AUTO RACING PACKAGE: Team owner Jack Roush doesn't foresee reduced costs with COT

Doornbos, who has two wins in 10 starts this season, trails three-time series champion Bourdais by 37 points.

---

PASSES TEST: Just days after winning an Indy Pro Series race at Kentucky Speedway, Super Aguri Panther driver Hideki Mutoh passed his IndyCar Series rookie test at Chicagoland Speedway.

The Japanese driver will make his IndyCar debut in the final race of the season, Sept. 9, at the Joliet, Ill., track. He will join current Panther drivers Vitor Meira and Kosuke Matsuura in a three-car effort for the season finale.

"It was a very productive two days and I was able to pass the rookie test," Mutoh said. "I was able to learn how the changes affect the car and tried different car balances too. I am very happy that we were able to practice pit stops and I now know what it's like."

Team owner John Barnes, who has developed young IndyCar talent before, including former series and Indy 500 champions Sam Hornish Jr. and Dan Wheldon, was especially impressed.

"Hideki did unbelievably well in the test," Barnes said. "He continues to impress everybody at Panther with his ability to adapt to these race cars and our style of open-wheel racing.

"We tested a lot with him over the two days at Chicagoland. He didn't get to run in traffic, because there wasn't any, but we worked on pit stops, starts, restarts and in- and out-laps. We're training him to be a champion, and that takes a lot more than just going fast."

Mutoh, who now has two wins this season, is ranked second in the Pro Series championship, trailing series leader Alex Lloyd by 98 points.