Verizon Team Penske's Will Power continued to lead the way in the final day of "Spring Training" at Barber Motorsports Park.

On Wednesday, Power posted a fast lap of 123.337 mph, which was more than two-tenths quicker than the best from second-fastest driver James Hinchcliffe (122.878 mph).

"Good start for the spring training," said Power, who plans on simply "resting" for his plans leading up to the March 24 season-opener in St. Petersburg, Florida. "I think we got some good stuff to come back here for the race. It's just phenomenal how tight it is up front all the way through the field, and also just how fast these cars are around here -- it's just unbelievable."

Following Hinchcliffe in third on the combined charts was Justin Wilson in the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing machine at 122.667 mph. Tony Kanaan was fourth-quickest (122.580 mph) and defending series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay was fifth-quickest (122.423 mph).

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Justin Wilson may have his little brother for a teammate and rival this season.

Although not yet officially confirmed, Stefan Wilson and Ana Beatriz could share DCR's second program alongside the longtime veteran. Both the younger Wilson and Beatriz got test work in this week at Barber, with the former making his IndyCar debut on Wednesday.

"It's great to have a taste of an Indy car," said Stefan, who posted a top lap of 118.429 mph. "Unfortunately today, we missed an hour-and-a-half after lunch so it was just a brief taste, but hopefully we'll be able to get another test in. There was a lot to adjust to, getting use to gearing, coming into pit stops and leaving the pits as well. It was a lot to take in on the first day. It's good to just kind of shake the cobwebs off and get back in a racecar on the road course. "

Stefan competed in last year's season finale for Indy Lights, but before that, he had finished third in the 2011 Lights championship as part of Andretti Autosport.

Team Penske topped the charts in Day 1 of "Spring Training" testing for the IZOD IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park.

Will Power led the way with a lap of 122.011 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, followed closely by teammate Helio Castroneves' best lap of 121.874 mph.

"I've never felt so much grip in this car," Power enthused. "Penske 1-2, it's only the first day of testing, but that shows that we worked hard in the winter. As a team, we're very determined to kick a couple of boxes this year. The Indy 500 and the championship are absolutely top of the list."

Also impressing was Mike Conway in his only test before his one-off run with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at Long Beach. The Englishman was fourth-quickest in James Jakes' No. 16 Acorn Stairlifts Honda at 121.482 mph, behind third-place man James Hinchcliffe of Andretti Autosport (121.788).

"Today was about getting comfortable in a car, working with the guys and seeing how they work and getting myself dialed in for Long Beach," Conway said. "I think we got through a lot of stuff, and hopefully helped the guys out for tomorrow."

E.J. Viso, the newest member of the Andretti camp, was fifth-fastest at 121.374 mph in his No. 5 machine.

Testing will continue at Barber tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET and 1:45 to 6 p.m. ET.

Multiple outlets are now reporting that A.J. Allmendinger will drive the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet-powered Dallara at Barber Motorsports Park and the Indianapolis 500.

Allmendinger recently tested the No. 2 machine with Team Penske at Sebring International Raceway in Florida, and he will be back in that particular ride for next week’s “Spring Training” test sessions at Barber. The California racer is also competing part-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Phoenix Racing.

A formal announcement is expected to be made later today.

For Allmendinger, the Barber race on April 7 will mark his first open-wheel event since leaving Champ Car following the 2006 season to go race in NASCAR. He made 40 Champ Car starts from 2004 to 2006, winning five times and collecting 14 podium finishes.

Last summer, Allmendinger was suspended and then released from his Sprint Cup ride at Penske Racing after failing a drug test. Since that point, he has completed NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program (which brought him his reinstatement) and has been working toward opportunities to rebuild his career.

When word first got out about Allmendinger’s first IZOD IndyCar Series test at Sebring, Allmendinger expressed his gratitude toward team owner Roger Penske for not casting him off following his suspension – and he has continued to do that recently.

"It was the fact that [Penske] asked me to drive a car for him that means more than anything,” he told Jim Tomlin of the Tampa Bay Times last week.

“Back in a stock car, a Nationwide car, a prototype (sports car) if he had one, just to get back in one of his cars. He doesn't have to do that. There's no reason for him to do that, honestly, except the fact that he does believe in me and wants me to be a part of it. It's not like I made his life easy. And he still has the faith."

Now he’ll be looking to bring “The Captain” a 16th Indianapolis 500 victory.

It's been a few days since I've posted, but that's because I've been so busy.

As you may already know, I'm now part of the NBCSports.com MotorSportsTalk team alongside Tony DiZinno, Keith Collantine, Luke Smith, and managing editor Mike Miller. I'm thankful to have the opportunity to work with such great talent.

A lot of effort is being put into making MST a key piece of the NBCSports.com experience, and I look forward to seeing how the site evolves in both the near future and in the long term.

However, with that said, I also intend to make sure Indy Racing Revolution keeps rolling along. Seven IZOD IndyCar Series seasons in, I'm still quite proud of it. It's my hope that IRR has been able to keep you informed and, on some occasions, entertained through the years.

