The NTT IndyCar Series features some of the greatest racing drivers in the world competing 17 times a year, showcasing the unique diversity that makes it perhaps the most competitive form of racing on Earth.

This weekend, IndyCar drivers will be competing all over the world, bringing their flare and racing ability to two of the greatest sports car races.

Alexander Rossi, the winner of the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016 and a perennial contender for the NTT IndyCar Series championship, and IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe are competing in the famed Bathurst 1000 this weekend at Mount Panorama in Australia. The event is the premier race in the Virgin Australia SuperCars Championship.

Meantime at Road Atlanta, six current drivers and 11 former NTT IndyCar Series drivers, eight teams that compete in IndyCar and two teams that race in Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires will be in the WeatherTech Racing IMSA season finale at Road America, the famed Petit Le Mans.

Rossi and Hinchcliffe are driving for the Walkinshaw Andretti United team, co-owned by INDYCAR team owner Michael Andretti.

“It’s a bit of a baptism of fire here,” Hinchcliffe said after Thursday’s practice session in Australia. “It’s like drinking out of a firehose. We have very little car knowledge, zero track knowledge, and one of the most daunting and challenging race tracks in the world. It’s beautiful. It’s all the hype everybody said it was and then some.

“It was nice to get a taste of the Mountain and see where we go from here.

“The challenge of this place with so many blind corners, the top of the mountain is very quick. There are a lot of high commitment places. Without any sort of experience here, it’s building up to it slowly. The main focus today was not go overboard and get ahead of ourselves. The team has done a great job preparing us. We are taking it one lap at a time and see how it goes.”

Hinchcliffe acknowledged it takes drivers from other racing series time to adapt to the different style or racing cars, especially the tin tops as they are called in Australia competed to the open-cockpit cars in IndyCar.

“The biggest difference is the car (pictured above),” Hinchcliffe said. “The V8 SuperCar, you have a roof, you have twice the weight of an Indy car. Similar horsepower, a lot less grip. For us, it’s getting used to the different driving style of the different cars. Our cars are very nimble, very light, a lot of downforce. The SuperCars are the complete opposite. It’s a big adjustment for Alex and I to get into these things and up to speed as quickly as possible.

“The drivers in the V8 SuperCar Series are massively talented. We have about one to three days each in the car. We have never seen the track. We are under no illusion. It’s going to be a very tough fight. It’s going to be difficult.

“At the same time, we are competitive. We are going to go out there and do the best we can. A top 10 for us realistically feels like a win. In a field this competitive with this type of competition, it would feel like a win.”

Rossi is becoming a modern-day Parnelli Jones by racing in various types of racing series in some of the world’s biggest races. Last year, he competed in the Baja 1000, the premier off-road, desert race in North America.

“The weight of the cars makes things different for us. Although the cars are slightly slower, everything feels quicker because it’s not subconscious for us now. The only thing easier for us is we have air-conditioning and power-steering now and that’s nice.

“It’s a big challenge ahead of us. These are new cars. It’s one of the great race tracks in the world and it’s such an honor to be here.”

In addition, the most successful team owner in INDYCAR and Indianapolis 500 history, Roger Penske, has two cars entered in that event driven by Fabian Coulthard and Tony D’Alberto in the No. 12 Mustang with Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat in the No. 17.

“Winning the Bathurst 1000 is the Australian version of winning the Indianapolis 500 or the Daytona 500,” McLaughlin said. “It has always been a dream of mine to stand on the top step at Bathurst with the Peter Brock Trophy. Finishing in third place last year was bittersweet as Alex (Premat) and I were so close to take it out. We’ll head to the mountain this year, hungrier than ever to take the win.”

Back to Petit Le Mans, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and 1999 CART champion Juan Pablo Montoya is the championship leader in the No. 6 Acura Team Penske Dpi heading into the final race of the season. Because it’s a 10-1/2-hour race, the team has brought in additional drivers for the two entries including this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner at Team Penske, Simon Pagenaud, in the No. 6. Also, Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing returns to the No. 7 Acura Team Penske DPi.

Other current IndyCar Series drivers at Petit Le Mans include five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon in the No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GTLM, four-time Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GTLM. It will be the final race for the Ford Mustang GTLM.

Also, Spencer Pigot is one of the drivers in the No. 50 Juncos Racing Cadillac Dpi and IndyCar Rookie of the Year Colton Herta is part of the No. 25 BMW Team RLL GTLM.

Here is a look at current drivers, past drivers and teams that have NTT IndyCar Series and Indy Lights connections that will be participating in the Petit Le Mans.

Current NTT IndyCar Series Drivers:

Simon Pagenaud (No. 6 Acura Team Penske DPi)

Graham Rahal (No. 7 Acura Team Penske DPi)

Spencer Pigot (No. 50 Juncos Racing Cadillac DPi)

Colton Herta (No. 25 BMW Team RLL GTLM)

Sebastien Bourdais (No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GTLM)

Scott Dixon (No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GTLM)

Past NTT IndyCar Series Regulars:

Mike Conway (No. 5 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi)

Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 6 Acura Team Penske DPi) – CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER

Helio Castroneves (No. 7 Acura Team Penske DPi)

Rene Binder (No. 50 Juncos Racing Cadillac DPi)

Tristan Vautier (No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac DPi)

Jan Magnussen (No. 3 Corvette Racing GTLM)

Ryan Briscoe (No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GTLM)

Townsend Bell (No. 12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus GTD)

Jack Hawksworth (No. 14 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus GTD)

Katherine Legge (No. 57 Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing Acura GTD)

Bia Figueiredo (formerly known as Ana Beatriz) (No. 57 Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing Acura GTD)

NTT IndyCar Series Teams:

Penske (Acura Team Penske – Nos. 6 and 7 DPi) – NO. 6 LEADING CHAMPIONSHIP

Juncos Racing (No. 50 Cadillac DPi)

Rahal Letterman Lanigan (BMW Team RLL – Nos. 24 and 25 GTLM)

Chip Ganassi Racing (Ford Chip Ganassi Racing – Nos. 66 and 67 GTLM)

Vasser Sullivan (AIM Vasser Sullivan – Nos. 12 and 14 Lexus GTD)

Meyer Shank Racing (No. 57 Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Acura GTD, No. 86 Meyer Shank Acura GTD) – NO. 86 LEADING CHAMPIONSHIP

Scuderia Corsa (No. 63 WeatherTech Ferrari GTD)

Indy Lights

Dalton Kellett (No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports LMP2)

Aaron Telitz (No. 12 AIM Vasser Sullivan GTD)