1. Allmendinger to rejoin Team Penske at Auto Club Speedway
2. Manufacturer's race to be decided in finale
3. Kimball, Vautier honored
1. Allmendinger to rejoin Team Penske at Auto Club Speedway: Team Penske has added a third driver with big oval experience to its lineup for the MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championships in an effort to secure Helio Castroneves the IZOD IndyCar Series championship.
AJ Allmendinger will drive the No. 2 IZOD Team Penske car in the season finale Oct. 19 at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
He competed in five races in the first half of the season, with a best finish of seventh (led 23 laps) in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race after starting fifth. Allmendinger made his series return at Barber Motorsports Park in early April, starting 10th and finishing 19th.
"I'm looking forward to racing the IZOD Chevy in the INDYCAR season finale," said Allmendinger, who will make his sixth IZOD IndyCar Series start for Team Penske. "It's always a great opportunity to compete for Team Penske and I had great time and a solid result racing the IZOD car in the last 500-mile race back in May at the Indianapolis 500. Hopefully, we can close out the season with another good finish for Team Penske and for Chevrolet."
Allmendinger will join Castroneves and Will Power, winner of two of the past four races, on the starting grid. Castroneves enters the 250-lap race 25 points behind championship front-runner Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
Twenty-three drivers, including the title contenders, tested at Auto Club Speedway on Sept. 24.
"AJ has been a good addition to our team this season and he was terrific racing the IZOD Chevrolet in the Indianapolis 500," team owner Roger Penske said. "With his experience racing on the Auto Club Speedway oval in the past we believe he will be very competitive as we try and end the season with a strong result for Team Penske."
Allmendinger won five races in Champ Car from 2004-06, but the 31-year-old California native hasn't competed at the speedway in an Indy car. He's driven there often in stock cars. In addition to his IZOD IndyCar Series races, Allmendinger has earned two victories while competing with Penske Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this season.
2. Manufacturer's race to be decided in finale: Scott Dixon, driving the Honda-powered No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, won Race 1 of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston. Will Power won Race 2 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car with a Chevrolet engine.
That means the IZOD IndyCar Series manufacturer's title will be decided in the final race of the season Oct. 19 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
The manufacturers enter the finale tied in their championship points duel. Both have nine victories.
"It's a shame we were unable to score our 10th win, but we will do everything we can in the next two weeks to bring the manufacturer's championship home to Honda," Honda Performance Development technical director Roger Griffiths said.
Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president performance vehicles and motorsports for Chevrolet, said: "Congratulations to Will Power, Tim Cindric and the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar team on their win in Houston. Will drove an amazing race, and the pit stops were quick and efficient all day long. We are looking forward to the final IndyCar race in Fontana."
Engine manufacturer competition returned to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012. Chevrolet won the title last year.
3. Kimball, Vautier honored: Charlie Kimball and Tristan Vautier were among the latest inductees into the Pro Mazda and USF2000 Hall of Fame, which recognizes the achievements of graduates of both series.
Vautier, who won the 2011 Pro Mazda title, joined Joey Hand, Joel Miller and Michael McDowell as 2012 Pro Mazda inductees. USF2000 honorees were Kimball and Otmar Szafnauer, who drove in USF200 series in 1993-94 and is currently the Chief Operating Officer for the Sahara Force India F1 team.
The inductees were honored at the Pro Mazda/USF2000 Awards Banquet in Houston.
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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.
