More than a dozen IndyCar Series drivers tested at Infineon Racewꩵay this week in preparation for the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County on August 24.

Among those testing was series points' leader Scott Dixon, who holds a 78-point adꦯvantage over⛄ Helio Castroneves with three races remaining.

"It's always nice to go back to a circuit where you've won," said Dixon, who won last year's ꧑race on the 12-turn circuit. "It✱'s going to be a tough race, so it's nice to get some testing in."

While Dixon had the opportunity to turn some laps on the 2.245-mile course, Castron🍨eves will have to rely on teammate Ryan Briscoe's a🌃ssessment.

"You can't test during a race weekend, and you've got to come in with a plan and really go for it," said Briscoe, the pole winner at the track in 2005. "Qualifying is tough, and it's imp🌳ortant to do consistent fast laps, and then we go racing. It's nice to get a day of testing in."

This marked the first large-scale test of the modified version of the road course that will be used by the 𒅌IndyCar Series. Drivers now exit Turn 6 and go directly up the🐠 track's drag strip as opposed to veering left before the right-hander at Turn 7.

"I think you will see some new passing with this change," said Vitor Meira, who had a best finish of th𝐆ird at Infineon in 2006.

"It's a tough corner becaus൩e you're going from the fastest section of the track to the slowest, but it should be good."

Other drivers who tested include🌠d Marco Andretti, Townsend Bell, A.J. Foyt IV, Mario Moraes, Will Power, Marty Roth, Tomas Scheckter, and Oriol Servia among o🐈thers.

Practice for the race begins August 22 with the battle꧋ for the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award slated for August 23.