In Canada, we will be racing the streets of Toronto, Canada, and NASCAR will be at the magic mile this weekend! Halfway through the season, there are drivers either aiming to turn their years around or further cement their championship challenge. Who will do that?

IndyCar

1st Alex Palou

the 2021 IndyCar champion is on remarkable form. In his first 56 career starts, he has 7 wins and 20 podiums. That is more than drivers like Michael Andretti, Scott Dixon, and Will Power have gotten in that span. With a huge lead in the points, some might say the championship is Palou's to lose. He is not known to make mistakes, so he could get win #5 of the year this weekend.

2nd Pato O'Ward

McLaren has had a solid 2023 with all 3 of their drivers. Pato was eying the championship this season and looked like an early favorite, but things have derailed his bud putting him in a massive hole. 4 podiums this year shows they have been consistently fast every race, if the title is out of reach I'm sure podium #5 for the 5 team would be something they'll be pleased with this weekend.

3rd Kyle Kirkwood

Andretti AutoSport definitely have a strong street course package for 2023. But just like it has been for the last few years, when it seems that they have the speed, something always goes wrong. One of the biggest teams in IndyCar has made some internal changes to get that spark back. A podium for the first time since Long Beach will be very welcomed.

Xfinity predicted winner Sammy Smith

Arguably, the least talked about Joe Gibbs Racing driver in the national touring series Sammy Smith has a bright future in NASCAR. After dominating the Arca East Series he has jumped up to the Xfinity ranks. In the 8 races he has ran last year and with half a full season under his belt, flat tracks appear to be where Sammy is the strongest. In Martinsville last year he was in the mix fighting for the win. In Phoenix this year he scored his 1st win to become the 4th youngest Xfinity winner in history. Thats joining a list of drivers like Chase Elliott, Joey Logono, and Ty Gibbs who have either won Xfinity or Cup championships. Still a rookie but he wants to get another trophy.

Cup predicted winner Martin Truex Jr.

To think that last year Martin Truex Jr. was not only debating retirement but also went winless for the first time since 2014. It was not from a lack of effort and speed like in this race last year he led the most laps but lost on a strategy call. In 6 of the last 9 races at Loudon which is a place the 2017 Cup champion wants to win at so badly, he has led 83 laps or more. While it's still unknown at the current time, if MTJ will return for the 2024 season, fast cars and wins will definitely be a great way to keep a driver around. Especially if they possibly make a championship run for title #2. In his Xfinity days he was able to win at Loudon and 2005, you know what he did after that? Winning his 2nd Xfinity championship. Possibly another stepping stone for MTJ to become the 18th driver to win multiple Cup championships.