Anxious to grow its fan base, the IZOD IndyCar Series will take on an expanded, 19-race schedule for the 2013 campaign. The schedule, whose full form was officially revealed on Sunday night’s edition of the SPEED Channel show “Wind Tunnel,” features three doubleheader weekends at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park, Toronto, and Houston.

Houston’s street race is one of two new events on the docket, with historical open-wheel venue Pocono Raceway also joining the circuit.

"We want to create more exposure and content for our sport, and we feel this strong and diverse schedule along with the addition of doubleheader races will provide an opportunity to further showcase the skills and personalities of the IZOD IndyCar Series next season," said series CEO Randy Bernard in a statement issued by the series.

"We look forward to watching Ryan Hunter-Reay defend his title, the second year of engine manufacturer competition and the best-of-the-best tackle this challenging schedule in 2013."

As for those three double-headers, Bernard said that one race will feature a standing start and the other race will have a rolling start. Each doubleheader race will have the same value in points and prize money.

Also coming in 2013 will be the return of an oval-track Triple Crown made up of the Indianapolis 500 on May 26, the Pocono race on July 7, and the season-ending race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Oct. 19.

If any driver can win all three of those races, they’ll earn a $1 million bonus. A smaller sum of $250,000 will also be available for a driver that wins two of those three races.

The series will once again open the year with four straight road/street courses (starting with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 24) before going into the Indianapolis 500 on May 26.

The first doubleheader in Detroit follows on June 1-2, and then comes four consecutive races on ovals with Texas (June 8), Milwaukee (June 15), Iowa (June 23), and the new round at Pocono’s 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle.” Bernard said on “Wind Tunnel” that Pocono will be on the schedule for at least the next three years.

Doubleheader No. 2 comes one week later in Toronto on July 13-14. Then comes August, which features events at Mid-Ohio (Aug. 4) and Sonoma (Aug. 25), followed by Baltimore in its usual Labor Day weekend setting on September 1.

In a curious move, the series will then not race again until the Shell + Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston on Oct. 5-6; one wonders -- hopes? -- if a 20th race is or will be in the works to fill that gap later this offseason. Two weeks later, Auto Club Speedway will host the INDYCAR World Championships on Oct. 19 to finish the year.

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IZOD IndyCar Series – 2013 Schedule

March 24 -- St. Petersburg, Fla. (street) on NBC Sports Network

April 7 -- Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (road) on NBC Sports Network

April 21 -- Long Beach, Calif. (street) on NBC Sports Network

May 5 -- Sao Paulo, Brazil (street) on NBC Sports Network

May 26 -- Indianapolis 500 (oval) on ABC

June 1-2 -- Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Mich. (street) on ABC

June 8 -- Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Tex. (oval) on ABC

June 15 -- Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (oval) on NBC Sports Network

June 23 -- Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa (oval) on ABC

July 7 -- Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (oval) on ABC

July 13-14 -- Toronto, Ontario (street) on NBC Sports Network

Aug. 4 -- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (road) on NBC Sports Network

Aug. 25 -- The Raceway at Sonoma (road) on NBC Sports Network

Sept. 1 -- Baltimore, Maryland (street) on NBC Sports Network

Oct. 5-6 -- Houston, Texas (street) on NBC Sports Network

Oct. 19 -- Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif. (oval) on NBC Sports Network

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Legendary motorsports journalist Chris Economaki, best known for his long tenure as editor of National Speed Sport News and his work as a television commentator, passed away earlier today at the age of 91.

INDYCAR has released the following statement on the loss of the "Dean of American Motorsports":

"INDYCAR and the world of motorsports have lost a true friend with the passing of Chris Economaki. The Dean of American motorsports journalists, Chris dedicated most of his life to reporting the sport of auto racing and telling the stories of the heroes of our sport. He was truly one of a kind. We send our thoughts and condolences to his family, friends and colleagues."

The press conference room at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is named after Economaki, who worked his way up to lead NSSN after selling copies of the publication as a teenager.

Economaki won many awards in his career and was a member of multiple racing-related Halls of Fame, including the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be determined.

UPDATE: IMS president Jeff Belskus has also released a statement on Economaki's death:

"Chris was the dean of motorsports journalism. His accurate, incisive reporting helped increase the audience of the sport and put the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, its events and competitors into the global spotlight. He set a standard for others to follow for generations and will be deeply missed. Our thoughts, sympathies and prayers are with his family and friends."

