Drivers entered in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 as of April 22 have combined for 56 IndyCar Series victories, 66 pole positions and 945 starts.

Season-to-Date:

* Helio Castroneves is the only driver to finish in the top five in all three races this season. Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick are the only other drivers to finish in the top 10 in all three races.

* For the second consecutive season, three drivers representing three teams have won the first three races of the season.

Milestones & Records:

* Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 101st career IndyCar Series start. It would also be his 98th consecutive start.

* Helio Castroneves can establish an IndyCar Series record for most consecutive seasons with at least one win should he win the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300. Castroneves is tied with Scott Sharp with victories in seven consecutive seasons.

* Helio Castroneves can extend his IndyCar Series record for consecutive seasons with a pole to seven if he can win the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award.

* Tony Kanaan will attempt to qualify in the top 10 for the 21st consecutive race.

* Vitor Meira has gone 79 starts without a victory in the IndyCar Series, the longest drought of any IndyCar Series driver.

Kansas Lottery 100

Race Notes:

No Place Like Home
The Firestone Indy Lights returns to the site of its first-ever race. Kansas Speedway played host to three Firestone Indy Lights races from 2002-2004, with A.J. Foyt IV winning the first race on July 7, 2002.

Win at Kansas, win the title
The three previous race winners at Kansas Speedway went on to win the Firestone Indy Lights title that season. Will that trend continue after a three-year layoff?

Season To Date:

* Richard Antinucci has finished in the top-two in every race this season. He won Race #2 at St. Petersburg after finishing second at Homestead and St. Petersburg #1.

* Antinucci and J.R. Hildebrand are the only drivers to record top-10 finishes in every race this season.

* Raphael Matos is the only driver to win the SWE Pole Award this season.

Milestones:

* Arie Luyendyk Jr. will attempt to make his 50th Firestone Indy Lights start at Kansas Speedway, which would extend his series record.

* Bobby Wilson can tie Wade Cunningham's series record for consecutive seasons with a win should he win the Kansas Lottery 100. Wilson has won in each of the last two seasons.

* Bobby Wilson will attempt to make 32nd consecutive start, which would give him sole possession of second on the all-time list.

* Three different drivers have won the first three races of the 2008 season, marking the first time since 2005 that has occurred. The record for longest streak of different winners is six, which last happened in 2006.

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Weekend Schedule (local time):

Saturday, April 26
8:45-10:15 a.m. - IndyCar Series practice
10:30-11:15 a.m. - Firestone Indy Lights practice
11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. - IndyCar Series practice (two groups)
2:10 p.m. - PEAK Motor Oil Pole Qualifying
3:45-4:35 p.m. - Firestone Indy Lights practice

Sunday, April 27
9-10 a.m. - SWE Firestone Indy Lights Pole Qualifying
12:45 p.m. - Kansas Lottery 100 (67 laps/100 miles)
4 p.m. - Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 (200 laps, 300 miles)

-credit: irl