The battle up front is very close with three drivers: Ryan Briscoe, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon fighting for the title this year. Briscoe's win in Chicago extended his championship lead to 25 points clear of second place Dario Franchitti, while Scott Dixon is third with 33 points to recover of Ryan.
However, the Australian leading the series remains with his feet on the ground and plans on making good runs at the remaining two venues in the calendar in order to secure the 2009 drivers' title.
"We've seen how quickly (the championship lead) can turn around. I just have to stay focused and try to beat these guys - Japan and Homestead, they're going to be tough races", said the 27-year-old Australian.
"I sort of got myself into a little bit of trouble (falling to mid-pack midway through the Chicagoland race after an extended service stop) and we've got to try to avoid those instances, run consistently, stay at the front and we'll see what we can do," explained Ryan Briscoe.
Meanwhile, Franchitti still believes he has good chances of winning the title. "Obviously we're still in the fight for the championship, but Ryan did another good job and we're going to have to make something happen these next two races," said Franchitti.
Scott Dixon too considers he has a chance at retaining his 2008 title, but expressed his frustration of finishing just 0.0077 of a second behind first place (the fourth-closest finish in the series history).
"I was thinking maybe for a lap or two that we just might be able to do it. But for the majority of the night, if it came down to that shootout, I think we definitely knew we were going to lose. It's getting pretty old, so hopefully we can turn it around at some point," stated Dixon.
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