Current contract with tire supplier runs through 2014 season

In early March of 2011, Firestone announced that it would exit INDYCAR at the conclusion of that year's campaign. But a short time later, the company then decided to extend its long-time run in open-wheel for three more years.

This saved INDYCAR from the potentially dicey prospect of transitioning to the new, turbo-charged Dallara DW12s without Firestone's safety and reliability. But Firestone made INDYCAR pay to retain its services, as the tire lease doubled in price with the new pact.

INDYCAR really needed Firestone at that point, and Firestone definitely took advantage. So it's a bit surprising to find Firestone now wondering out loud over rumors that INDYCAR -- an entity that's dealing with complaints over costs from team owners and still very much looking at their own overall bottom line -- may be hunting for another tire manufacturer to step in come 2015.

INDYCAR has released a statement on the matter, saying that while it was indeed exploring its options for the next tire contract, Firestone was still "a part of the consideration" as its "current and historical" partner. But in a Gordon Kirby-penned piece for Motor Sport magazine, Firestone Racing's Al Speyer is contending that INDYCAR is giving them the cold shoulder:

"We’re very deeply concerned about [a contract extension] and there may be little more that we can do from our side. It does appear that IndyCar wants to go in another direction for tyres. That’s become clear to us. Even though we thought they wanted to extend with us, all of a sudden we learned that they want to go in a different direction. It’s clear to us the current IndyCar management is not interested in working with us."

To that end, Curt Cavin of The Indianapolis Star has reported that INDYCAR is looking at a potential alliance with Continental Tire (which currently supplies tires in GRAND-AM road racing) that would see help come from Indiana-based Hoosier Racing Tire.

But back to Firestone, who can't possibly have figured that INDYCAR wouldn't explore its options -- especially after it increased the price tag for its tires as dramatically as it did with this current deal.

Obviously, Firestone did what's best for business and no one should begrudge them for it. But INDYCAR has a right to do what's best for themselves, too. And if Randy Bernard and Co. can find a tire manufacturer that can provide quality products and decent marketing at a cheaper overall price, more power to them.

Yes, it would be sad to lose a historic brand such as Firestone, but if it's meant to happen, then INDYCAR just has to roll with it. We'd all have to.

That said, the main sense I get from all of this -- at least, at this point in time -- is that Speyer is simply doing standard public negotiations. We'll see how this situation evolves further in the months ahead...

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Mark Johnson has resigned as general manager of KV Racing Technology. Johnson, who worked in that capacity since mid-2006, helped lead the team's transition from the Champ Car World Series to INDYCAR when the two leagues unified the sport of open-wheel racing in 2008.

"At this point in my career, it is time for a reassessment on many levels," Johnson said in a team statement. "My life and my family have always been and will continue to be in the motorsports industry. However, it is time for us to define new goals and how we would like to move forward in the sport.

"This is the opportune time of the season to make this change, since it will allow adequate time for KVRT to reposition themselves for 2013 and allow me to investigate my next challenge in motorsports."

The full statement can be found here.

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Helio Castroneves and Chelsie Hightower have moved on to the next round of the All-Star series of ABC's "Dancing With The Stars." The duo netted a score of 21.5 (out of 30) for their opening Foxtrot, and fan voting through online, text, and phone outlets saw them through to another week.

Next up for Helio and Chelsie on the Oct. 1 show will be the Jive, a dance that gave the Team Penske driver some trouble when he worked with Julianne Hough in Season Five of DWTS.

"It was not bad, but it wasn't strong, and hopefully, Chelsie can help me out and improve me," Castroneves said in an INDYCAR statement. "I know we're going to need a lot of water because that's one of the toughest dances of all time, I would say, but I'm up for the challenge. I really want to do it for her."

Team Penske driver hopes to claim another victory in 'Dancing With The Stars'



With two of his eventual three Indianapolis 500 victories in hand, Helio Castroneves was already popular within the racing world when he decided to take part in the fifth season of ABC's 'Dancing With The Stars.'

But by the time he and his professional dance partner Julianne Hough won that season's title, Castroneves had officially broken into the mainstream thanks to his gregarious personality and his flashy moves in the competition.

"Motor racing, it's a huge community, but it's still a very small community compared to when you're going to national TV and have 25 million to 30 million people watching you every Monday and Tuesday," said Castroneves, who reckons that "80 percent" of the recognition he gets is thanks to his star turn on 'DWTS.'

On Monday night, he'll embark on another quest to claim the Mirrorball Trophy as part of a special All-Star edition of the series (8 p.m. ET, ABC). But the Team Penske pilot won't be re-teaming with Hough, who has been focusing lately on music and movies.

For this effort, Castroneves will be paired with professional Chelsie Hightower, who has competed in six DWTS competitions. Fortunately for the pair, chemistry has been quick to emerge on the dancefloor.

"She is definitely an incredible talent," said Castroneves. "I'm extremely happy to have her as my partner...We're really connecting well. So I guess this is what we need to start the season good."

"One of the keys to 'Dancing With the Stars' is keeping it simple," Hightower said. "Another is truly enjoying yourself, and Helio attacks things like his racing with a lot of ambition and a lot of hard work. But he also knows how to have fun and that's a great combination for 'Dancing With the Stars,' and a great combination for success."

If you want to help Castroneves and Hightower through the competition, you can vote for the duo either online, through texting, or by phone at 800-868-3404 during Monday and Tuesday night broadcasts of the show. They'll be the fourth couple to dance on Monday night's season opener, and are slated to perform the Foxtrot.

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Quotes used in this article were taken from INDYCAR press releases.

The IndyCars will not return to Edmonton in 2013. PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Firestone Racing

After an eight-year run, open-wheel racing in Edmonton, Alberta is coming to an end.

On Friday afternoon, INDYCAR announced that the Edmonton Indy would not be on the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, which is set to emerge early next month.

INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard has been striving to hit a 19-race schedule for next season and said in a series statement that the loss of Edmonton would not deter those ambitions.

"When we finalized our schedule for the upcoming 2013 season, it unfortunately did not include Edmonton," Bernard said. "We thank the city of Edmonton and all the fans for their support of the event over the last eight years.

"More importantly, this has not affected our plans for a minimum of 19 races next season, and we remain optimistic that we will return to having two races in Canada as early as 2014."

The Edmonton Journal is reporting that promoter Octane Motorsports has not only given up their option to stage a third race on its three-year deal with INDYCAR, but has also filed a bankruptcy notice in the Superior Court of Quebec.

In 2011, Octane saved the race from going away after a financially disastrous three-year run with former promoter Northlands. But despite Octane's expertise in running races -- the Montreal-based entity stages Formula One's Canadian Grand Prix and the NASCAR Nationwide Series' NAPA Auto Parts 200, both run at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve -- the Edmonton race never got a critical title sponsor during the Octane era.

Indeed, one could argue that the Edmonton race never got the big support it needed from the city's corporate community. Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun believes that it was Octane itself that was the main reason why; I'll let you decide for yourself if he is correct in that regard.

Champ Car staged the first three events of the Edmonton Indy before INDYCAR/Indy Racing League took it over in 2008. With the dawn of the Octane era in 2011 came a new layout at Edmonton's City Center Airport that increased on-track action considerably.

But for some, the biggest reason why Edmonton's legacy as an IndyCar outpost will be remembered may be Helio Castroneves' outburst following the 2010 race after he was penalized late for blocking while leading.

Castroneves would eventually get his day in the Alberta sun this past summer, as he held off Takuma Sato for the win. And now, strangely enough, he appears to be the final winner in Edmonton Indy history.

I'm tempted to mutter some tidy cliche about how funny life is, but I doubt Canadian race fans are in a jovial mood at this moment. Thoughts go out to them, as well as the Edmonton Indy staff.

IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay's currently in New York on a victory tour after his title-clinching effort in last Saturday's MAV TV 500 at Auto Club Speedway outside Los Angeles.

In addition to showing up in a variety of radio and TV interviews, Hunter-Reay, whose fourth-place finish clinched the title by a mere three points over Will Power, made time today to visit the Empire State Building for a nice little photo op.

The first American IndyCar champ since 2006 isn't done with his work in the Big Apple just yet. Tomorrow, you can find him on Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends," The Golf Channel's "Morning Drive," and on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman."

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The MAV TV 500 drew around 30,000 to Auto Club Speedway, which was a relatively decent turnout despite the race beginning in temperatures around 100 degrees. Apparently, the ISC-owned track was impressed enough to indicate its interest in returning as the IndyCar season finale in 2013.

ACS vice president of sales and marketing Dave Allen told Riverside, California's The Press-Enterprise that the track would be open to an October season finale if the 2013 schedule turns out to be an expanded one.

ACS' multiple racing lanes helped make for a thrilling finale that featured 29 lead changes. Such a display can only help ACS re-establish IndyCar racing in southern California if the series wants to do so.

In other 2013 schedule news, expect the final decision on Pocono Raceway's possible return to the open-wheel landscape to come in about one week per track vice president Bob Pleban in an interview with the Pocono (Pa.) Record. Pleban also told the paper that "speculation" is centered around a July date for the IndyCars that would be sandwiched between its two NASCAR events in June and August.

Considering that CEO Randy Bernard has said that he wants the 2013 docket to be put out on the same day, it appears we won't have much longer to wait on the entire matter.

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Former Champ Car standout A.J. Allmendinger has been re-instated by NASCAR after being suspended for substance abuse this past summer, but the American driver hasn't yet decided whether to stay or leave the stock car world.

An intriguing possibility of Allmendinger going back to open-wheel for Penske Racing -- which fired him from its NASCAR operation after the suspension -- seemed to emerge last weekend when he showed up at the MAV TV 500 as a guest of former boss Roger Penske.

Allmendinger told USA Today that the appearance has strengthened the friendship between himself and Penske. However, he also said that while he had some casual conversations with IndyCar team owners, he admitted to having "unfinished business" in NASCAR.

That's not a surprising view for him to have, certainly. But with Ryan Briscoe basically a free agent (Penske Racing has told him that he can look around as they expect any funding for a potential Briscoe ride to come late in the offseason), there could be an opportunity for Allmendinger to snag one of the most coveted rides in IndyCar and revive his career.

Allmendinger collected five wins and 14 podiums in 40 Champ Car starts from 2004 to 2006 before migrating to NASCAR.

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Mike Conway still hopes to continue IndyCar racing despite admitting his comfort problems with oval racing and stepping out of the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing machine this past weekend at ACS.

In an interview with SPEEDTV.com's Marshall Pruett, the Englishman thanked those who supported his decision and said he was open to staying in the series as a road and street course racer. Conway has shown to be talented with that particular discipline, as his 2011 win at Long Beach can attest.

"It’s just going to depend, really, on what people are looking for," Conway told Pruett. "I love racing in the IndyCar Series; it’s been great the last four years. I'd love to be able to continue it."

Whether Conway's hopes will pan out with a team that wants to use different drivers for ovals and road/street courses remains to be seen.

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All quotes have been attributed to their proper subjects and organizations.

Ryan Hunter-Reay wins title by three points over Will Power to become first American IndyCar champ since 2006

Ryan Hunter-Reay (above) seals his championship with a kiss. PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Firestone Racing.

A rollercoaster IZOD IndyCar Series season deserved a rollercoaster ending, and Saturday night’s MAV TV 500 at Auto Club Speedway delivered.

At the center of it all were championship contenders Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay, who were separated by a mere 17 points going into the grand finale. And from the green flag to the final lap, the drama between the two never let up.

Power, the points leader, saw his bid for the crown flicker on Lap 56 of 250, when he lost control of his car and slammed into the Turn 2 wall – nearly collecting Hunter-Reay in the mayhem. His Team Penske crew went to work on the machine and repaired it to the point where it enabled Power to come back on the track at Lap 123 and run enough laps to move from 25^th to 24^th – which forced Hunter-Reay to finish fifth or better in order to claim the title.

But the fate of the championship was solely in Hunter-Reay’s hands, and he would not let the opportunity slip from him. After racing around outside the top five for the majority of the night, he put on one last rally in the final laps that vaulted him to a fourth-place result.

By a mere three points over his Australian rival, Hunter-Reay won the big prize and achieved the pinnacle of his career.

And after years of struggle, of bouncing from team to team, of wondering whether he’d ever become a champion, he was ecstatic.

"This hasn't sunk in yet," a joyous Hunter-Reay exclaimed on pit lane. "I just drove 500 miles for my life. I can't believe we're INDYCAR champions…My dream has come true. This is unbelievable."

Equally thrilled was Michael Andretti, his team owner at Andretti Autosport and the man that helped stabilize Hunter-Reay’s career in 2010 when he offered the Florida native an early-season ride that eventually turned into a full-time program.

"This is an incredible day," said Andretti, who now has his fourth IndyCar championship as a team owner (Tony Kanaan, 2004; Dan Wheldon, 2005; Dario Franchitti, 2007).

