Incentives Vary at Andretti Green Racing.

Andretti Green Racing (AGR) is the most decorated in IndyCar Series history.  The only four-driver team has 34 series wins and three championships since 2003.  However, with the added load of drivers comes chemistry and competition issues.  AGR has been plagued with driver issues and cooperation problems in the past few years.  When Dario Franchitti left for NASCAR after a 2007 championship, the team replaced him with Hideki Mutoh.  This opened the door for a new team ace, which has the drivers at AGR looking more like rivals than teammates.

Each driver seems to dance to their own tune.  Tony Kanaan has been with the team since 2003, so naturally he would be the team leader and have the highest expectations.  He already has 13 wins, and a series championship.  AGR should be supporting him as the team's leader and the respect seems to be there.  However, Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti have their own set of expectations.  If AGR wants a championship now, Tony has to deliver until Danica and Marco aren't distracted by outside motives.

TK and Team 7-Eleven enjoyed a championship in '04.

Danica is in her contract year, and she is milking it for all she can.  While she is doing more interviews and has more commercials than ever before - she seems to be more focused as well.  Going into Richmond she is fifth in points, and only a win away from being a serious

contender.  The fire is burning in #7, and while a jump to NASCAR is unlikely, there seems to

be a certain team with a "Target" on their back that would love to find her a seat next year.

Marco's troubles are hard to explain.  A year ago he was going through a string of run-ins with the barrier, ending in too many DNF's.  This year, he can't seem to consistently run with the class of the league.  His car is often fast enough, and his skills are obviously there, but the results are not.  For Andretti to tap his potential, he is going to have to find the drive to be the best within him.  Sometimes, it appears he is happy to just be "Marco," and expects success to happen because he is an Andretti.

Just how good Mutoh is has yet to be determined.  The 2008 Rookie of the Year is a steady ride for AGR.  He doesn't threaten to contend for wins, but you don't see the young driver in the wall or tangled with other drivers either.  With the wealth of racing knowledge around him, Mutoh could find the winner's circle sooner than later.

Andretti Green still has time this year to turn the season around and contend for a championship, but it has to start this weekend at Richmond.  Kanaan, Marco and Danica need to start beating the Penske and Target drivers.  They can start by ending the inter-team feuds, and start going out to the track hungry.

Richmond Preview

The field for the SunTrust Indy Challenge was announced today, and it will look identical to Iowa's field.  The green flag for the IRL's ninth race around Richmond's 3/4 mile track is set to drop this Saturday night, 7 pm on VERSUS.

Tony Kanaan won last year's event.  Helio Castroneves has ran in seven of the eight races, with one win (2005).  Dario Franchitti followed up his win at Iowa in 2007 with a victory at Richmond the following week.  Two other entrants have won here:  Scott Dixon ('03), and Dan Wheldon ('04).

Points leader Ryan Briscoe has two starts at Richmond, with a best finish of 15th.  Danica Patrick has finished top-10 in 3 of her 4 appearances, with her best being 6th.  Tomas Scheckter has experience successful runs here, with two top-5's in six starts (best, 4th).

Look to see if Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing will continue to compete at a higher level than the others.  Michael Andretti and his hungry Andretti Green Racing drivers, Kanaan, Danica and Marco Andretti, need to re-gain momentum after a dismal showing at Iowa.  

Can Dreyer & Reinbold's Scheckter and Mike Conway parlay season-bests on another short oval?  Will E.J. Viso finish his first race of the year?

The race is set for 300 laps (225 miles).  Check back Thursday for updates on the practice sessions and a look into how the cars are setup for the Richmond International Speedway.

The traditional twilight scene at Richmond, VA.