IRL: Moraes best surprise, Kanaan biggest disappointment

Mario Moraes has been the biggest surprise and Tony Kanaan has been the biggest disappointment so far this year, according to a survey conducted by IndyCar.com. Check out all the categories.

Our View: One of the best ways to determine a drivers strength is to listen to his opponents.

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IRL: Several tests on tap

Most of the Indy Racing League drivers tested at a variety of locations this week in preparation for the upcoming season. According to OpenWheelWorld.net, they were:

Watkins Glen International: Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, Mario Moraes, Mike Conway, Milka Duno, Justin Wilson and Richard Antinucci.

Richmond International Raceway: Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Dan Wheldon, Raphael Matos and E J Viso.

Chicagoland Speedway: Ed Carpenter (in a Firestone tire test).

Iowa Speedway: Dario Franchitti

Our View: Practice makes perfect, so put a tickle file in your computers for the appropriate week and then watch these drivers closely in open practice sessions when that race rolls around.

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IRL: Indy 500 Final Practice

The final practice for the Indy 500 is in the books and only two drivers topped the 223 mph mark. Helio Castroneves posted a single fast lap of 223.920, which was nearly one mile per hour faster than the third quickest driver Mario Moraes. The only racer in the same zip code was Will Power, who clocked in at 223.560.

Practice Times

Rank	Driver	Speed
1	Helio Castroneves	223.920
2	Will Power	223.560
3	Mario Moraes	222.951
4	Dan Wheldon	222.386
5	Ryan Briscoe	222.374
6	Dario Franchitti	222.357
7	Scott Dixon	222.017
8	Graham Rahal	221.771
9	Townsend Bell	221.434
10	Davey Hamilton	221.371
11	Tony Kanaan	221.104
12	Paul Tracy	220.979
13	Vitor Meira	220.607
14	Raphael Matos	220.348
15	Marco Andretti	220.205
16	A.J. Foyt IV	220.119
17	Scott Sharp	219.977
18	Tomas Scheckter	219.887
19	Alex Tagliani	219.833
20	Hideki Mutoh	219.627
21	Ed Carpenter	219.602
22	Mike Conway	219.560
23	Danica Patrick	219.328
24	Oriol Servia	219.317
25	Alex Lloyd	219.262
26	Justin Wilson	218.919
27	Ryan Hunter-Reay	218.593
28	Robert Doornbos	218.164
29	E.J. Viso	217.788
30	Milka Duno	217.599
31	Sarah Fisher	217.315
32	John Andretti	217.296
33	Nelson Philippe	216.631

IRL: Bell entered at Indy

Townsend Bell will drive the No. 8 KV Racing Technology at Indy, according to IndyCar.com.

Our View: Bell finished 10th in last year's edition of this race while driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. This year, he will be on the same team as Paul Tracy and Mario Moraes and the combined efforts of these three drivers should make him even stronger this year.