INDYCAR again will have a strong presence at the 18th SKUSA SuperNationals this weekend in Las Vegas.

The karting event draws more than 500 drivers from across the globe and serves as the Superkarts USA Pro Tour series finale.

Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Will Power and race winner Marco Andretti headline the lineup of drivers in nine divisions.

Power (right), who drove the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car to three victories and his first series title, will compete in the TaG Master division for the second consecutive year. He won a heat race and led laps in the final in his SuperNationals debut.

Andretti has filled the vacancy in the S1 Pro Stock Moto division created when Scott Speed, who competes for Andretti Autosport in Global Rallycross and a three-time SuperNationals division winner, had a schedule conflict in Germany. Andretti, who competed in karting at the age of 10, will make his SuperNationals debut though he’s competed in the all-star karting event in Orlando, Fla., associated with the Performance Racing Industries trade show and several charity events.

“It’s going to be a great challenge, as there is some great talent there,” Andretti told ekartingnews.com while training last week in Charlotte, N.C., with Power and Speed. “It’s different muscles than IndyCar. It will be a great warm-up for (Juan Pablo) Montoya’s kart race in Colombia on Thanksgiving weekend.”

Andretti, Helio Castroneves, reigning Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires champion Gabby Chaves and Sebastian Saavedra are scheduled to compete in the event in Bogota that benefits the Family Smiles charitable organization established by Montoya and his wife.

Also entered in S1 are 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires championship runner-up Scott Hargrove, Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires competitor Matthew Di Leo, former Indy Lights driver Matt Jaskol and AJ Allmendinger, who competed in six Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2013 with Team Penske. Allmendinger will compete in the TaG Senior division, too.

Also entered in the SuperNationals with INDYCAR ties:

• Former Indy car driver Richie Hearn, who won the 1995 Toyota Atlantic title, will compete in the TaG Master division. Hearn, who lives in nearby Henderson, Nev., won several national karting championships in the 1990s.

• Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda competitor Colton Herta, 14, a former TaG Cadet Pro Tour champion, will compete in TaG Junior for Phil Giebler Racing. He’s the son of Verizon IndyCar Series team owner and former driver Bryan Herta.

• Former Indy car driver Enrique Bernoldi of Brazil will compete in the KZ2 division.

• Drivers in multiple divisions represent Phil Giebler Racing and Jay Howard MDD. Both are former Indy Lights drivers (Howard won the 2006 title) and Indianapolis 500 starters. Giebler, of California, was the 2007 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Howard, who has made nine Verizon IndyCar Series starts, recently was announced as an Indy 500 driver for 2015 with Herta’s team.

INDYCAR also has ties with Santa Claus

Fans should be on the lookout for Santa Claus in a two-seat IndyCar in the Indianapolis area in the coming weeks.

On Nov. 22, Verizon IndyCar Series team co-owner Sarah Fisher will drive the jolly elf into Clay Terrace Mall in Carmel, Ind. Youngsters will receive checkered flags to welcome the duo (3:30 p.m. local).

On Nov. 28, Verizon IndyCar Series team co-owner/driver Ed Carpenter will drive Santa Claus to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in the special racing sleigh (9:30 a.m. local).

Of note

A GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma show car will be front and center at the Sonoma Raceway display at the San Francisco International Auto Show on Nov. 22-29 at the Moscone Center. Tickets are on sale for the 2015 race – the Verizon IndyCar Series season finale. … A Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach showcar will be among the featured floats in the Seal Beach (Calif.) Christmas Parade on Dec. 5 (7 p.m. local). Tickets are on sale for the 41st race April 19, 2015.... Jeremy Grenier, 39, of Charles Town, W.Va., is the 44th recipient of the RRDC Mark Donohue Award, presented annually by the Road Racing Drivers Club for outstanding performance, competitiveness and sportsmanship during the SCCA National Championship Runoffs.