text: 29/08/2012 06:10
  Victory lane: second place Will Power
  Sonoma Success: Team Penske is coming off a dominating weekend in Sonoma where Power and Briscoe continued their success at the 2.31 mile road course. Race winner Briscoe and runner-up Power combined to lead 84 of 85 laps, ran first and second for 82 laps, and secured Team Penske's third 1-2 finish since 2008. The weekend also saw Power win his third consecutive pole at Sonoma while Helio Castroneves started the race fourth and finished sixth, his sixth top-10 finish at the track in eight races.
  Three for the Road: As he took full advantage of his 100th career IndyCar start, Power clinched his third consecutive Mario Andretti Road Course Championship in Sonoma as he continues to be the only driver to ever win the award.
  Championship Within Reach: Power can clinch the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Championship by finishing Sunday's race in Baltimore with a 54-point lead over the competition. This would eliminate any potential ties in the standings and account for any unforeseen event leading to Power not starting the season's final race at Fontana. In order to produce a 54-point cushion, Power will need to finish 18 points better than second-place driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, 13 points better than his teammate Castroneves and ahead of the other five drivers still mathematically eligible for the championship.
  Back On Top: Briscoe's victory at Sonoma was his seventh career win (at seven different circuits) and first since Texas in 2010. With the win, Briscoe passed Dario Franchitti for eighth in the standings with 317 points and he is still mathematically eligible for the Championship. Briscoe has now led at least one lap in eight of 13 races in 2012 and will look to continue his success at Baltimore, where he was a race leader in 2011.
  Numbers of Note: Power's pole win at Sonoma was the 28th of his career, breaking his tie with Al Unser and placing him ninth on the all-time IndyCar list. Castroneves' 27 career victories place him two behind his mentor and Team Penske legend Rick Mears for the most wins all-time at Penske Racing. His next win would give him sole possession of 11th place on the IndyCar all-time list, breaking his current tie with Johnny Rutherford.
  Drivers Helio Castroneves , Dario Franchitti , Scott Dixon , Mario Andretti , Al Unser Sr. , Rick Mears , Ryan Hunter-Reay , Ryan Briscoe , Will Power , Johnny Rutherford