Check out a short list of favorites for Sunday's Gateway Indy 250 at Gateway International Speedway in Madison, Ill.

Alex Barron:

	Barron

Scored his first career Indy Racing League victory July 20 at Nashville Superspeedway; one of six first-time IRL winners this year; stands fifth in the championship race with 283 points; an accident on lap 41 ended his race at Gateway last year.

Helio Castroneves:
The fifth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway two weeks ago was his series-leading ninth top-five finish of the year; the Team Penske Brazilian driver also retained his second place in the standings and trails Sam Hornish Jr. by four points; Castroneves also tops the series with 11 top-10 finishes; is the only other multiple winner this year in addition to Hornish, scoring a win at Phoenix in March and winning his second straight Indianapolis 500 in May; is nine points ahead of teammate Gil de Ferran, who has 386 points with three races left; competed at Gateway in the CART series from 1998-2000, finishing in the top 10 each time, including a second-place in 1999; tested at the track on August 14, turning unofficial quick laps in the low 26-second range.

Eddie Cheever Jr.:
In last season's inaugural IRL race at Gateway Raceway, he was the best finishing Infiniti driver in fourth place; drove a steady race, working his way through the field from starting ninth; reached as high as third, but placed fourth, finishing four seconds behind race winner Al Unser Jr.

Airton Dare:

	Dare

The 2000 IRL Rookie of the Year won the Ameristar Casino 200 on July 7 at Kansas Speedway by 0.1741 seconds over Sam Hornish Jr. for his first career victory. It was the fourth race in 2002 with a victory margin of less than a second; the victory also was the first for A.J. Foyt Racing since Kenny Brack won the 1999 Indianapolis 500; sits seventh in the standings with 253 points; finished ninth at Gateway last year.

Gil de Ferran:
The weekend at Kentucky Speedway was not as smooth as his teammates; had a decent qualifying spot of 10th, but the outcome changed on lap 23 when his right front tire made contact with the left rear tire of Richie Hearn; his pit crew was able to make repairs but only to complete 172 of the 200 laps for a 21st-place finish (his lowest in 12 IRL races); dropped from first to third place in the standings, 13 points behind Sam Hornish Jr. and nine behind Helio Castroneves; competed in CART from 1997-2000 with top-10 finishes in three of the four years, including a third-place effort in 1997.

Sarah Fisher:
The Ohio native became the first woman to win the pole position for a major league open-wheel race in North American motorsports history, capturing the pole at Kentucky; led the first 26 laps before the first round of pit stops and came home for her second consecutive eighth-place finish; also produced a stirring drive July 28 at Michigan, leading four of the last 16 laps before an eighth-place finish.

Felipe Giaffone:

	Giaffone

Sits fourth in the standings and is coming off his first career victory August 11 at Kentucky Speedway; has 382 points, just 17 behind leader Sam Hornish Jr.; became the ninth different winner this year, which tied the record set in 1996-97; also became the sixth different driver to score his first IRL victory in 2002; finished in the top 10 in 11 of the 12 races this year and in 21 of 25 career IRL races; finished 20th at Gateway last year when handling problems ended his day after 44 laps.

Sam Hornish Jr.:
The defending IRL champion was third in the standings for seven straight races (June-July-early August) but regained the top spot after a second-place finish August 11 at Kentucky Speedway; that was his sixth consecutive finish in the top seven, with five of those on the podium; won races at Homestead-Miami, California and Richmond this year; the third-place finisher at Gateway last year, has 399 points and leads Helio Castroneves by four points, Gil de Ferran by 13 and Felipe Giaffone by 17; they are the main contenders for the $1 million bonus that comes with winning the IRL championship.

Robbie McGehee:
The 1999 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year will return to Indy Racing League competition at his home track, the Gateway International Raceway; McGehee is from St. Louis; will drive No. 55 entry for Treadway-Hubbard Racing, for whom he drove the entire 2000 season; finished a career-best second in October 2000 at Texas; "I'm glad we were able to put this deal together," he said. "I'm looking forward to being back in the car, especially with the Treadway crew and in my hometown."

Tony Renna:

	Renna

The rookie driver is looking to break through with his first win; the Florida native finished 10th at Nashville, fourth at Michigan and seventh at Kentucky in his three starts this season for Kelley Racing.

Scott Sharp:
Scored points in his last four races, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway; has seven top-10s this year with a victory at the Firestone 225 at Nazareth Speedway in Pennsylvania; 262 points puts him sixth in the standings; finished eighth in last year's race at Gateway; winner of at least one race in six straight seasons.

Al Unser Jr.:
The 1992 and 1994 Indianapolis 500 champion made a positive return from his alcohol rehabilitation stint with a sixth-place finish at Kentucky; is the defending champion of the inaugural race at Gateway where he led three times for 75 laps; has recorded five top-six finishes this year; ranks ninth in the standings with 235 points.