RACE: The best race of the year so far. A thriller from beginning to end.

TRACK: We're probably the only ones who are going to criticize this track. From a racing perspective, it was great. From a spectator perspective, it was fantastic. But, from an aesthetic perspective, it was ugly.

EDMONTON: 56,722 on a workday! 66,250 in the pouring rain. More race day fans than Toronto, a city over five times the size of Edmonton. There is no doubt. Canadians -- anywhere in Canada -- love their open wheel racing.

QUALIFYING: A regular crashfest.

BOURDAIS: Finally outran Servia.

SERVIA: Another second place, but this time, Oriol will gladly take it.

NEWMAN/HAAS: A great team will find a way to win, even finish 1-2, when they had no right all weekend to even be on the podium. Are you reading this RuSport?

WILSON: First one to get RuSportitis.

ALLMENDINGER: This is getting tiring. A.J. has got to stop making mistakes like that, or he'll soon become auto racing's version of Dan Jansen.

DOMINGUEZ: Well, he didn't hit anything in the race. Now, for the rest of the weekend...

BREMER: We said last week that Ronnie has been a pleasant surprise, so it's nice to see him back in the series, albeit for a different team. Then, he pulled his biggest surprise with his best drive, with Dale Coyne's team no less.

TAGLIANI: At least he made it to the pits, unlike his fellow countryman in Toronto.

MARSHALL: May have finished eighth, but he was still in the way at crucial times.

GLOCK: A strong run for a team that desperately needed it.

ROCKETSPORTS: Have they turned the corner?

DA MATTA: Cristiano seemed to have used up all his racing luck this year when he won at Portland.

RANGER: Love Andrew's never-say-die attitude.

HVM: Okay, let's get this straight. They dump Bremer because he ran out of money. HVM brings in Alex Sperafico, or more like Alex brought himself in. Then, Bremer, after his sponsor checks cleared, hooks up with Dale Coyne, while virtually at the same time, HVM signs Bremer for the 2006 season. All the while, everyone is saying this has nothing to do with money. Ri-i-i-i-i-ght.

BRIDGESTONE: For the love of God, either come up with a new theme for you commercials, or stop playing them over and over and over and over and over.

And over and over and over and over and...

LEGGE: For those (like us) who put a "but" at the end of Katherine's Long Beach race, this win was completely deserving because this time she beat Zwolsman mano-a-mano.

PICKETT: Four decades of victories in the Trans-Am. Greg is a true Ironman.

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Outstanding.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 200,052 -- Making Edmonton the greatest attended Champ Car race in Canada.

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: It has been mentioned that Paul Newman and Carl Haas started talking about a Champ Car team in Edmonton while competing against each other in the Can-Am as team owners. But, who were their drivers in Can-Am? A regular who's who of racing of that era. Newman's drivers during his five-year involvement in that series included Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser, Teo Fabi, Keke Rosberg, and Elliott Forbes-Robinson. Carl Haas ran the likes of Mario Andretti, Jackie Stewart, David Hobbs, Jacky Ickx, Alan Jones, Patrick Tambay, Brian Redman, Chuck Parsons, and Peter Revson.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Paul Tracy trying to find a way to compliment Sebastien Bourdais, "He seems like he has a golden horseshoe up his rear end."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Paul Tracy explaining why the huge crowd sat through Saturday's downpour, "You had 60,000 show up for an outdoor hockey game. They sat outside in minus 35 degree weather. So this is a beautiful day!"

SCHEDULE: Another debut event. Can San Jose possibly top the amazing debut of Edmonton? No pressure there...

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