This weekend, Toronto will be hosting its annual IndyCar race at Exhibition Place. Sport racing enthusiasts will gather to watch the high-speed race along the lake. But for those who are not familiar with the sport, here are the basics you need to know.

What is Indy racing?

IndyCars are a specific type of open-wheeled racecar built for extremely high speeds on closed tracks. The sport is mostly popular in North America, but sees a huge following in Japan and Brazil as well. The cars feature a turbocharged 2.2-litre V6 engine and run on E85 ethanol fuel. IndyCars do not have a roof or doors.

Indy, Formula One, NASCAR – What’s the difference?

NASCAR is more of a contact sport; cars are able to bump into one another without crashing and in fact are built to withstand impacts. They look more like a typical consumer car, with a roof, doors, and closed wheel wells. NASCAR competes with stock cars that are mostly pre-built. The races are longer, and feature large swarms of people bumping and aggressively trying to take over the lead spot. The top speed of most NASCAR vehicles is around 200 m.p.h. (around 320 km/h).

Formula One cars are very different from NASCAR vehicles, and are more closely-related to IndyCars. They are mostly built from scratch by their drivers and have enormous budgets. They are mostly unable to come in contact with one another without serious risk of crashing, or worse. The cars are extremely streamlined, being tested and built in high-tech labs and wind tunnels to perfect them down to the last inch. This allows them to reach top speeds of 225 m.p.h. (about 362 km/h). Formula One drivers are able to tune their car on the go. The sport is hugely popular world-wide.

IndyCars are a specific type of car that is held to strict guidelines in its construction and characteristics. These cars undergo much harsher regulations than Formula One cars and are able to go slightly faster, with average top speeds of about 230 m.p.h. (370 km/h). Like NASCAR, IndyCars are mostly all the same and conventional in structure. They typically stick to oval-shaped courses as opposed to Formula One’s twists and turns. Toronto’s Honda Indy course, however, is not an oval.

That’s fast! How fast have these cars gone?

The current speed record for an IndyCar is held by Paul Tracy. In 1996, Tracy managed to pull up to a speed of 256.948 at Michigan International Speedway. In metric, that’s about 413.517 km/h.

What is Toronto’s race like?

The downtown-track for the Toronto Honda Indy is 2.824 kilometres in length. It has 11 turns and drivers complete 85 laps. Last year’s winner of the IndyCar race was Josef Newgarden, who completed the race in 1:38:59.9460. Newgarden will return to defend his title again this weekend.

Who else should I watch for?

Canada has several racers hoping to qualify and take home the trophy. James Hinchcliffe, an Oakvile-native, is returning this year after a near-fatal accident at last year’s Indianapolis 500. His car spun into a wall and he sustained serious injuries. If he takes home this weekend’s title, it will be his fifth career win. American Marco Andretti, of the famous Andretti racing family, will also be racing. Other notable racers include Scott Dixon and Will Power of New Zealand and Australia, respectively. Juan Pablo Montoya from Colombia, Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves from Brazil, and American Graham Rahal will all be looking to take the title.

What else is there to do this weekend?

The IndyCar race is only one of many Indy-related events happening this weekend as part of the festival. There will be lots of live entertainment and food on hand for ticket holders but here’s a quick rundown of some key events:

The Races

• Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship – Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

• Indy Lights Race – Saturday, 12:25 p.m.

• Stadium Super Trucks – Saturday, 3 p.m.

• Pinty’s Grand Prix and NASCAR Race – Saturday, 3:45 p.m.

• Pro Mazda Championship Race – Saturday, 5:20 p.m.

• The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada – Saturday, 6:15 p.m.

• The Verizon IndyCar Race - Sunday

  • 2:15 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies
  • 2:30 p.m. Driver introductions
  • 3:15 p.m. The race begins with the green flag waving