NBC Sports Network will broadcast both rounds of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston presented by the Greater Houston Honda Dealers at 3 p.m. (ET) Oct. 5 and 1 p.m. (ET) Oct. 6. Leigh Diffey handles the call, with Townsend Bell and Wally Dallenbach providing analysis.

Click it: Race 1 lineup || Qualifying results || Combined practice results | Championship scenarios 

Radio broadcast: IMS Radio Network affiliates, Sirius and XM 211, American Forces Network, INDYCAR 13 app, www.indycar.com. Mike King is the chief announcer.

Timing & Scoring: INDYCAR 13 app, Race Control on www.indycar.com

Twitter: @IndyCar (#IndyCar), @GPHOU (#GPHOU)

Track layout: 1.634-mile, 10-turn course carved out of parking lots at Reliant Park

Length: 90 laps with 10 overtake assist pushes for 15 seconds each

Start: Standing start for Race 1 (second of season) and rolling start for Race 2

Restarts: Single file

Verizon P1 Award: Takuma Sato (1:00.4535), driving the No. 14 ABC Supply car, gave A.J. Foyt Racing its first pole since July 1999 (Billy Boat at Atlanta).

What to watch: Series championship front-runner Helio Castroneves isn't going to play it conservative this weekend. He knows a 49-point lead over Scott Dixon is tentative with three races left. Castroneves starts a season-low 21st; while Dixon will start third in Race 1.

“At this point we have to go with the flow," said the driver of the No. 3 Shell Pennzoil Team Penske car. "If I have a good car, we’ll go for it. Those people in the attack mode have more to gain, but we’re not going to drive like an old lady and just try to finish the race. We have to be rough when we have to be rough and have to be smart. We have to keep doing what we’ve been doing, which is be consistent and get the most points we can.”

The Nos. 7 (Sebastien Bourdais), 10 (Dario Franchitti) and 15 (Graham Rahal) cars received a 10 grid spot penalty for unapproved engine changes. Bourdais won the past two races at Reliant Park -- in 2006 and '07 in Champ Car -- and Rahal was the '07 runner-up. He missed his high school prom to race. "It was for the best because I can't dance," he said. Can they rise through the field?

The temporary circuit is short, tight and bumpy -- factors that will heat up the brakes and rattle the bones of drivers, if not their nerves. A standing start also will play on the drivers' nerves.

Did you know: Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion and Houston native A.J. Foyt is the grand marshal. He'll present the A.J. Foyt Trophy -- an autographed resin cowboy boot on a marble base -- to the winner after both races. ... Foyt scored his first Midget car victory on the Playland Park dirt oval (which was on the site of Reliant Park) and 50 years ago today won a USAC sprint car race from the pole at Williams Grove Speedway. ... This is the third and final doubleheader race weekend of the season. ... Country star Clay Walker will sing the national anthem before Race 2. ... Mike Lanigan, head of the promoter group, said he'd like another doubleheader in Houston on the 2014 schedule. His team is exploring a night race. ... Michael Andretti turned 51 today.