By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Not long after it was announced that Edmonton, AB would no longer host an IndyCar event after losing money the last couple years, series officials and promoters of the sister event in Toronto picked up the slack. For 2013, Toronto will be one of three cities (the others being Houston and Detroit) to host double-header race weekends meaning two full-points races during the usual three-day stretch.

That means IndyCar races on both Saturday and Sunday, squeezing out time traditionally set aside for support races from other series in an attempt to get more 'bums in seats.' Toronto Star Wheels editor Norris McDonald has a good take on what that means to fans. I have to admit that when I saw the title of his story I'd assumed that IndyCar was also expanding its schedule out to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport) about an hour east of Toronto, not doubling down on the lakefront street race instead.

Anyway, the Honda Indy Toronto's certainly had its shine come off in the last decade or so... it no longer captures the public's attention and isn't a must-see event in the average Torontonian's mind. It's also usually scheduled on the same weekend as other more popular festivals that get better coverage in the local media. Generally, people just complain about the added traffic congestion that sparks up from the setup and take-down of the concrete barriers along Lakeshore Drive for weeks on either side.

What do you think? Would the Honda Indy Toronto be better off abandoning the city and moved to another location? Do you think it has the legs to stay in Toronto? Does the double-header make you more likely to attend? Let us know in the comments.

Photo courtesy INDYCAR/LAT USA

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Ryan Hunter-Reay won his third event in a row this season in IndyCar by putting in an impressive performance at the 2012 Honda Indy Toronto on July 8. Hunter-Reay moved into the lead in the latter portion of the race after both front-row qualifiers - Dario Franchitti of Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Penske Racing's Will Power - ran into all kinds of bad luck. 

Even more surprising than Hunter-Reay finding victory lane were the two racers sharing the podium at the end. Charlie Kimball, a young American driver who suffers with Diabetes - who famously had to schedule an insulin injection during a pit stop in his first Indy 500 - had his best IndyCar result yet with a second-place finish. And Brit Mike Conway, who struggled to recover from his injuries sustained at this year's Indy 500, ended up an amazing third. It was the best finish in years for Conway and his team owner A.J. Foyt. 

You can check out the official box scores here.

Hunter-Reay was cruising to victory when a late-race caution with less than 10 laps to go tightened up the field again. During the ensuing restart, several drivers made optimistic moves into the notorious first turn, which put Sebastien Bourdais into the tires and another trio of cars stack up behind him. Several cars also ended their day at turn 3 on that same lap, which was more than enough to throw a full-course caution. Because there were too few laps to get everyone sorted out in time, the race ended under yellow.

Those last few laps were how most Toronto Indy's play out, but this year's event was running relatively caution-free. 

Canadian Alex Tagliani had a great qualifying to put him in sixth, but started 16th because of a 10-place penalty for an unplanned engine change after his Honda motor popped. He had an otherwise decent race and finished a more-than-respectable 10th.

Hometown hero James Hinchcliffe had a weekend he'd rather forget. He'd qualified a disappointing ninth, but started 19th also because of a 10-place penalty for an unplanned engine change. Through some great driving and good pit strategy, he was up to fourth place after a dozen or so laps. But his second Chevrolet engine of the weekend quit and he officially retired in 22nd. 

The next race of the 2012 IndyCar Series will be in Edmonton, AB on July 22.

By Elisabeth Rae Collett, MSN Autos

We all know that numbers come easily to millionaire Dragons' Den co-host, Robert Herjavec, but who knew that proficiency translates into speed and skill on the racetrack?!

This year, the serious and focused investor has decided to channel his energy through racecar driving. He's racing in the Ferrari 458 Challenge Series, which for the first time ever hit the streets of Toronto at the recent Honda Indy Toronto and garnered Robert Herjavec a sixth place finish overall. His beautiful 458 Challenge car boasts a 4.5-litre V-8 engine, producing 562 horsepower. Harnessing that power, especially as a newcomer to the race this year, takes an amazing amount of skill and commitment to the sport. But, Robert does it with ease and humility.

By Elisabeth Rae Collett

Since we know not everyone in Canada is able to attend the IndyCar race in Toronto, we thought we'd put together a little recap of the events on Sunday to give you a taste of what it is like both on and off the track. Enjoy!

By Geoff Martin, MSN.ca

See what it's like to be part of an IndyCar pit crew with this video shot on race day morning, Sunday, at the Honda Indy Toronto 2011.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

... or nearly so. The field spent more time under yellow during the latter half of the race than under green. I suppose Honda can't complain because we saw more than enough of its all-new Civic Si that served as the pace car.

The Indy race in Toronto is always a street fight thanks to tight walls, over-aggressive drivers and recent attempts to 'manage' the show. Requiring drivers to move over a lane when diving into a corner rather than 'blocking' the inside, and double-file restarts are just two ways that IndyCar officials have tried to spice up the mix. But the question now becomes has it gotten too hot?

Getting more than a lap of clean racing was miraculous, and none of the Canadian drivers escaped unscathed. In fact, Alex Tagliani nearly went over the wall at one point. You can see his car nearly vertical in the main shot above...

I pity Graham Rahal, who had kept his nose clean through most of the race only to get tagged in the closing minutes by Ryan Hunter-Reay, which relegated him deep into double digits.

Seems like the days of running fast and clean are long gone. Nearly everyone has to gripe, whine and campaign for themselves... 

