"Everybody wants to win that race, especially me and Scott," added the Brazilian, who has come close numerous times. "It's the kind of place that you create a lot of expectations - which I try not to do because you can leave that place pretty disappointed. If I have a car to win, it would definitely mean a lot to me.
Aside from the Ganassi twins and Kanaan, who else is likely to feature among the pre-race Indy favourites? The options are wide and varied.
Castroneves will be seeking his third victory at Indianapolis, and is confident as his six-point lead is built on four top five finishes.
"Thankfully, we were able to stay out of trouble and bring home a fourth-place finish [in Kansas], which keeps us in the championship lead heading into Indy," Castroneves said, "We've run consistently well the first part of the season, and I have no doubt that the team will continue to give me the car I need to go for my third Indianapolis 500 win next month."
After a runner-up finish and a strong showing at Kansas, Marco Andretti could be a contender at the Brickyard, like he was on his 2006 debut. AGR team-mate Danica Patrick, who started and finished fourth in 2005, is likely to make some noise, especially as she now has a first series win under her belt, while Oriol Servia, Justin Wilson and St Pete winner Graham Rahal - among others - showed enough speed and consistency at Kansas to suggest that the former Champ Car drivers cannot be counted out.
"Indy's an open road, so I think everybody's going to have a chance to do really well there," Kanaan suggested, "If you remember when anyone asked [Sebastien] Bourdais and Bruno [Junqueira], they were pretty strong there [in 2005]. So I don't see why not they can come back there and be as strong. Indy's a whole different game. So I'm pretty sure there are a lot of those guys going to be up to speed pretty fast."
Some 27 driver/team combinations are expected ahead of the start of practice at Indianapolis this weekend, but as many as 40 are expected to battle for the 33 slots in the field, the best turnout for several years.
