After a two-season absence, Firestone Indy Lights returns to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 4 for the Mid-Ohio 100.

The field will sport 11 cars, matching its largest field of the season at the Firestone Freedom 100 in May. Additions to the entry list include Canadian Matthew Di Leo, who has made two starts this season, as well as newcomers Axcil Jefferies of Zimbabwe with JMM/BHA with Curb-Agajanian and Venezuelan Giancarlo Serenelli with Belardi Auto Racing.

ENTRY LIST | WEEKEND SCHEDULE

“The return of Firestone Indy Lights to the schedule gives fans at the Honda Indy 200 the chance to see the drivers on their way up to the IZOD IndyCar Series,” said president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Craig Rust when the schedule was announced. “Some of the best young drivers in the IZOD IndyCar Series today moved up from Firestone Indy Lights."

Hoping to make that transition to the IZOD IndyCar Series next year is points leader Carlos Munoz, currently the front-runner for the $1 million scholarship should he win the championship. Munoz leads Schmidt Peterson Motorsports' Sage Karam by eight points heading into the 40-lap race after regaining the points lead with his win at Pocono Raceway.

"For [Andretti Autosport], Michael, the whole Andretti team, everybody wants to win this championship in Indy Lights because it's been a lot of years without winning it," Munoz said. "So they really think they have a shot to do it and they want me to win the championship, and focus next year on a full-time season in IndyCar."

Following Munoz and Karam in the title battle are Gabby Chaves in third place with six top-five finishes, and most recent race winner Jack Hawksworth, who collected wins at St. Petersburg and Toronto.

Also competing is Stockdale, Ohio native Zach Veach, who ran on the course in 2011 while competing in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. Veach finished fifth and seventh in the weekend doubleheader.

"Not too many drivers get to race in their birthplace state, so being able to do it this weekend is really special for me," Veach said. "With that being said, this weekend is going to come with a little more added pressure but I'm up for the task. My engineer and I have been working extremely hard in our off time preparing for this race."

Green flag for the Mid-Ohio 100 is scheduled for noon (ET) on Sunday, Aug. 4. The race will air on NBC Sports Network on the same day at 2 p.m., immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race. Tickets can be purchased at www.midohio.com.