1. INDYCAR Conference Call with Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves

2. Dixon, Kanaan chasing Fuzzy's Triple Crown bonus

3. Mazda Road to Indy to host third Griffis Memorial test at Barber

1. If you missed it: INDYCAR Conference Call with Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves: Earlier today, IZOD IndyCar Series championship contenders Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves participated in an INDYCAR Conference Call to discuss the MAVTV 500. Selected quotes from the call are below.

Q: Scott, it's been brought up a couple times already that you've won your previous championships five years apart. You won in 2003, you won in 2008 and now it's 2013. Is there some sort of formula that you have every five years?

SCOTT DIXON: No, and like I've mentioned before, I think if (team owner) Chip (Ganassi) had known it was an every five years thing I might have moved around a bit. But you can't rely on stats like that, especially for us. Every year we compete we try to win the championship, and I think definitely over the last five or six years we've had a good shot sort of going into the last one each of those years.

It's a good situation for us to be in and one that we'll dig deep and try and carry out next weekend, but obviously with the competition against Penske and Helio, a very accomplished team and a very accomplished driver, it's not going to be easy at all. As typical of many IndyCar Series championships, I think it's going to come down to the last lap, last corner scenario. For us, we just hope that we're on the good receiving end.

Q: You could win the title with a finish of fifth at Fontana. Does having the championship lead change the way you approach the finale or does seeing what happened to Helio at Houston or last year to Will Power at Fontana change the way you approach the race?

SCOTT DIXON: I think for us the easiest way to approach it is how we typically approach a race weekend, and that's to go there setting our sights on winning it. If we can achieve that, then it makes the championship story just sort of unfold. It'll be a tough situation. Helio and Chevy were quick at the (Sept. 24) test. Chevys have proven to be very fast on these bigger circuits, two mile, two mile plus. It's not going to be easy by any means and something that we're going to have to fight to the bitter end. We'll go into the weekend obviously trying to achieve a win.

Q: Obviously the big team announcement this week (Alex Tagliani) stepping in next weekend, what are your thoughts on that and what do you make of having the chance to have another teammate this weekend at Fontana.

SCOTT DIXON: I'm sure as Tag has put out there before, it's a tough situation for anybody to be in. Personally, I would have liked Dario (Franchitti) to be there next weekend and to be in fighting spirits and helping me win the championship. But it's nice to know that Dario is doing OK. He's going to mend well, but obviously he can't race at the moment and won't be able to come out for a little bit. I think Tag was a solid choice. As a team, the drivers and myself, we don't have much control in situations like that, but I think Chip and (managing director) Mike (Hull) and (team managers) Barry (Wanser) and Scott (Harner) and everybody, I think they picked the best guy. I'm great friends with Tag. We hang out a fair bit, and it makes it an easy transition. And obviously last year Alex was very fast at Fontana until he had a mechanical issue and exited the race, but he was running, I think, in first or second position for most of the later parts of it. So welcome to the team, and as I said, he's a good friend and a hell of a competitor, and he's going to be tough to beat there next weekend, I think.

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Q: Helio, is the pressure on you or Scott?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I'm not sure to be honest. At this point, I feel that I have nothing to lose, so there is no pressure to be honest. You just go for it. We're going to look for our best result, and on the ovals, try to replicate what we did in Texas, and hopefully, we'll be successful.

Q: Last weekend it looked like the championship was yours to lose, and then the events of Houston occurred. I was in the garage when you were having your issues in the second race and you said that your team never gives up. I think the same situation in 2008 when you were chasing Scott, you never gave up and just ran out of races. Talk a little bit about that never-say-die attitude that you and the team are bringing into Fontana.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: This team is a perfect (example) of building by hard work. Everyone is really trying (to do thier best) for the entire season, not only in one race, but the entire season. The (team's) work ethic has brought us in this kind of (situation). I'm really excited to be honest to go to Fontana and go for it, all out, all in, as they say, and we believe that this team can do it and we'll do everything we can to make this happen.

Q: The MAVTV 500 is a 500-mile race on a superspeedway. You have four wins on superspeedways, three of them being 500-mile races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Based on what you saw at the test a few weeks ago, what do you expect?

HELIO CASTRONEVES: It's 500 miles. It's always a long race, almost three hours of racing. Anything can happen, and at this point, we had a fantastic test, were really super-fast. I was extremely happy with the performance of the car in Fontana, and we just hope we continue with that and that will bring us a successful result.

2. Dixon, Kanaan chasing Fuzzy's Triple Crown bonus: Indy 500 champion Tony Kanaan and Pocono Indy 400 winner Scott Dixon have their eyes on a special prize next Saturday night (Oct. 19) in the MAVTV 500 at the Auto Club Speedway as part of the final leg of the Fuzzy's Triple Crown.

Not only will the winners seek to capture the coveted 500-mile contest, the IZOD IndyCar Series season finale, but they will hope to collect the $250,000 bonus established by Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka.

"Pocono was a dream weekend for us, obviously, sweeping the podium with all three Ganassi cars. Target Racing won its 100th race and Honda won its 200th and it was I think my 30th career win," Dixon said.

"It was a pleasant surprise, and to be able to be one of the people to have the opportunity, both the two wins out of the three for the Fuzzy's Triple Crown deal, it's exciting."

Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka announced the renewal of a longtime tradition with Fuzzy's Triple Crown and Fuzzy's would award $1 million to a driver who could can win all three major long distance events in 2013, the Indianapolis 500, Pocono Indy 400 and the MAVTV 500 in Fontana. If a driver wins two of the three big races, Fuzzy's will present a check for $250,000 to that driver.

"I'm looking forward to this race for sure, not just because of the Fuzzy's Triple Crown but also I have special memories from this place," said Kanaan. "I won my Indy Lights championship here in 1997, and I actually won my IndyCar championship here (in 2004). I clinched the championship here, but we didn't celebrate until we went to Texas. So this place has been quite good for me. I'm looking forward to that. It's the last oval of the year and we've had quite a strong car on ovals this year. Adding the extra bonus from Fuzzy's on the Triple Crown, it's awesome."

Added Dixon: "I obviously have to thank Fuzzy's Vodka for bringing back the Triple Crown and obviously supporting it the way that it has. That's another added bonus of where we'll have to dig deep and try and win that race. It would be pretty special."

3. Mazda Road to Indy to host third Griffis Memorial test at Barber: Andersen Promotions has confirmed that the third Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Open Test will take place on December 9 and 10 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.

The two-day test features all three levels of the ladder system. The outing, which attracted more than 50 drivers last year, offers teams in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Indy Lights the opportunity to audition new talent and gain a head start on their 2014 campaigns.

The event is named in honor of Chris Griffis, a longtime member of the open-wheel racing community who was an accomplished mechanic turned team manager and led the Sam Schmidt Motorsports Indy Lights organization before passing away in September 2011.

"We are excited to continue the Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy Test," said Dan Andersen, owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions, which will operate all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy next year. "This event is fast becoming a tradition, and the interest level continues to grow each year. It is a great opportunity for new drivers to experience both the Mazda Road to Indy platform and our teams, and also watch our graduates progress up the ladder.

"With the road course construction at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we have moved the event to Barber Motorsports Park. It is a beautiful circuit that will be on the regular season schedule for all three series in 2014, making this test an even more valuable opportunity."

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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.