LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Teenagers Austin Cindric and Colton Herta, who will compete in three Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda races this weekend, have family ties to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Cindric's grandfather, Jim Trueman, purchased the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in October 1981 and it hosted its first CART race in 1983 (the track hosted a USAC-sanctioned race in 1980 won by Johnny Rutherford). The family owned and operated the facility until 2011.

Trueman, a Can-Am racer in the 1960s and '70s, also owned and operated the Indy car team Truesports, which won the 1986 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with Ohio native Bobby Rahal behind the wheel. Cindric's father, Tim, is the president of Penske Racing.

Cindric, 15, who was born in Columbus, Ohio, has four top-10 finishes in the nine races for Pabst Racing. He'll also make his Pirelli World Challenge debut Aug. 3, driving the No. 55 entry that will carry logos intent to raise awareness and funding for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. 

Herta, of Valencia, Calif., is the son of Verizon IndyCar Series team co-owner and former driver Bryan Herta, who clinched the 1993 Indy Lights championship on Sept. 12 at Mid-Ohio driving for locally-based Tasman Motorsports Group. The victory was the second in a streak of four in a row, and he won seven races overall. Herta moved up to CART competition in 1994 with A.J. Foyt Racing.