IndyCar series heads to Sonoma as Fontana finale looms

Australian Will Power leads a tight points battle as the Izod IndyCar Series heads to California wine country for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Sunday.

There are only two events left in the season after Sonoma: a race on the streets of Baltimore on Sept. 2 and the season finale at Auto Club Speedway, a two-mile oval in Fontana, under the lights Sept. 15.

With three wins this season for Team Penske, Power leads the championship standings by only five points over Ryan Hunter-Reay, who also has three victories for the Andretti Autosport team.

Power teammate Helio Castroneves is third in the standings, 26 points behind Power, and two-time champion Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing is 28 points behind in fourth.

Sonoma is a 2.31-mile, 12-turn layout and a welcome venue for Power, 31, who has won the race the last two years. But since his victory in 2011, the track has been slightly changed in some turns to enhance passing.

Even so, “Sonoma is certainly one of my favorite races on the schedule,” Power said, and “the reconfigured track is going to make it an exciting race.”

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