A New Hampshire Weekend: Will vs. Dario

With the New Hampshire weekend upon us, we're again looking at a big step in our IZOD IndyCar Series championship battle. In one corner is Will Power, reeling after another bout of poor luck at Mid-Ohio. In the other corner is Dario Franchitti, riding high after another podium and always a threat to win on the ovals.

Power's sole oval win has come with a slight assist by a random position draw at Texas. On paper, it looks like this very well could be the week Dario completely pulls away from Power in the series championship.

From Thursday's practice, it looks like Dario should again be upfront. We'll have to see what Penske's hand holds, but this is a race where we should see plenty of competition from teams such as KV Racing, Andretti, and Newman/Haas.

We're getting to the point where it isn't enough for Power to place well; he needs to place well AND finish in front of Franchitti. That's going to be a tall order on this short oval. 

So, we go into New Hampshire, knowing Will Power's margin for error is slim to none. A DNF here could put him behind in an insurmountable way. Ovals aren't forgiving, and we're going into an unfamiliar one to boot. We'll see what Power has left for this season, or if another chance at the championship will fade away.