Patrick hopes to chalk up first win near hometown

JOLIET, Ill. - Although Sunday's IRL event isn't quite in her backyard, it's close enough for Danica Patrick.

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She grew up in Roscoe, Ill., about 130 miles from Chicagoland Speedway, and expects a large contingent of friends and relatives at the PEAK Antifreeze Indy 300 as she attempts to win her first IRL race.

"It would be special - very, very special," Patrick said. "To have your first win in your hometown would be nice. Obviously, a win anywhere would be great and people would probably still hear about it in Chicago, but it would mean a lot if it was in the hometown for sure."

But there's more to this race than the Patrick angle.

Points leader Dan Wheldon is looking for an IRL-record sixth victory of the season, his first championship and to become the first driver to clinch in the third-to-last race.

All three could happen, but only with a complicated chain of events.

A victory by Wheldon (517 points) means defending champion Tony Kanaan (second with 438 points) would have to finish eighth or higher - sixth if Wheldon leads the most laps. Third-place Sam Hornish Jr. would fall out of contention.

If Wheldon finishes second, Kanaan needs to finish in the top 16 - top 13 if Wheldon leads the most laps. Hornish would have to finish in the top four or top three.

Fourth-place Dario Franchitti is hanging on - barely.

He would be eliminated if Wheldon finishes in the top three and would need to win the race if Wheldon finishes fourth through eighth.

Fifth place Scott Sharp and sixth place Helio Castroneves will be eliminated once Wheldon takes to the track.

For Patrick, who rose to stardom after finishing fourth in the Indianapolis 500 and gracing magazine covers, a win would be the greatest way to cap her year.

"I think there's a lot of great things that happened on and off track that have impacted myself, the series," she said.

She is 12th in the IRL points standings and leads all rookies with 271 points, 51 more than Ryan Briscoe. Now, she's back home - or within a few hours of it.

"I really want to have a good race to close out the season," Patrick said. "I feel like I'm learning more, better prepared for the events as we go along. My expectations get higher. But at the same time, they're all very important, and that's why I still get really nervous before every event. They all mean so much."