Notes: On Penske, AFS, and IMS’ new kids club

Team Penske continues to build its 2011 sponsorship program, as word has come out this morning that the Auto Club of Southern California (AAA) will expand its sponsorship of Penske Racing to Helio Castroneves’ No. 3 IZOD IndyCar Series machine. Castroneves will have AAA as a primary backer for the Long Beach and Texas rounds.

AAA will also sponsor the No. 22 Dodge of Kurt Busch in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

It’s all part of a multi-year extension of Penske and AAA’s sponsorship agreement, which began in 2008. You can check out the full press release on Penske Racing’s web site.

—–

Firestone Indy Lights squad AFS Racing may have cut ties with Andretti Autosport recently, but the Gary Peterson-led team is on the hunt for a new shop that can bring a partnership with a current IZOD IndyCar Series team.

According to Robin Miller of SPEED Channel, AFS wants to run three Indy Lights programs and partner up for a limited IndyCar schedule, including the Indianapolis 500. Check out more from Miller and Peterson over on SPEEDTV.com.

—–

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is starting up its own kids club for youth ages 12 and under.

Membership is $25 and all kids 12 and under get free admission to the Speedway’s events (Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, Red Bull Indianapolis GP) when accompanied by an adult with a general admission ticket — among other things.

If you’ve got a youngster that lives for speed, this might be a neat little holiday gift for him or her. Check out the details here.