Another close race for IndyCar Series crown

For the second-straight season, the battle for the IndyCar Series title is one of the closest in series history. With one race to go, Dario Franchitti leads Scott Dixon by three points, with Tony Kanaan 39 points back. It's the third-closest 1-2 spread with one race to go in series history and has seen the point lead swap twice in as many weeks. Here's how it compares to other series' points battles heading into final race:

IndyCar Series
2003 – Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon were tied for the series point lead heading into the final event at Texas Motor Speedway with Gil de Ferran, Tony Kanaan and Sam Hornish Jr. within 30 points of the lead. De Ferran won the race, but Dixon's second-place gave him the title by 18 points.

2006 – Helio Castroneves lead Sam Hornish Jr. by one point heading into the final event at Chicagoland Speedway with Dan Wheldon 19 points behind and Scott Dixon 21 points back. Wheldon led the most laps and won the race, to tie Hornish, who finished third. (Hornish was awarded the IndyCar Series title via the first tiebreaker, four wins to two wins)

NASCAR Nextel Cup
1992 – Six drivers entered the final race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in contention for the title. Alan Kulwicki won the title over race winner Bill Elliott by 10 points, with Kulwicki earning the title by staying out an extra lap to earn the bonus for most laps led.

Formula One
1994 – Michael Schumacher led Damon Hill by one point going into the final race in Australia. Hill and Schumacher crashed into each other during the race giving the title to Schumacher.

Champ Car (CART)
2000 – Gil de Ferran had a five-point lead over Adrian Fernandez heading into the final race at California Speedway. De Ferran won the title by finishing third in the final race with Fernandez finishing fifth.