WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- Ryan Briscoe has back-to-back top-five finishes in oval races, and he returned to one of his favorites this week for the Milwakuee IndyFest Presented by XYQ.

Briscoe earned his first IZOD IndyCar Series victory at the Milwaukee Mile in 2008, and followed the next year with a runner-up finish after starting on the pole. He'll be driving the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske car in the June 16 race (1 p.m. ET on ABC).

A third place after starting 10th on the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway on June 9 followed his fifth place (after starting on the pole) in the Indianapolis 500. Next week, the IZOD IndyCar Series returns to the .875-mile Iowa Speedway to complete the mid-season stretch of diverse oval events.

"We're in a really intense stretch right now. A five-race back-to-back stretch and a couple of short ovals coming up which are crucial, I believe, to the championship," said Briscoe, who sits eighth in the overall standings and is tied with Justin Wilson for first in A.J. Foyt Oval Trophy points. Anything can happen on these tracks.  I think we really need to be focused on running solid like we did at Texas.

"I feel like it was disappointing not to win Texas, but certainly bringing home the third place was a good point. I think that's the kind of mentality I need to carry here in Milwaukee and Iowa. Certainly the rest of the season is to get more podiums and try to snatch some wins. I think that is going to be the most important thing is to get some race wins because they make the biggest difference."

Briscoe was among the 19 drivers who squeezed in a test with the new car-engine package at the Milwaukee Mile following the Indianapolis 500 and the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix the next weekend.

"It's going to be tough; it always is at Milwaukee," he said. "It felt like the tires were definitely going off a lot.  That's going to be a big player in the race, much like we saw in Texas. You're going to need a good-handling car from about mid-stint on. If you get a long green stint, you're going to see someone with a good car turning laps around the field. Tha's going to have to be the focus -- being good over the distance.

"I think the biggest thing with this new car that's a bit different than the old one is it seems to wear the rear tires more.  In the old car, you'd normally have a drop off in the front tires, and with the new car I think it has a little more weight on the rear axle and that puts a bit more stress through the rear tire. 

"So a stint at Milwaukee is probably somewhere up around the 60-lap range. After about 40 laps, it was really tough to hang on.  So if we're going to have to stay up there and not pit, those last 20 laps of the stint are going to be really challenging, probably more so than the old car."

New Firehawks for Milwaukee

Firestone Racing brought a new specification that is based on the tire used at the Milwaukee Mile in 2011. It has new compounds on both the left and right side, which are slightly softer than the 2011 compounds.

This spec was used by teams for a test at the racetrack May 29. Each entrant receives eight sets of tires for the race weekend.

Virgin Group joins TrueCar Racing as sponsor

TrueCar Racing announced that Virgin Group, a leading international branded investment company started in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, is joining as an affiliate sponsor of the Nos. 6 and 7 cars driven by Katherine Legge and Sebastien Bourdais.

Virgin's logos also will be placed on each TrueCar-sponsored "Women Empowered" initiative racing team cars.

Mazda Road to Indy test in October

The second Mazda Road to Indy Chris Griffis Memorial Test will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Oct. 10-11.

This test will operate as it did last year with USF2000, Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights all sharing track time over the two days.

Of note

Skylar Stecker, 10, daughter of former NFL running back Aaron Stecker and the granddaughter of ABC Supply founder Diane Hendricks, will sing the nation anthem. ... A.J. Foyt Racing chief engineer Don Halliday will miss the race to attend the wedding of his daughter Sophie in Powell, Ohio. Ray Leto, who served as chief engineer for Wade Cunningham's Indy 500 entry in May, will fill in for Halliday. ... The Milwaukee Mile has played host to Indy car racing since 1912.