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Andretti Autosport has momentum heading to Toronto

Hunter-Reay is coming off back-to-back wins, Marco off a second place at Iowa.

Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport and James Hinchcliffe, Newman/Haas Racing

Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport and James Hinchcliffe, Newman/Haas Racing

IndyCar Series

Ryan Hunter-Reay, Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Chevrolet, No. 28

Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport and James Hinchcliffe, Newman/Haas Racing
Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport and James Hinchcliffe, Newman/Haas Racing

Photo by: IndyCar Series

With consecutive victories at Milwaukee and Iowa, Hunter-Reay is now second in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings, three points behind the leader, Will Power. Hunter-Reay is also tied for the lead in the A.J. Foyt Oval Trophy point standings with Tony Kanaan. (RHR's victories give him an edge in the tie-breaker with one oval race remaining.)

Toronto has historically been one of Hunter-Reay's best tracks, as he recorded back-to-back third-place finishes in 2010 and 2011. Only once in his career has he finished worse than seventh at Toronto (IndyCar and Champ Car starts).

"It feels like we're prepared for a championship effort. We're going to keep our heads down and attack each race, each lap. The entire Andretti Autosport organization has been working so hard to give us drivers what we need to win races. A big part of our success the past two races has been the ability to save our tires and then make our move when the other cars lose pace. We can do some of that at a street course like Toronto, and the real secret to making that work is having a car that is well-balanced and allows a driver to stay with the leaders while still saving tires and equipment. The engineers have been able to give us that.

"We've shown we've been strong on the road and street courses this year, with podium finishes at St. Petersburg, Brazil and even Long Beach [Hunter-Reay crossed the line third at Long Beach, but a last-lap penalty dropped him to sixth in the finishing order], so we can expect the same at Toronto. Our focus is to remain consistent and be in contention for the win when Sunday rolls around. We're going to fight for this championship right to the finish."

Did You Know: Since joining Andretti Autosport in 2010, Hunter-Reay has never finished outside of the top 10 at any of the remaining tracks on the schedule. (He does not have a start at Auto Club Speedway, home of the season-ending 500-mile race.)

Marco Andretti, Team Dr Pepper Chevrolet, No. 26

For the Toronto and Edmonton races, Marco's No. 26 Chevrolet-powered car will carry Dr Pepper logos and a predominantly maroon color scheme. Andretti and his team are coming off of their best result of the 2012 season, a second-place finish at Iowa Speedway.

"We really found something in the set-up of the car during the race at Detroit [where Andretti finished 11th after starting 24th]. I really feel like it was breakthrough for a street course set-up that suits my style of driving, so I'm anxious to get to Toronto and try it there. The Iowa finish was good for me and the team, and we have an opportunity to string together a bunch of solid races to finish out the season. It would be really awesome to win at Toronto, where my dad was so successful."

Did You Know: Team owner Michael Andretti dominated at Toronto as a driver, winning seven times on the streets around Exhibition Place between 1989 and 2001.

James Hinchcliffe, Team GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, No. 27

Hinchcliffe heads to the streets of Toronto fifth in the championship points standings, trailing the leader by only 30 points. The Toronto native has qualified inside the Firestone Fast Six at four of the five previous road and street events this season. He finished 14th at the 2011 Indy Toronto.

"I'm very excited to go home - I always love racing in Toronto. We've been very competitive on the street courses so far - Detroit obviously wasn't our strongest for a few reasons, but the car was still good and there's no reason to expect any different from the Go Daddy Chevy now. Then from the professional side, and the personal side, the race in Toronto is pretty much the reason I became a fan of racing. I went to that race the first time when I was 18 months old and have been to every one since, so it's always special to go home. The fan support for me, even in the junior formulas, was incredible and having all our friends and family come out... it's a very cool thing to be a part of."

Did You Know: This will be Hinchcliffe's 25th Indy Toronto, but only his second as an IndyCar driver. He attended his first Indy Toronto in 1988, when he was just 18 months old.

Source: Andretti Autosport

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