Today’s question: As the NTT INDYCAR SERIES prepares to make its annual trek to Canada for the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday, July 16, it’s time to ask who was the best Canadian driver in INDYCAR SERIES history?

Curt Cavin: There are several candidates but only one choice, at least as I see it. It’s Jacques Villeneuve, who put together one of the best and most diverse stretches in motorsports history. Remember, he was 22 years old when he arrived at Forsythe/Green Racing (the forerunner to Team Green) for the start of the 1994 CART season and on his birthday weekend qualified on the front row for his first oval race, at Phoenix. Two races later, Villeneuve was best in class in the Indy 500, finishing second when Team Penske had the most significant advantage in the modern era with the Mercedes-Benz pushrod engine. In ’95, Villeneuve won the series championship with four race wins – the Miami street race, Indy, Road America and Cleveland – before moving on to Frank Williams’ Formula One team. Eleven Grand Prix wins and season finishes of second and first made him a global superstar. While Villeneuve continued in F1 for another nine years, competed in all three NASCAR divisions and even returned to Indy in 2014, he never won another major race, but that doesn’t detract for what he accomplished from 1994-97. It certainly was pacesetting among Canadian drivers.

Joey Barnes: If you’re going for outright talent, it’s Jacques Villeneuve for what he did over a two-year span (1994-95) with five wins and 10 podiums over 34 races, claiming the 1995 title along the way. One of those wins also happened to be the 1995 Indianapolis 500, regarded by some as the “505” when he overcame an early-race penalty and made up two laps to get the victory. When looking at the body of an entire career, Paul Tracy’s 31 wins and 2003 Champ Car title speak volumes. Somewhere in the middle is the late Greg Moore, who is my pick as the best to hail from north of the border. The pride of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, he dominated with a staggering 10 wins and 11 podiums in 12 races to win the 1995 Indy Lights (now known as INDY NXT by Firestone) championship with Forsythe Racing. He showed no signs of being intimidated by the likes of Michael Andretti, Jimmy Vasser or Al Unser Jr. in the step up to CART the following year, scoring a third-place finish in just his third career race at Surfers Paradise. Moore went on to score five wins, 17 podiums and five poles in 72 races before his tragic crash in the 1999 season finale at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Moore helped re-establish Forsythe Racing, which was punching above its weight against Newman/Haas Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske, among others. In my opinion, when he finished fifth in the 1998 championship, it was some of the best driving that season from anyone at any time – even to this day. It has been well documented by now that Moore was set for a move to Team Penske after the ’99 season, so one could only wonder what the record books would have looked like considering all he accomplished at 24 years of age and after only four seasons in the sport.

Paul Kelly: Curt and Joey made two very smart picks, but there’s one common thread between Jacques Villeneuve and Greg Moore that forces me to look elsewhere: Both had very short INDYCAR SERIES careers – for different reasons – and were like comets streaking across the sky that burn brightly and disappear. Villeneuve was one of the most dominant drivers in global motorsport from 1994-97 but never again won a major race after those four seasons, mainly due to the decision to become the cornerstone of the ill-fated British American Racing team in Formula One. Moore was poised to be a generational great for a decade or longer but was cruelly taken from us at the end of 1999 after just four seasons. Part of greatness is sustained excellence over a career, and JV was in the INDYCAR SERIES for just two seasons and 99 for just four. So, my pick is the Thrill from West Hill, Paul Tracy. PT was a force in various guises of the INDYCAR SERIES for more than a decade. He won 31 races, tied for 10th overall in INDYCAR SERIES history and easily the most victories by a Canadian driver. Who is second on that list? James Hinchcliffe – with six wins. Tracy drove for and won races for the best teams of the day, including Team Penske, Newman/Haas, Team Green and Forsythe. From 1993-2003, Tracy won at least one race in eight of those 11 seasons. PT also won the Champ Car World Series championship in 2003. Sure, some will point that was the first season in Champ Car without Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing or Team Green (which became Andretti Autosport), but Tracy still beat respected and established stars like Bruno Junqueira, Sebastien Bourdais, Jimmy Vasser, Alex Tagliani, Oriol Servia and Adrian Fernandez that year. That field wasn’t table scraps. Tracy also came within inches of winning the 2002 Indianapolis 500 in a controversial finish that still sparks zesty conversation over a few beers. Tracy has made probably just as many foes as friends in the INDYCAR SERIES community with his brash, outspoken nature, but the guy could flat-out drive and was the best INDYCAR SERIES driver I’ve seen from the Great White North.