IndyCar finale's tale of the tape

— -- SEARS POINT, Calif. -- For the first time since 2007, an Indy car champion will be crowned at a road course.

The final round of the Verizon IndyCar Series championship takes place Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, with Juan Pablo Montoya holding a 34-point margin over Graham Rahal. On a normal day that would be a healthy advantage, but IndyCar pays double points in its season finale these days, making Montoya's task slightly more difficult.

In many ways, it's a championship that nobody has stamped authority on. Nine drivers have won races, and no driver won more than twice. As a result, six drivers are still mathematically eligible for the title.

Still, with as many race wins (two), and more top-5s and top-10s than any other driver, Montoya would be a deserving champion -- and with 85 laps of racing on a road course where passing is notoriously difficult, he's very much in the driver's seat.

But anything can happen in IndyCar Series road races, which are often jumbled by full-course cautions and subsequent strategy changes.

"Nobody has a clue how this thing is going to play out," observed defending series champion Will Power. "It's going to be very exciting."

Here's how the championship contenders stack up: