The site of the Verizon IndyCar Series finale will be busy when teams and next-generation talent come together on August 13 at Sonoma Raceway.

Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Andretti Autosport, and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports will make use the single-day test to prepare for the double points championship closer by employing Rule 6.2.3., which allows teams two additional test days if they place Indy Lights drivers in their cars for 50 percent of the available track time.

With their standard test day allotments having been exhausted, IndyCar’s efforts to significantly reduce in-season testing have led teams to use Rule 6.2.3 and hire talent from the Mazda Road To Indy to share cars with their full-time IndyCar drivers at Sonoma.

Indy Lights drivers Spencer Pigot and Nelson Piquet Jr. (Penske), Sean Rayhall (Ganassi), Ed Jones (Rahal), Matty Brabham (Andretti), and Jack Harvey (SPM) have been added to the test date which was originally scheduled as a Honda Manufacturers’ test.

The outing on the hilly 2.2-mile, 11-turn circuit is the first of its kind since the three-tier Mazda Road To Indy ladder system was established.

“I think a lot of the teams that want to test at Sonoma will get to run a quality Indy Lights driver; you can run a portion of the day with a young driver, and the other half with your regular driver,” Ganassi managing director Mike Hull told RACER.

“I believe we’re all doing it for the right reasons—we need to support young talent, and it’s a track where we’ll benefit from their feedback and for most of them, they’ll get their first chance to work with a big team and learn how we conduct business in IndyCar.”

Hull says the education that will come from bringing a group of potential IndyCar drivers together with today’s best will also be helpful.

“The Indy Lights drivers will get a good evaluation, one-on-one, with a current IndyCar driver,” he continued. “Running on new tires, feeling how the track grips up and chassis balance changes, and then simply comparing notes with guys who’ve won IndyCar championships, won Indy 500s; it’s a big deal and we need to do it more often.

“The kid we’re running, Sean Rayhall (TOP, CENTER), won here at Mid-Ohio today, is a bright young kid, he’s just starting his career, and his background is unique—he’s driven anything he can get his hands on. Here’s another chance for him to gain experience in the series he hopes to one day join. I really like what this testing rule allows us to do.”

Ed Jones (LEFT, CENTER) is racing in America for the first time, and says getting to test an IndyCar while chasing the Indy Lights championship is more than he ever expected.

“Moving over to the states could have been a risky move, and I only started racing here in April, and to already be able to test with a top team is amazing,” the young Briton noted. “And to be recognized as deserving a test with a race-winning team is incredible. I can’t thank Bobby Rahal and the whole Rahal team for this opportunity enough.”

Spencer Pigot (ABOVE, RIGHT) will represent America with the championship-leading Team Penske operation, and still can’t believe it’s actually happening.

“It’s very exciting to drive an IndyCar for the first time, and to do it for Roger Penske is incredible…I never would have imagined I would be in a Penske car for my first test,” he said (TOP, RIGHT). “I have to thank them for choosing me and to finally test. I’ve been working my way up the ladder and now I’m taking the first step to the Verizon IndyCar Series.”

Pigot also credited the time he’s spent cultivating relationships on his rise up the ladder with opening the door at Penske.

“I met [Team Penske president] Tim Cindric a few years ago when his son was driving in USF2000, and then he called me and asked if I’d be interested in testing,” he added. “I had some other owners call as well, and it was great to have interest from multiple teams.”

Mazda Motorsports director John Doonan (RIGHT, with Ed Jones), who authored the Mazda Road To Indy program, was understandably proud to see the young drivers his brand has supported receive recognition from IndyCar’s most successful team owners.

“Mazda is so proud to see the things that we’ve developed as our strategy and focus with the Mazda Road To Indy come to light,” Doonan told RACER. “To have between 50 and 60 drivers competing this year at three different levels is fantastic, and to have championship-winning teams look to our pool of talent in Indy Lights and nominate them to test is a validation of everything we’re trying to achieve.

“This is a terrific step towards continued growth for the most well-defined driver development program in the world, and we hope that more Verizon IndyCar Series teams look to our drivers for testing opportunities in the future.”