Morning Warm-Up: Houston 2013 Race Two

After qualifying was washed out this morning for race two of the Grand Prix of Houston, Scott Dixon will start on pole position as he looks to take the points lead from Helio Castroneves. Castroneves starts second after being docked 15 points after the Texas round for failing technical inspection. Due to the wash out, no bonus point will be given for pole.

Simon Pagenaud will start third ahead of the Andretti Autosport teammates Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Justin Wilson will start sixth ahead of fellow Brit Dario Franchitti and Will Power. James Hinchcliffe and Charlie Kimball round out the top ten. Tony Kanaan will start eleventh ahead of the Chevrolets of EJ Viso and Sébastien Bourdais. Josef Newgarden starts fourteenth with Simona de Silvestro in fifteenth.

Takuma Sato starts sixteenth. Sato sustained a slight wrist injury in race one yesterday and Conor Daly is on stand-by. Daly finished third in the Indy Lights race yesterday. Mike Conway will start seventeenth ahead of Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter and James Jakes rounding out the top twenty.

Oriol Servià starts twenty-first ahead of Tristan Vautier, Luca Filippi and Sebastián Saavedra rounding out the field.

Here is a list of possible points for the top three in the championship. Helio Castroneves can still clinch the championship today but has to outscore Scott Dixon by 38 points.

NBCSN's coverage of the penultimate round of the 2013 Izod IndyCar Series Championship begins at 1:00 p.m. ET with green flag around 1:40 p.m. ET.

Update (11:40 a.m. ET): Helio Castroneves will start on pole position for today's race due to Rule 8.01.10.1 which states the grid will be set by entrant points entering the weekend. Helio Castroneves' #3 Penske Chevrolet held a thirty-four point lead over Scott Dixon's #9 Ganassi Honda entering the weekend, therefore he will be on pole for race two today.

Other rest of the starting grid will go as follows: Simon Pagenaud, Marco Andretti; Ryan Hunter-Reay, Justin Wilson; Dario Franchitti, James Hinchcliffe; Will Power, Charlie Kimball; Tony Kanaan, EJ Viso; Sébastien Bourdais, Josef Newgarden; Takuma Sato, Mike Conway; Simona de Silvestro, Ed Carpenter; Graham Rahal, James Jakes; Oriol Servià, Tristan Vautier; Luca Filippi, Sebastián Saavedra.