There may come a day where I'll have to think long and hard about the future of IRR; I've admittedly always believed that there would be an end point to reckon with. But that's not here yet. We've still got a lot of laps ahead of us.

So, I hope that you'll keep supporting me here on IRR and also support the efforts of myself and the entire MST team at MotorSportsTalk on NBCSports.com.

As always, your readership is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Chris Estrada

Champ Car fan favorite Paul Tracy will be part of SportsNet's coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series in Canada.

Tracy, a native of Ontario and the 2003 CART champion, will be part of the SN team at select races along the 2013 championship. SN will utilize all five of its own channels (one national and four regional), plus multiple other outlets under the Rogers Media umbrella, in showcasing the top open-wheel series in North America.

SportsNet has taken over the IndyCar rights north of the border through the 2017 season and will broadcast a minimum of 16 races per season, including the Indianapolis 500.

In addition to the Rogers TV networks, IndyCar will be streamed for Rogers wireless and cable customers on RogersAnyPlaceTV.com and the AnyPlaceTV mobile app. Expanded French-language coverage will also be had thanks to an agreement between SportsNet and TVA Sports, a French-language sports station.

SportsNet's deal also includes rights to the Firestone Indy Lights developmental series.

For the full Canadian TV schedule, click here.

It's far too early to tell, but the Dream Team at Honda is looking ready to turn the tables on Chevrolet this upcoming season in IndyCar.

Last year, Honda won the Indianapolis 500 but lost the engine war to the Bowtie Brigade, which had its drivers claim 11 checkered flags in 15 races. Considering the pride Honda takes in motorsports, you had to think a strong answer back was coming.

And so far, things are going well for Honda. Takuma Sato (A.J. Foyt Racing) put up the fastest time of the afternoon on Tuesday at Sebring International Raceway, and then the next day, French rookie Tristan Vautier managed to top reigning series champion (and Chevy-powered driver) Ryan Hunter-Reay on the Florida road course.

As Marshall Pruett of RACER Magazine wrote:

"It would be foolish to make any kind of prediction on which engine manufacturer will have an advantage once the season kicks off at St. Petersburg, but there was a general buzz among a number of folks affiliated with the Bowtie camp that Honda has done their homework during the offseason."

Honda didn't make a bad engine in 2012 -- far from it. But Chevy was just a little bit better, and in a fiercely fought championship like the IZOD IndyCar Series, that "little bit" might as well be a giant bit.

It'll be interesting to see how Vautier and Simon Pagenaud fare this coming Wednesday at Sonoma, when they'll be the only Honda-powered drivers in a nine-driver test session. We'll get an even better idea of where the engine situation stands next month at IndyCar 'Spring Training' down in Alabama, but if the SPM duo fares well at Sonoma, then that should make Honda feel good going in.

Chevy has its big 1-2 punch with Andretti Autosport and Team Penske, but Honda needs to get their own. If SPM can contend alongside Target Chip Ganassi Racing this season, Honda stands a better chance of winning the engine war this time.

With Team Penske eyeing "Spring Training" next month at Barber as the next testing opportunity for A.J. Allmendinger, it would appear that the ex-Champ Car racer's chances of having at least a few races this season in the IZOD IndyCar Series have increased.

Allmendinger's full-time plans for 2013 aren't set in stone. In addition to working on a potential part-time ride with Team Penske in open-wheel, he's also slated to compete in a few early-season Sprint Cup events for Phoenix Racing.

But should funding open up for a full-time ride in IndyCar with Penske, 'Dinger isn't going to turn it down.

“Obviously, if [team owner] Roger [Penske] says, ‘Here’s a full-time ride,’ I’m not going to be the idiot that turns it down and says, ‘No, I’m good'," Allmendinger told FoxSports.com's Lee Spencer after his test session with Penske yesterday at Sebring International Raceway.

"It’s just finding the best opportunity and the best place for me to be where I want to be in whatever series that is.”

In addition, Penske Racing president Tim Cindric told USA Today's Nate Ryan that they're taking the approach of having a third Penske program ready to compete when needed.

"...We're not prepared to run it on a full-time basis, but we could be," Cindric said to Ryan. "It's just a matter of trying to get the right sponsors and be able to move it. We'll fund it to a degree but not the whole thing."

Allmendinger was 12th-quickest in yesterday's session at Sebring, but was within half a second of both his Penske teammates, Will Power and Helio Castroneves.

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Andretti Autosport's quartet, led by defending series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, and highly regarded French rookie Tristan Vautier (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) are getting laps in today at Sebring.

Vautier and teammate Simon Pagenaud will be among the nine drivers that will test next Wednesday out at Sonoma Raceway in northern California.

Former Champ Car and NASCAR driver A.J. Allmendinger may have earned the most headlines for his first run in an open-wheel machine since 2006, but Takuma Sato took the top spot in Tuesday's test session at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway.