But for Power, it was another heartbreaking collapse. After losing out in the 2010 and 2011 championships to Franchitti, Power was hoping to prevent the same outcome to occur for a third consecutive year.

Instead, he was forced to sit and watch as Hunter-Reay came through in the clutch and snatched the Astor Cup away from him.

"I feel bad for the team," said Power, whose car crossed over a seam on the two-mile oval and broke loose to trigger his fateful wreck. "I really do. I feel bad for my guys to be, three years in a row, so close, and you see the effort that they put in just to get me out to do 12 more laps in such a short space for a completely wrecked car.

"I don't know what to say. I feel sorry for Penske Racing to end up in this position again because of one of my mistakes."

With less than 25 laps remaining, it looked like the car-saving efforts of Power’s crew would be enough to help him overcome his crash. Hunter-Reay was running sixth at the time and didn’t appear to have the pace to get that one more position he needed in order to win the title.

But then Alex Tagliani, who was running ahead of Hunter-Reay, slowed in Turn 4 with mechanical problems on Lap 230 and fell out of the race. That enabled Hunter-Reay to move up to fifth and following a restart with 15 laps to go, the American won battles with Scott Dixon and Takuma Sato to reach third position before Tony Kanaan found the wall with nine laps to go.

After a curious decision to throw an ultimately brief red flag (Kanaan came out of his crash fine), the green flew again with six laps left. While Franchitti and Ed Carpenter battled wheel-to-wheel for the race victory, Hunter-Reay began to slip back, losing third to Dixon with five laps left and then fourth to Sato with two laps left.

But it would be Sato’s crash on the final lap in Turn 2 that would freeze the field for the last time. Carpenter got by Franchitti before the incident and he would go on to take the checkered flag for his second IZOD IndyCar Series race win and his first as a team owner.

“I just kept my foot in it and drove all the way down into Turn [Three] just in case it was a false yellow or something,” said Carpenter of his final lap. “I wanted to make sure I stayed clear of Dario. I was happy when [the yellow] came out, because I knew I was in front of him and knew it was the last lap, so I was fist pumping down the backstretch.”

Surely, the Andretti Autosport crew was doing the same on pit lane as their man Hunter-Reay became the first American to win the series championship since 2006 (Sam Hornish Jr.) – surviving unbelievable pressure in the process.

"You try to stay cool and put on your game face, but underneath it all, it's the biggest opportunity of your life," said Hunter-Reay. "It's what you've been working on for, you know, 20 years, to be at this point, and it all comes down to a weekend.

"I'm just so glad that we're past it now and sitting here talking about it."

Rest assured, Ryan, we’ll be talking about it for a long time.

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IZOD IndyCar Series
MAV TV 500 -- IndyCar World Championships
Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif.

Order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (5) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Chevy, 250, Running

2. (9) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running

3. (15) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running

4. (22) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Chevy, 250, Running

5. (17) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevy, 250, Running

6. (18) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 250, Running

7. (21) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 249, Contact

8. (1) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Chevy, 249, Running

9. (7) Katherine Legge, Dallara-Chevy, 249, Running

10. (23) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 249, Running

11. (4) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Chevy, 248, Running

12. (12) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 248, Running

13. (19) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Chevy, 247, Running

14. (24) Wade Cunningham, Dallara-Honda, 246, Running

15. (20) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 246, Running

16. (14) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Honda, 244, Running

17. (2) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Chevy, 244, Running

18. (3) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevy, 240, Contact

19. (8) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Chevy, 231, Running

20. (16) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 229, Contact

21. (10) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Chevy, 118, Electrical

22. (6) Rubens Barrichello, Dallara-Chevy, 107, Mechanical

23. (25) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 80, Mechanical

24. (13) Will Power, Dallara-Chevy, 66, Contact

25. (11) EJ Viso, Dallara-Chevy, 65, Mechanical

26. (26) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Lotus, 16, Mechanical

