Eleven Verizon IndyCar Series drivers are scheduled to test Aug. 7 at Sonoma Raceway in preparation for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 22-24.
The event -- the 10th for the Verizon IndyCar Series on the 2.385-mile, 12-turn road course -- is the penultimate race on the schedule. Series championship points leader Will Power, who won in 2013 for the third time at the track, is among the drivers participating in the 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (local) session that is open to the public for free.
Fans who purchase a ticket during the day to the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma or have already purchased tickets will be given a free pit tour for an up-close look at the race cars. Fans also can take in a news conference with the selected drivers during the lunch break. For race weekend tickets, call 800-870-RACE (7223) or visit racesonoma.com/indycar.
Joining Power will be Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya. Also attending will be Ryan Hunter-Reay and Carlos Munoz of Andretti Autosport; Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Charlie Kimball of Chip Ganassi Racing; Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Josef Newgarden of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing.
Kanaan won the inaugural Verizon IndyCar Series race at Sonoma Raceway in 2005. Dixon is coming off a startling last-to-first win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 3.
Also on Aug. 7, Simon Pagenaud, driver of the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports car, and Mikhail Aleshin, driver of the No. 7 SMP Racing car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, will test at Chicagoland Speedway.
Meet Hunter-Reay and Sato at the Wisconsin State Fair
Fans have the opportunity to meet Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Takuma Sato at the ABC Supply Co. Inc. Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by the Metro Milwaukee Honda Dealers booth at the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis.
Hunter-Reay will greet fans from 6-7 p.m. Aug. 8, while Sato will be available from 11-11:45 a.m. Aug. 9. The 250-lap race is Aug. 17.
Thanks Chevy for the reliability
Dixon's win at Mid-Ohio was the 34th of his Indy car career to tie Al Unser Jr. for sixth on the all-time list. He also tied Kanaan for ninth on the career top-five finishes list with 116.
The No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car rolled past the finish line after 90 laps (203.22 miles) with a total of 2,594 miles on its Chevrolet engine, surpassing its service life by 94 miles.
Of note
Tim Ramsberger, for the past 10 years the president of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, has joined Andretti Sports Marketing as a vice president and general manager. His focus will be to further advance the sports, entertainment and experiential event marketing initiatives of the company and its clients. ... Nicole Briscoe, wife of Verizon IndyCar Series driver Ryan Briscoe, has been named an anchor of ESPN's "SportsCenter" and will have other studio duties. The couple and their young daughter recently moved to Connecticut from North Carolina.