1.      Newgarden returns to roots at RoboPong 2002.      Tickets on sale for Championship Celebration

3.      Two IZOD IndyCar Series champions in Petit Le Mans4.      Tveter replaces champion Hawksworth behind wheel in finale1. Newgarden returns to roots at Robo-Pong 200: A lot has happened to Josef Newgarden in the six years since he starred on the North American karting scene. The Tennessee native, who turns 22 on Dec. 22, shakes his head at everything that has transpired in the interim: Team USA Scholarship winner, Firestone Indy Lights champion, IZOD IndyCar Series competitor.On Oct. 14, Newgarden returned to his racing roots in the ninth RoboPong 200 at New Castle (Ind.) Motorsports Park. He teamed with former Indy car driver Mark Dismore, owner of the karting facility, to win the 2011 event. There wasn't a repeat this year as Newgarden - who teamed with Dismore's son Mark E. Dismore - retired midway through the event, which also included IZOD IndyCar Series drivers -- and past RoboPong 200 winners -- Ed Carpenter and Jay Howard."We led some laps and win or lose it's great to come out here and compete with the young karters and young drivers who are aspiring to be INDYCAR drivers because I was one of them six, seven years ago," said Newgarden, who completed his freshman season with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. "It's a lot of fun and I'll compete in this event every year that I can and support it."Four days earlier, Newgarden lent his support at the Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which featured drivers in USF2000, Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights."I want to do as much as I can for the young talent in the motorsports industry," Newgarden added. "I see myself five, six, seven years ago and I think it's so important to help talent get the opportunities all the way from karting to INDYCAR. The Mazda Road to Indy is great and doing that through the stepladder series. I needed the help myself and I wanted to give back."Sam Beasley, who was the 2011 runner-up with teammate Brandon Jones, teamed with Jacob Donald to earn the $10,000 first-place prize and will have their names etched on the Dan Wheldon Cup that is on permanent display at the facility. They finished almost 30 seconds ahead of Jimmy Simpson and Robbie Seward, the pole sitters in the 200-lap race on the 15-turn circuit.Carpenter co-drove with Nathan O'Rourke - Newgarden's engineer at Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing - to seventh place after starting 31st.2. Tickets on sale for Championship Celebration: INDYCAR fans can purchase the opportunity to celebrate the 2012 season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights as INDYCAR honors its 2012 award winners at the 2012 INDYCAR Championship Celebration.Tickets for the 2012 Championship Celebration are on sale at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ticket office and cost $150. Included in the cost of the ticket are parking, dinner, admittance to the awards banquet and the reception in the Pagoda.Fans can purchase tickets in person at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ticket office during normal business hours or by calling 1-800-822-4639.SPEED's Will Buxton will host the event, which will be held Dec. 6. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway also hosted the INDYCAR Championship Celebration in 2006 and 2007.3. Two IZOD IndyCar Series champions in Petit Le Mans: A month after clinching the IZOD IndyCar Series title, Ryan Hunter-Reay will return to the race track for the Petit Le Mans endurance sports car race at Road Atlanta.Hunter-Reay will co-drive an SRT Viper GTSR for SRT Motorsports in the GT class with Kuno Wittmer and Dominik Farnbacher. It will be his first outing in the car, which debuted in the American Le Mans Series earlier this year.Four-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti will co-drive a Level 5 Motorsports Prototype Challenge class car with brother Marino this weekend.Franchitti has a class victory (2007) at Sebring in his other American Le Mans Series start. The brothers have co-driven in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, but this will be the first time they share a car in an ALMS race.Level 5's second car, driven by Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut, leads the P2 championship standings by 16 points over the Conquest Endurance duo of Firestone Indy Lights winner and IZOD IndyCar Series starter Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier-Hansson.The 1,000-mile, 10-hour race on the 2.54-mile road course is scheduled for an 11:30 a.m. (ET) start Oct 20.4. Tveter replaces champion Hawksworth behind wheel in finale: After clinching the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear for Team Pelfrey with one race remaining, Jack Hawksworth and his management team have elected not to contest the season finale at Road Atlanta.Hawksworth will serve as driver coach for Ryan Tveter who will drive the No. 82 Team Pelfrey entry in the final round Oct. 19.