Race Statistics

Winners average speed: 168.939

Time of Race: 2:57:34.7433

Margin of victory: 1.9132

Cautions: 10 for 43 Laps

Lead changes: 29

Lap Leaders

Kanaan 1

Andretti 2 - 4

Hildebrand 5 - 35

Briscoe 36 - 37

Sato 38 - 39

Newgarden 40

Hildebrand 41 - 65

Carpenter 66 - 75

Jakes 76 - 85

Carpenter 86 - 109

Dixon 110

Carpenter 111 - 122

Dixon 123 - 133

Kanaan 134 - 147

Castroneves 148 - 149

Sato 150 - 152

Kanaan 153 - 184

Dixon 185 - 195

Carpenter 196

Dixon 197 - 198

Carpenter 199 - 203

Tagliani 204 - 217

Carpenter 218

Tagliani 219 - 223

Franchitti 224 - 225

Tagliani 226 - 227

Sato 228

Carpenter 229 - 236

Franchitti 237 - 249

Carpenter 250

Point Standings: Hunter- Reay 468, Power 465, Dixon 435, Castroneves 431, Pagenaud 387, Briscoe 370, Franchitti 363, Hinchcliffe 358, Kanaan 351, Rahal 333

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Quotes used in this article were taken from Saturday's post-race press conference and some team press releases.

An American driver is back on top of the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Ryan Hunter-Reay clinched his first series title tonight at Auto Club Speedway with a fourth-place finish in the MAV TV 500, which was won by Ed Carpenter with a last-lap pass of Dario Franchitti that took place before Takuma Sato hit the wall and froze the field.

"This hasn't sunk in yet," a joyous Hunter-Reay exclaimed on pit road. "I just drove 500 miles for my life. I cannot believe we're IndyCar champions...My dream's come true. This is unbelievable!"

"[Hunter-Reay] just did a hell of a job in the end," said Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti, who signed Hunter-Reay to a two-year contract extension over the weekend. "When he needs to step it up, he steps it up!"

Hunter-Reay was back 17 points of Will Power going into tonight's race, but Power opened the door on Lap 55, when he lost control of his car and hit the wall in Turn 2 -- with Hunter-Reay narrowly missing the careening Power on the high line.

"I just caught a seam [in the track]...It really caught me by surprise," Power said shortly after his incident. "It was the last thing I thought would happen."

The Team Penske crew put up a valiant effort to repair Power's car and managed to get their title contender back onto the track at Lap 123 in order to run 12 more laps, which enabled him to move up one position to 24th. That in turn forced Hunter-Reay to finish fifth or better in order to defeat Power for the title.

Hunter-Reay looked off the pace for much of the night, but was still running sixth when Alex Tagliani hit the wall with about 20 laps to go. That allowed Hunter-Reay to move into fifth position, and he jumped two more spots before Tony Kanaan crashed with nine laps to go.

INDYCAR Race Control then threw the red flag, presumably to ensure that the race would end under green flag conditions, and the green later emerged with five laps to go. Hunter-Reay slipped back to fifth in the final circuits before Sato's wreck in Turn 2 finished the proceedings.

As for Carpenter, he claimed his second career victory in the series and his first as a driver/owner of his own team. And just like he did in his first win last season at Kentucky Speedway, he defeated Franchitti for the honor.

More to come later tonight/early tomorrow on a stellar season finale...

The IZOD IndyCar Series is set to bring down the curtain on its 2012 campaign tonight at Auto Club Speedway outside Los Angeles, and if you can't find a TV, you're more than welcome to follow the action on Twitter at @estradawriting. GREEN for tonight's race is set for approx. 8:50 pm ET.

Ryan Hunter-Reay is one hour away from entering the race of his life at Auto Club Speedway, where he'll look to defeat Will Power and claim his first IZOD IndyCar Series championship. But win or lose, one thing is certain -- he's sticking with Andretti Autosport.

The team has confirmed Hunter-Reay's signing of a two-year contract extension that will keep the American racer in the Andretti stable through 2014. Here are a pair of team-issued statements from Hunter-Reay and team owner Michael Andretti about the extension:

HUNTER-REAY

"I have a lot of deep rooted relationships with the team and the team sponsors and I'm looking forward to continuing and further developing those relationships. I'm happy to be able to enjoy the off season knowing what the next two years hold. I'm looking forward to my return with Andretti Autosport and hope to have the opportunity to speak more on it soon, but today we are focused on leaving Fontana tonight with a championship."

ANDRETTI

"We are happy to have Ryan [Hunter-Reay] back with us for the 2013 and 2014 IndyCar seasons. He is a tough competitor and has become an important part of our team. He is the ultimate team player and I know we can count on him, along with his teammates, to continue to be a foundation for us. We believe that he, Marco [Andretti[ and James [Hinchcliffe] will continue to work together and take the team to great places with great success.