1. Dixon seizes control of championship with Houston performance
2. Houston technical penalty update
3. Wilson rides to support Patrick Dempsey organization
4. Inside the numbers - Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston
1. Dixon seizes control of championship with Houston performance: The IZOD IndyCar Series' championship scenario is easy to digest for new points leader Scott Dixon, who finished first and second in the 90-lap races Oct. 5-6 that constituted the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston.
Finish fifth in the 250-lap twilight MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championships at Auto Club Speedway on Oct. 19 and, no matter the result posted by Helio Castroneves, he'll secure his third series title.
It's the eighth consecutive year that the series champion will be decided in the season finale.
"It's really going to come down to the wire," said Dixon, who claimed the prize in 2003 and '08. "It's going to be the last lap, last corner kind of situation that we'll expect. At least I hope it ends that way. You don't want somebody crashing out on Lap 3 or even midway through the race.
"(Castroneves is) strong at the big oval, definitely speed wise. I think both engine manufacturers have got some updates for Fontana. So we'll probably see a lot of grid penalties before the race (for unapproved engine changes). It's going to be a fun race.
"We've got a lot of work to do, but we've got to go with the mindset of trying to win the race. If you can do that and be on the top three in the podium, then job accomplished."
Dixon accomplished his task on the 1.634-mile, 10-turn circuit at Reliant Park with a 74-point swing. He takes a 25-point advantage into the last of the season's 19 races.
"I think we had a good shot of making the points level coming out of here," Dixon said following his runner-up finish to Team Penske's Will Power in Race 2. "But to make that gain, I think we as a team know that we have potential to have a good shot at winning both races, especially street courses at the moment.
"But you can never predict, basically, how the competition is going to be or the problems they may have. I feel bad for Helio with the weekend that he had. You see most of the championship contenders have problems throughout the year, and he's been pretty consistent throughout the year up until now."
Castroneves entered the weekend riding a streak of 12 races in which he finished in the top 10 and had been the only driver to complete all 2,003 laps. He took the outright points lead with a victory at Texas Motor Speedway and held it for nine races over four months.
But the No. 3 Team Penske entry developed mechanical issues early in both races, which relegated the three-time Indianapolis 500 champion to 18th- and 23rd-place finishes.
"I feel bad for the team because they've worked so hard to get us in a position to win this championship," said Castroneves, who started on the pole for the Race 2 standing start as a rainstorm washed out the 30-minute morning qualifying session and the lineup was set by entrant points. "And there is still a lot of racing left. We know we have a strong car in Fontana. We were fast in the test there (Sept. 24) and we will definitely be going for it."
Both drivers have had moderate success at the 2-mile D-shaped oval with 14 degrees of banking in the turns.
Dixon:
* 2012 - Qualified fifth and started 15th because of a 10 grid spot penalty for unapproved engine change. Led 15 laps and finished third.
* 2005 - Started 15th and finished 10th.
* 2004 - Started second and finished eighth.
* 2003 - Started third and finished second. Led 13 laps.
Castroneves:
* 2012 - Started 17th because of a 10 grid spot penalty for unapproved engine change. Led two laps and finished fifth.
* 2005 - Started sixth and finished ninth.
* 2004 - Started first and finished seventh. Led 145 laps.
* 2003 - Started first and finished sixth. Led 39 laps.
The standings heading into the final race the past five seasons:
2008 -- Dixon 606 Castroneves 576
2009 -- Dixon 570 Franchitti 565
2010 -- Power 587 Franchitti 575
2011 -- Power 542 Franchitti 531
2012 -- Power 453 Hunter-Reay 436
2. Houston technical penalty update: There were no technical penalties issued following the IZOD IndyCar Series doubleheader races at MD Anderson Cancer Center Speedway at Reliant Park on Oct. 5-6.
3. Wilson rides to support Patrick Dempsey organization: IZOD IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson will ride his bike this weekend in the Dempsey Challenge presented by Amgen to raise funds for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing in Lewiston, Maine.
Wilson, who carried a Dempsey Challenge decal on the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing entry in the Baltimore Grand Prix, incorporates cycling into his training.
"I think it is remarkable what Patrick (Dempsey) has done, and when they asked if I might want to come be a part of it, I didn't have to think twice," said Wilson, who moved to fourth in the series championship standings following third- and fourth-place finishes in the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston doubleheader Oct. 5-6.
In April, Wilson joined Bo Jackson as he rode to raise funds for natural disaster victims in Alabama.
During the event weekend in Houston, Wilson hosted a group of youngsters from Decoding Dyslexia. October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. Wilson, whose dyslexia wasn't diagnosed until he was 13 years old, had the Nolan Ryan Foundation logo on his car for the races. The foundation helps Texas communities by building baseball fields, community centers and offering scholarships. The Baseball Hall of Famer and Houston resident also is dyslexic.
4. Inside the numbers - Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston: Some numbers to note from the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, the 17th and 18th races of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season.
2 - Drivers who led both races at Reliant Park: Will Power and Scott Dixon
4 - Consecutive top-five finishes for Justin Wilson, to vault him to fourth in the point standings.
13 - Consecutive top-10 starts by Will Power.
18 - Positions improved by Graham Rahal over both races, the most gained by any driver.
20 - Wins for Will Power in his Indy car career, tying Earl Cooper for 21st on the all-time list.
33 - Wins for Scott Dixon in his Indy car career, most be any active Indy car driver.
74 - Points gained by Scott Dixon during the doubleheader races. Dixon leads Castroneves by 25 points in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings.
94 - Wins as a car owner by Chip Ganassi, which ranks third all-time among Indy car team owners.
156 - Consecutive Indy car starts for Scott Dixon dating to the 2004 race in Michigan. Dixon ranks seventh on the all-time list.
214 - Consecutive Indy car starts for Tony Kanaan dating to the 2001 CART race in Portland, extending his Indy car record.
***
The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the MAV TV 500 on Oct. 19 at Auto Club Speedway. The race will be televised live by NBC Sports Network at 8 p.m. (ET) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Lefty's Kids Club 100 on Oct. 19 at Auto Club Speedway. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 7 p.m. (ET) on Oct. 19.
