FONTANA, Calif. -- Penske Racing was perfect Friday in the first phase toward pushing Helio Castroneves to the IndyCar championship. Will Power, Castroneves and AJ Allmendinger swept the front row in qualifying for Saturday nights season finale at Auto Club Speedway, where Castroneves is trying to chase down Scott Dixon for the IndyCar title. "They did a hell of a job to be a front-row lockout, so job accomplished for those guys," said Dixon, who takes a 25-point lead over Castroneves into the finale. Dixons lead could have been cut to 24 points at the start of the race. Power turned a lap at 220.775 mph to bump Castroneves from the pole, snatching away the bonus point his teammate would have earned for qualifying in the top position. "It would have been nice for Helio to get the point, but Scott didnt, so it kind of still keeps it alive," Power said. Castroneves, who had a 49-point lead in the standings before two disastrous races in Houston two weeks ago, has a ton of work to do to win his first title. The Brazilian likely needs to win the race, while Dixon wins his third championship simply by finishing fifth or better. "Unfortunately, we didnt have a crystal ball to tell my buddy here to slow down," Castroneves said. "Those guys were behind him, so Im glad he went for it. Thats what the car was able to do. We showed that we did our homework. Its a game. Youve got to play the game on the odds. In that position, it was the right thing to do." Dixon qualified seventh and said he never had a shot at catching the Penske drivers. Castroneves was the class of the field in an open test last month, and everybody expected his Chevrolet to be fast at the finale. But the qualifying order had Castroneves go out fairly early, and Power knocked him from the pole, saying after he wanted to ensure that Dixon couldnt grab the top spot when he made his late run. "Im surprised they thought we had that kind of speed in us," the New Zealander said. "Thats kind of nice because it obviously helped us. Ill have to thank Will for taking that point. Whether that comes into control tomorrow night, thats a different subject." Both Castroneves and Dixon made engine changes before the weekend and will take 10-spot penalties on the starting grid. It means both will have to drive through early traffic in their championship race. Allmendinger was brought in by team owner Roger Penske as an added aid to Castroneves battle, and both he and Power have said theyll do whatever is needed to help their teammate. "Obviously, Helios got a championship on the line, and if I can help that, I will," Allmendinger said. But Power bristled when asked if a recent manipulating scandal in NASCAR by Michael Waltrips team could reflect poorly on any Penske attempt to assist Castroneves. "No, cmon. If you just sit there and say Im going to race my teammate really hard for the win, what are we talking about?" Power said. "Everyone knows what the deals going to be. Thats what its going to be. Every single team in this pit lane in this situation would do the same thing. Not just back off over the line. Not going to let him go, but not going to race him hard." Castroneves, usually light and playful, turned serious on the issue. "Were going to race as hard as we can without taking each other out," Castroneves said. "Well see what happens. If we got in that position, thats a great problem to have. Hopefully it will be like that, then well talk about it later." Dixon will be racing with Alex Tagliani filling in for regular teammate Dario Franchitti, who is recovering from injuries suffered in a last-lap crash at Houston two weeks ago. The four-time series champion suffered a broken ankle, two fractured vertebrae and a concussion in the accident, and was hospitalized for almost two weeks. Castroneves did not believe Dixon would suffer from not having his usual Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate on the track. "Scott and Ganassi, not the first-time rodeo for them," he said. "They know what they need to do. We know what we need to do, as well." IndyCar moved the start of the race back 20 minutes to address driver concerns about the glare from the sun in Turn 3. Custom Nike Philadelphia Phillies Jerseys .com) - The Carolina Panthers won for the first time in seven games last week, were without Cam Newton due to a car accident this week, but somehow sit atop the much-maligned NFC South. 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But he also walks around with a tangle of metal screws, rods and plates after breaking his neck in 2006 playing high school football in Louisiana.CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Forget worlds best fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was rated by the South African government as the worlds greatest athlete and backed him to turn around boxing in the country. The sports ministry announced Mayweather will arrive on Wednesday for a near-weeklong visit -- his first to Africa and a triumph for the country which finally got its man after trying to lure the 36-year-old superstar as guest of honour at the national sports awards last year. The Ministry of Sport and Recreation also said on Tuesday that the boxer nicknamed "Money" had not been paid any fee to come. It hopes he can do more than just throw a few jabs and sign a few autographs for boxing in South Africa, which was still popular but in steady decline. Mayweathers four-city visit would help "resuscitate" the sport, ministry spokesman Paena Galane told The Associated Press. "Remember, hes the greatest athlete in the world," Galane said. Mayweathers schedule will include an exhibition at a gym in the Johannesburg township of Soweto and possibly a visit to late South African President Nelson Mandelas apartheid-era jail on Robben Island when hes in Cape Town. Mayweather will also visit Bloemfontein and East London on the south east coast, the ciity regarded as the hotbed of South African boxing.dddddddddddd "We wanted someone whos knowledgeable as a fighter and as a promoter," Galane said of South Africas pursuit of Mayweather to be the catalyst for its boxing revival. Mayweather does both better than most. In his last fight in September, Mayweather dominated Canelo Alvarez to improve to 45-0 with 26 knockouts and enhance his reputation as the best boxer of his era. He earned $41.5 million for the fight, which was the richest ever and generated around $150 million in TV revenue alone. The five-division world champion hasnt announced an opponent for his next fight, expected to be in May, although Britains Amir Khan has said he has signed an initial contract that may give him a shot at the undefeated American. Galane dismissed suggestions that reporters wouldnt be allowed to ask Mayweather questions on his future fight plans when he appears alongside South Africas sports minister and the head of its Olympic committee at a promotional event in Johannesburg on Wednesday. While the flamboyant Mayweather is expected to be accompanied by his usual large travelling entourage, the sports ministry said he would arrive on a commercial flight from the United States and not on a private jet. ' ' '