SONOMA, Calif. -- Will Power was looking strong early in the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma to knock on the door of his first Verizon IndyCar Series championship. He's still on the doorstep, but two others are right behind entering the MAVTV 500 on Aug. 30.

A total of 104 points are available in the 250-lap race under the lights at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Power, whose spin on Lap 40 cost him eight positions, finished 10th in the 85-lap race on the 2.385-mile, 12-turn Sonoma Raceway road course. He takes a 51-point lead into the finale over Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves and is 81 points ahead of Simon Pagenaud of Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports.

“There’s still a lot of points on the table and a lot of racing to come,” Power said. “You’ve just got to focus on the job at hand and get the most out of every situation.”

Power won the 250-lap race at Auto Club Speedway in October 2013 -- his first victory on a superspeedway -- in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car. A crash early in the 2012 season finale on the 2-mile oval contributed to his runner-up finish by three points to Ryan Hunter-Reay in the championship. He held a 17-point advantage over Hunter-Reay entering the finale.

Scott Dixon, who was runner-up to Power in the penultimate race last season, took a 25-point advantage over Castroneves to Auto Club Speedway. Dixon finished fifth and Castroneves was sixth in the race as Dixon clinched his third series title by 27 points.

Fans can watch drivers and teams test from 4:30-10:30 p.m. (local) on Aug. 27 at Auto Club Speedway from the infield Terrace Suite rooftops above pit road. Fans will be admitted free with a ticket (or proof of purchase) for the MAVTV 500 or by making a $10 donation to the Auto Club Speedway Foundation benefiting local schools.

Fans can purchase race weekend tickets HERE.