By Elisabeth Rae Collett, MSN.ca

"3" seems to be Dario Franchitti's lucky number lately. After starting out as the third car off the grid, Franchitti not only survived a miriad of bumps and race stops and starts, but also lead his Target Chip Ganassi Racing car to its third Honda Indy Toronto victory, and earned his 30th career win. Oh, and he lead for 30 laps of the race. If he keeps up his current pace, there's a good chance that Franchitti will also win his third career IndyCar Series championship. Someone should tell him to buy a lottery ticket! He claims skill and a great team contributed to these wins, with a bit of help from lady luck.

The final standings for the Honda Indy Toronto are: 1) Dario Franchitti (01:56:32.1501), #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing; 2) Scott Dixon (01:56:32.8846), #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing; and, 3) Ryan Hunter-Reay (01:56:38.1645), #28 Andretti Autosport.

Sunday's race was full of chaos for almost every driver, with nine collisions causing yellow-flagged caution laps. Franchitti overtook Graham Rahal in Lap 71 and then found his solid lead after leaving behind a multi-car crash in turn one, during Lap 76. He held onto his lead for the remaining laps and hit the checkered flag with a time of 01:56:32.1501

"This, to me, is one of the most challenging places we race," said Franchitti about Toronto's IndyCar track in a post-win press conference

In a moment of post-race emotion, Will Power told broadcaster Versus in an interview that Franchitti plays dirty and should be penalized for the collision between the two of them in Lap 56 at Turn 3. When asked for his response during his post-win press conference, Franchitti said he too would be frustrated if he were knocked down during the race as Power was, but suggested that Power review the recording of the crash to see that the contact was unintentional on both sides. There are conflicting reports whether Race Control did indeed intend to give Franchitti a penalty for the contact.

Watch the post-race press conference with Dario Franchitti:

Reviewing both drivers' Twitter feeds, it's clear that this is a debate that will not be settled easily.

"Hey @12WillPower check out the replay then give me a yell..." -- @DarioFranchitti via Twitter
"@dariofranchitti I did watch it and could not have raced you any cleaner..." -- @12WillPower via Twitter

Maybe if they watch the replay three times, that'll settle the debate. Gotta love the soap opera that is auto racing!

By Elisabeth Rae Collett, MSN Autos

Every year, it seems there is increasingly more to see and experience at the Honda Indy in Toronto.

New for this year is a grand stand at Turn 9, one of the most exciting turns that was lacking a fan vantage point in previous years, and the fact that Dan Aykroyd will be the Grand Marshal for the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto!

"I'm delighted to be a part of an event with so much history," said Aykroyd in a recent Honda Indy press release. "I'm a long-time race fan and very proud to be Canadian. It'll be nice to come home and take in a spectacular day of racing."

And, the most exciting addition to this year's Honda Indy Toronto roster is a the Ferrari Challenge racing series. The Ferrari Challenge is actually the longest-running racing series of its kind in North America, but for the first time ever the race's Ferrari 458 Challenge cars have raced on the streets of Toronto. If you own a Ferrari and want to find out how the breed performs on the track, this is the series to be in. Ferrari owners are given the opportunity to compete against each other on North American soil. Since we don't have an Autobahn in Canada, racing in this series is the next best thing. Just ask Robert Herjevec of Dragons' Den, who we've been watching closely this season. Stay tuned for more on Herjevec's racing in upcoming entries!

Also new this year, Thunder Alley (the zone for fans who need a break from the grand stands) is reorganized to have more food options and interactive exhibits. If you plan to attend the show, be sure to drop by the Schick Hydro booth, which offers a misting of water you can walk through, as the temperature is going to be quite high on Sunday.

The food at the Indy is worth calling out this year, as often your choices are pizza, hotdogs and nachos at events like this. Now there are many options, like jerk chicken, 100% Kobe Beef hotdogs sold at a Japanese food stand, pulled pork sandwiches, ribs and ice-cream at almost every turn. My favourite is the crepe stand inside the Direct Energy Centre, which is right beside both pizza and sushi stands.

In addition to the IndyCar Series, the racing events that keep fans coming back each year are the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, the Firestone Indy Lights and the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship - all worth watching in their own right.

By Elisabeth Rae Collett, MSN Autos

Taking the pole position for Sunday's race is driver #12 of Team Penske, Will Power, after successful qualifying rounds Saturday. Leading the top six fastest drivers from qualifying, Power will be the first off the grid and burn rubber around Toronto's challenging street course. 

"This is such a physical track," said Power after qualifying. "It's a real driver's track with all the different surfaces and all the bumps, you really need to wring its neck out there and that's what I love about it."

By Elisabeth Rae Collett, MSN Autos

Under blue skies and blistering heat, the 26 IndyCar drivers competing in this weekend's Honda Indy Toronto are doing their best to keep cool. Among the roster of drivers are three Canadians, Alex Tagliani, Paul Tracy and newcomer James Hinchcliffe, along with a multitude of skilled racecar drivers from around the globe that will take over Toronto's downtown core all weekend.

We were able to steal a few minutes of Tracy's time leading up to this weekend's race. As always, this hometown race puts a smile on his face. Tracy is in 29th place for the season coming into this weekend and is going to push hard to make his fans proud. Look for Tracy's #8 Make-a-Wish racecar lapping the track with a sense of urgency this weekend, as this could be one of his last seasons racing.