Sato, the new driver of A.J. Foyt's No. 14 Honda, out-hustled Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (who led the morning session) with a time of 51.947 seconds. Dixon settled for P2 in the session with a lap of 52.017 seconds, while Will Power posted the third-quickest lap (52.153 seconds) to lead the Chevrolets.

“I'm happy that we did some good lap times at the end of the day, but it is only testing,” said Sato. “Still, it's encouraging and a nice boost for the ABC Supply team. Everyone worked well together, so it was a good day."

As for Allmendinger, he climbed into a Team Penske IndyCar and worked his way into a rhythm on the Sebring road course. He wound up 12th out of 13 drivers with a fast lap of 52.618 seconds, but it certainly wasn't a bad showing by the California native.

Comparing himself to the other two Team Penske drivers, 'Dinger was two-tenths of a second off of Helio Castroneves' best time (52.410 seconds, 7th) and within half a second of Power.

"I'm looking for the best opportunity," said Allmendinger, who has been confirmed to test again during IndyCar's 'Spring Training' session at Barber Motorsports Park next month according to RACER Magazine.

"It slowly has come back to me. Everything feels real fast. A [NASCAR Sprint] Cup car has more horsepower, but because of its weight that sensation of speed is a lot different. When you get an IndyCar on a road course, it feels like it has 1,500 horsepower."

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SEBRING TEST SESSION

Overall Times -- Tuesday

1) 14-Takuma Sato, Foyt/Honda, 51.947 seconds

2) 9-Scott Dixon, TCGR/Honda, 52.017 seconds

3) 12-Will Power, Penske/Chevy, 52.153 seconds

4) 10- Dario Franchitti, TCGR/Honda, 52.322 seconds

5) 18-Justin Wilson, Coyne/Honda, 52.327 seconds

6) 11-Tony Kanaan, KV/Chevy, 52.381 seconds

7) 3-Helio Castroneves, Penske/Chevy, 52.410 seconds

8) 15-Graham Rahal, RLL/Honda, 52.413 seconds

9) 83-Charlie Kimball, CGR/Honda, 52.439 seconds

10) 78-Simona de Silvestro, KV/Chevy, 52.442 seconds

11) 67-Josef Newgarden, Fisher/Honda, 52.498 seconds

12) 2-A.J. Allmendinger, Penske/Chevy, 52.618 seconds

13) 22-Oriol Servia, P+DRR/Chevy, 52.690 seconds.

Times provided by INDYCAR public relations

INDYCAR has announced two new Dallara-designed components for its DW12 chassis: Structural pieces for the sides of the monocoque and brake disc guards that will be mandatory at oval tracks.

The monocoque pieces are designed to reduce the possibility of the car rotating upon side impact. They'll be attached at the driver's shoulder height and will not be visible outside of the car.

Following some practice incidents at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last May that saw cars tipping on their sides after hitting the wall, Dallara made modifications to the car's underwing to help keep the cars on the ground. Further changes were made to the underwing prior to the 2012 season finale at Auto Club Speedway.

In a statement from INDYCAR, Dallara R&D head Andrea Toso said that the new "Side Impact Structure" pieces are complimentary to those changes.

"In order to further reduce the risk of tilt, we needed to get a more even distribution of crash resistance from top to bottom," he said. "This is the purpose of the Side Impact Structure."

As for the brake disc guards, those are more heat-resistant than the 2012 version. According to INDYCAR vice president of technology Will Phillips, the guards are being made mandatory on ovals "to ensure there is no aerodynamic advantage of running the old versus new type."

The guards will be optional on road and street circuits.

On the eve of his first run in an open-wheel machine since 2006, former Champ Car and NASCAR pilot A.J. Allmendinger is understandably anxious.

Allmendinger will test with Team Penske on Tuesday at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, and if all goes well, he could wind up slated for at least a part-time run in IndyCar this season. In an interview on SPEED's flagship news show, "Speed Center," the California native talked about his emotions going into the test.

“I’m so excited for it -- to be back with Mr. Penske and the whole Penske organization," Allmendinger told SPEED's Adam Alexander. "I’m so grateful to have this chance to get in one of his Indy cars. I’m also nervous. It’s been seven years – 2006 was the last time I was in an open-wheel race car. The cars have changed a lot, but I know I’ll have the best team to learn from.”

Indeed, Penske regulars Will Power and Helio Castroneves will be testing as well on Tuesday, and have already helped prepare 'Dinger for the opportunity.

"They’ve already been helping me just kind of go through the race car and learn what it’s about, look at the data, video, notes, so I’ll be well prepared," he said.

As for what might await him in the near-future should Sebring go well, Allmendinger told SPEED that while "you never know with Roger Penske," he hopes to have at least one race under his belt before tackling this year's Indy 500.

Fox Sports' Lee Spencer reported on Feb. 6 that Allmendinger could be heading for his IZOD IndyCar Series debut at Barber Motorsports Park in April if this week's test goes smoothly. Spencer also wrote that with sponsorship help, Allmendinger could hit the grid at Long Beach and the aforementioned '500.'