Franchitti, Wheldon, Meira debut with new teams at Australia's Gold Coast

It wasn't all fun and games at Surfers Paradise. For some IndyCar Series teams, the exhibition race on the streets of Australia's Gold Coast was a chance to get acquainted with their new drivers -- or in Dario Franchitti's case, renew old friendships, writes John Oreovicz.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates New Zealand's Scott Dixon, right, and Dario Franchitti, left, chat in pit lane during practice for the Indy 300 at...

IRL still considering 'a few issues' before it commits to Gold Coast deal

Surfers Paradise lived up to its name Sunday. Beautiful weather, almost 100,000 fans and a thrilling shootout between two drivers with strong Australian ties. It should be a no-brainer, then, that the IndyCar Series would want to return to Australia's Gold Coast, right? Not so fast, writes John Oreovicz.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver New Zealand's Scott Dixon in action during a practice session for the Indy 300 at the Surfers Paradise street circuit...

Briscoe, Dixon put on one heckuva show at Surfers Paradise

The 2008 IndyCar Series championship was decided seven weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway. But that didn't stop the IRL from staging arguably the most exciting open-wheel race the Gold Coast has ever seen, writes John Oreovicz.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver New Zealand's Scott Dixon races past fans as they swim in a pool near the track during the Indy 300...

Indy 300 eludes Power for third straight year as Briscoe takes win

Ryan Briscoe has won the Indy 300, taking the lead when fellow Australian and pole sitter Will Power crashed out on the 17th lap.

Power bests Dixon on final lap of qualifying, putting him on pole for third time

Will Power won his third straight Indy 300 pole position Saturday, overtaking Scott Dixon with seconds left in qualifying.

Power turns quickest practice lap at Surfers Paradise

Will Power had the fastest time in practice Friday for the Indy 300, putting him in a strong spot to secure his third straight pole position in his home race.

Franchitti's return, Helio's availability highlight Surfers Paradise finale

So what if this weekend's IndyCar finale at Surfers Paradise is a non-points venture. "Without championship points," explains Dario Franchitti, who makes his return to open-wheel racing on Australia's Gold Coast, "[the fans] might even get a bigger show than they were expecting."

IRL, local organizers to discuss Indy 300's future

The IRL and local organizers are meeting this week to discuss the future of the Surfers Paradise race, which is not on the 2009 Indy Racing League schedule. A decision is expected in about two weeks.

Every lap matters, no matter what points system you throw at IndyCar

The IRL looked at the scoring systems of other race series to come up with its unique formula for the IndyCar Series. Crunch the numbers from some of those other forms of racing, such as F1 and NASCAR, and you get some interesting results, writes John Oreovicz.

SPARTA, KY - AUGUST 09: Scott Dixon, driver of the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda celebrates winning the IndyCar Series Meijer...

Race driver Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, left, and his wife Dana, laugh after being asked to kiss repeatedly during...

Champ Car-IndyCar merger beefed up car numbers, series credibility

Year 1 in the open-wheel unification went about as well as can be expected. Car counts were up. So were fan attendance and TV ratings. And the racing was pretty good, too. The true test, however, will come in 2009, writes John Oreovicz.