NEWTON, Iowa -- Every year, Team Penske arrives in Iowa with a host of championship-contending drivers and leaves without a win.The 10th edition of the IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway could be Penskes best shot at breaking through.The grueling demands of Iowas 0.875-mile bull ring typically rewards the most skilled drivers. Penske has plenty of those, as Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves and Will Power entered the weekend first, second and third in the point standings.Pagenaud will start Sundays race from the pole, followed by Josef Newgarden, Castroneves, Max Chilton and Charlie Kimball.Still, Penske has lagged far behind Andretti Autosport, winner of the last six races and seven of nine overall on IndyCars shortest track.Weve been close many times, said Castroneves, winless in Iowa despite two poles and five starts on the front row. The good news is Team Penske is one, two, three, and thats our goal to keep going all the way to the end of the season. But we have a big test here.Andretti could use another strong showing in Iowa to push at least one of its drivers into championship contention.Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi leads the way for the team in 10th, just one point ahead of teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay.Hunter-Reay has won the last two races in Iowa. Last seasons victory helped turn a miserable season into a decent one as Hunter-Reay went on to win at Pocono and finish sixth in the standings.Hunter-Reay has also finished in the top four in each of his last two races.But replicating his previous success here might be tough.Hunter-Reay had a miserable qualifying session and will start 20th out of 22 cars. Although no driver has ever won from the pole in Iowa, no one has taken first after starting from so far behind either.It doesnt really change my mentality at all. Every year I have to come back and work just as hard to get it done. Seems like it gets harder and harder every year, actually, Hunter-Reay said.Perhaps Sunday will provide Newgarden an opportunity to thrust himself into the championship conversation. Newgarden took second behind Hunter-Reay in 2014 and 2015, and hell start on the front row at Iowa for the first time all season.Yeah, its always tough. I mean, when you qualify second you think Ah! Its just really hard to qualify second. You almost wish you qualified fifth or something. That sounds really stupid, but its always tough; we needed that last little bit, Newgarden said. But its nothing to complain about. I think we have fast cars.Should Penske fail to win yet again in Iowa this weekend, it can take solace in the fact its drivers will get at least two more chances here.Iowa Speedway announced Saturday that it has extended its agreement with IndyCar through 2018. Trevor Kelley Jersey . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Johnny Pesky Red Sox Jersey . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. https://www.cheapredsox.com/361z-andrew-cashner-jersey-red-sox.html . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Travis Lakins Jersey . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Chris Owings Red Sox Jersey . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No.For the first time since early May, there is a new team at the top of the TSN.ca MLB Power Rankings. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been battling the St .Louis Cardinals for the top spot in the National League Central and after winning four of five against the Cardinals (as well as the Cardinals losing catcher Yadier Molina to a knee injury), the Pirates finally captured the prime ranking position. There are some teams riding impressive stretches right now. The Detroit Tigers have won 13 of 14, but still sit second, just behind the Pirates. The Atlanta Braves are on an 11-game winning streak and jumped from 13 to seven aand the Kansas City Royals moved from 18 to 13 after winning 12 of their last 13 games.dddddddddddd Heading the other way, the New York Yankees are 6-10 since the All-Star break and even the return of Alex Rodriguez couldnt save them from sliding to a season-low 15 from 11. The Toronto Blue Jays continue to languish in the lower third, though up one spot from 22 to 21, overtaking the sinking Philadelphia Phillies in the process. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '