Team: Team Penske
Driver: AJ Allmendinger
Car No.: 2
Engine: Chevrolet
Chief Mechanic: Billy Vincent
Engineer: Ron Ruzewski
2012 Driver’s Championship Finish: N/A

Pruett Says: Allmendinger, when he’s at his best, is brimming with confidence. Leaving Spring Training, Allmendinger’s confidence was on the floor, which makes me think that for his sake, and to boost his morale, switching his debut from the balls-of-steel Barber circuit to Long Beach—in his home state—would be wise.

When he’s loaded with frightening levels of bravado, the guy is untouchable, but getting him to that place is crucial if he’s going to help the team. Allmendinger’s like a finely tuned instrument, and needs to be kept in that sweet spot to produce his best work. The sooner Team Penske realizes that, the better the results they’ll achieve.

Miller Says: Back where he belongs in open wheel, Dinger's timing is impeccable because Year 2 with the DW12 should be a boon with Team Penske. He was as fast as anybody when he left Champ Car and it's going to take some time as a part-timer but he's still got the chops and the hunger.

Driver: Helio Castroneves
Car No.: 3
Engine: Chevrolet
Chief Mechanic: Sean Hanrahan
Engineer: Jonathan Diuguid
2012 Driver’s Championship Finish: 4th, 2 wins

Pruett Says: People expected Helio to quietly start fading away when the 2012 season got under way, but Team Penske’s elder statesman did the exact opposite. Nine finishes inside the top 6, including two wins, was a jolt to the system for the entire team, and I expect it to continue this year.

With Ryan Briscoe’s engineer moving over to his car in the off-season, Castroneves now as some extra spring in his step—a new partner to shake things up a bit. So far, the two have hit it off and taken things in a new direction with the handling of the No. 3 car.

HCN should continue to add to his victory total in 2013, and finishing the season in the top 5 wouldn’t be a total shocker. There are plenty of young drivers looking for a seat at the adult’s table, but guys like Franchitti, Kanaan and Castroneves aren’t ready to let that happen.

Miller Says: Kind of a forgotten man in the shadow of Power, the three-time Indy winner got back on everyone's radar with a couple of victories and seems more focused. He'll be 38 in May for his favorite race and it's been a while since he was a factor at Indianapolis. But don't give him the wave off just yet.

What Castroneves Says Needs Improving This Year: “I believe, keep what we just had in racing but, I think, qualifying, when you qualify in front it makes it so much easier. Just qualifying in the fast six, get some pole positions, that's my goal to make things happen easier in the race.”

Driver: Will Power
Car No.: 12
Engine: Chevrolet
Chief Mechanic: Matt Jonsson
Engineer: David Faustino
2012 Driver’s Championship Finish: 2nd, 3 wins

Pruett Says: It took Michael Jordan losing three consecutive conference finals to the Detroit Piston before he and the Chicago Bulls broke through and won their first NBA title. Jordan, without question the most talented player in the league, took each loss and internalized it. He used the anger and frustration that came from defeat to work on his own game and to improve the team around him.

Power’s about as useless with a basketball as Jordan is with an Indy car, but they both know what it’s like to have one final hurdle to clear before glory can be achieved. Power can’t drive any harder, or obsess about every detail any more than he already does, so what will it take to push through and earn his first title?

Now a three-time championship runner-up, Power finds himself at the same crossroads Jordan faced. He’s internalized the losses, racked his brain for ways to improve his performances and now, after becoming the unquestioned team leader at Penske, needs to claim that position with authority. It must be done with subtlety, but mobilizing the entire team behind him is one change that must take place. Jordan accepted that to win, he needed to make those around him better, more unified and more committed to his style of play. In 2013, Power needs to work from the same script that delivered his first championship after coming up short three years in a row.

The second hurdle Power has to get through is how to maintain his mercurial pace without straying into mental exhaustion. The more tunnel vision he achieves, the faster he goes. But it isn’t sustainable. and it isn’t the way to be fresh, fast and focused across 19 different rounds.

However he does it, he needs to find a way to set poles, lead the most laps and win races without risking an aneurysm. Once he learns how to win while driving at only 100 percent, or even 99 percent on off days, he could easily match Jordan's six championships before he retires.

Miller Says: What can you say? He's been the fastest driver the past three years. He's won the most races and pole positions. But still no championship. His late-season stumbles and oval struggles have to be somewhere in his psyche but he can over-Power (nice pun) almost every track that goes right and left so it's his championship to lose. And how can you not cheer for him to finally do it?

Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, covering IndyCar and sports cars. Now in his 27th year in the sport, Pruett was an open-wheel mechanic, engineer and manager before joining SPEED. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.

Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.