IRL Pursuit of 2003 title still too close to call

Helio Castroneves and four others are bunched together at the top.
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Helio Castroneves could win the Indy Racing League title. So could Scott Dixon. Or Tony Kanaan. Or Gil de Ferran.
And don't forget about two-time defending champion Sam Hornish Jr.
In a series where victories decided by tenths of a second are routine, it's fitting that the race for the title is so close.
"It's anybody's championship to win or lose," Hornish said after winning Sunday's Delphi Indy 300 by a mere .0099 seconds, the third-closest finish in IRL history.
With two races still to go, five drivers have a shot at the IRL title. This is more than just a mathematical possibility, too. Only 41 points separate Castroneves, the current leader, and Hornish, who's in fifth place.
The rest of the pack is bunched even tighter. Dixon, in second place, is 12 points behind Castroneves. Kanaan is 14 points back, while de Ferran, Castroneves' teammate, trails by 17.
Flipflop possible
With a driver earning up to 52 points for winning a race, the standings could be turned upside down after the Sept. 21 race in Fontana, Calif.
And yet again after the Oct. 12 season finale in Texas.
"We're right in the middle of the points battle with only two races left," de Ferran said. "We have to make sure we maintain our focus."
Last year's IRL title was close, too, with Hornish, Castroneves and de Ferran separated by only eight points going into the second-to-last race. But that's nothing compared to this year's drama. Nine drivers already have victories, and only four have multiple wins. Five drivers have at least six top-five finishes.
And just when it seems someone is going to take control of the points race, something happens to scramble it up again. At the Delphi Indy 300, Castroneves was on his way to a top 10 finish -- and a cushion in the standings -- when his car stalled on the 186th lap of the 200-lap race.
He finished all the way down in 20th, earning just 10 points.
"We need to keep a positive attitude," Castroneves said. "Trust me, [we're] going to put this weekend behind us and work very hard to make sure we are ready for Fontana."
Slow start overcome
While Hornish has the most ground to make up, don't count him out.
Hampered by an engine with considerably less horsepower than the newer Toyota and Honda engines, Hornish got off to a slow start this year. In the first nine races, he had just two top-five finishes.
But his chances for a three-peat got a huge boost when he got the new Gen IV Chevy Indy V8. In four races with the new engine, he's won twice and been runner-up twice.
Now the IRL heads to Fontana and Texas, both places where Hornish won last year.
"We're going to need some bad luck on other people's parts," Hornish said. "The big thing about these next two races is staying out of trouble.
"Being two tracks that we won at last year ... we think we've got a good shot at it," he added. "We just have to get there and be there at the end of those races."
As if there wasn't enough intrigue in the points race, there's a subplot, too. Hornish has already announced he's leaving Panther Racing after the season to drive for Team Penske. He'll replace de Ferran, who is retiring.