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After a hard working week for Team Penske, Helio Castroneves wins the PEAK Antifreeze Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County, in California.
The team lost both primary race cars, equipment and more in a transporter fire that occurred early Wednesday morning as the team was en route to Infineon Raceway, Castroneves, teammate Ryan Briscoe and the entire Team Penske crew rolled up their sleeves, determined not to let the fire deter them. The team worked together to rebuild and place two backup machines at the front of the starting grid - with Castroneves on the pole and Briscoe second.
Then, once the green flag flew on Sunday afternoon, the team’s hard work really paid off - both Castroneves and Briscoe led the race but in the end, it was Castroneves who captured the checkered flag 5.29 seconds ahead of his teammate.
“People kept telling me the door would finally open, and today we broke through it,” said Castroneves, who not only broke his string of seven second-place finishes in 2008, but recorded his 10th win in 35 starts from the pole position, a staggering 29 percent winning average when starting first. “The door was really stuck for awhile, but it was an incredible effort by Team Penske. I can’t thank them enough. You’re talking about two days’ work in 12 hours. When you see guys doing that, you just want to do your best for them.”
The victory, the first for Castroneves and Team Penske at the challenging 2.245-mile permanent road coarse in California wine country, was more than a remarkable story about the dedication and effort of Team Penske’s crew; it also put Castroneves back in the thick of the IndyCar Series championship with two races remaining in the 2008 season. Castroneves is now just 43 points behind series leader Scott Dixon with just two championship points races - Detroit and Chicago - remaining in the 2008 season.
Helio also received the 3 point bonus for leading the most laps, earning a total of 53 points.
No matter what you do or where you go, there is at least one fan that beleives you can do no wrong.. Me……
Foi sem dúvida uma das mais emocionantes corridas dos ultimos tempos. Uma prova de determinação e superação. Seu nome ficara gravado na história do automobilismo.
Valeu
Helio..that was absolutely fabulous Driving!! Congratulations many times over!! You had a GREAT season…..and always done with Class & Courtesy!
And your Career Record is GREAT as well.
It was nice to see Barnhart congratulating you!
And it was nice to see Kati there.
All in all, I am proud to be a FAN of yours in whatever you do!!
Thank You for making my life more exciting this year!!
Ola Helio,humildade sempre, parabens pelo sucesso que DEUS te abencoe sempre,
abraco
Hi Helio,
Congrads on your victory in Sonoma, Woohoo! Way to go baby. You showed them who’s “The Boss!”
Keep up the good work.
Love ya!
Patricia
Irene, you should be at every race to give Helio a lucky “grandma hug”! We are so happy to see Helio moving up the ladder and hope he will win the championship!!
Congratulations on your great win, Helio! (My friends think that the “grandma hug” you gave me before the race brought you luck! Do you agree?
Way to go Helio!!!!
Thanks to you we had a VERY exciting weekend at Sonoma! My husband took me and our 8-year old son, Nathan (who has taught me so much about racing) to our first IndyCar race, and I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy it. But we knew we’d be cheering for you and were SO happy to watch you qualify for the pole. Then we were THRILLED to meet you at the autograph signing session and have our picture taken with you, experiencing your enthusiasm and that great smile in person!!!! And having our favorite driver win the race was more than we could have hoped for-especially after the loss of the cars last week-we remain ECSTATIC and wish you the best as you compete for the championship!!!!
I just returned from Sonoma myself and was so happy to be at my first race and have you win at it. Congratulations! Btw, I saw Scott Dixon make huge errors at turn 7 during Friday’s practice. I always sensed he wasn’t perfect and now I know. Your dedication, determination, and your perseverance all add to wonderful character. Having come from the Wine Country, here’s a toast to your continued success and happiness. May God bless you and keep you safe.
Parabéns pela vitória em Sonoma! Estamos torcendo aqui no Brasil para você ganhar o campeonato! A vitória no último final de semana prova que isso é possível! Abraços do Brasil!
Helio,
Congratulations on your win! My husband and I were at the race and were able to join in with your excitement. This was my first Indy Car Race and I was hoping to see you win. So, thanks for making my first Indy race one to remember.
Helio! What a great win on Sunday! You were great, the car was great, everything was great! They just needed a bigger fence for you to climb! Do it again in Detroit! We are pulling for you!
Wow, Helio!!!
What a race!! My 2 daughters and I are so very proud of you and super glad that you one!! We’ve only started watching Indy Racing this year, and have totally found great enjoyment watching you out on the track. We barely missed the Long Beach Grand Prix, but we’ll try in 2009…We’re hooked!!!! You and your team totally deserve this, especially after the last race where you barely lost (that was sad & totally unexpected) and after the devastating fire. You all must still be EXSTATIC!!! We are!! You have the best attitude ever and we totally fell in love w/you when you “DANCED” your way to victory too! We are (new) HUGE fans now and will be as long as you’re behind the wheel!
MUCH LUCK ON SUNDAY!!!! We’ll be watching here in CA.
WE ♥ #3
What an absolute THRILL to see you WIN and climb that fence Sunday on TV. Even our 2 dogs were barking with excitement as I was clapping and shouting and cheering you on. Infinion was just waiting for you and you were spectacular on that California road course. You have more fans and people that admire you, I believe, more than any other driver in racing, Helio. Your winsome personality, impressive fun attitude, and your incredible driving talent has done a lot for the sport. Congrats!!! You said in the pre-race interview that you could use a little “luck”, well, I was wishing it for you and always will.
Oh, by the way, your new website is Great!! I can hardly wait to see it complete. Is that Tuggy’s profile I see up there?
WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!! Congrats Helio on your big win in Sonoma. You are a rock star and Scott was so ticked he didn’t even congratulate you or Ryan. It was a shock how many points he could lose in one race wasn’t it? I was so excited after the fire and having to put together a car from spare parts, but quality shows and all of Team Penske is a class act. No one would celebrate with the fans the way you do and it is telling that you remember what it was like to be on the other side of the fence. Have you stopped smiling yet? Go to Detroit and do it again. Roger will be so proud if you and Ryan take it there. I hope you win again and again in Chicagoland, if Scott finishes in bottom 10 the championship takes on a whole new complexion. WOOOHOOOO, Yea Baby!!!
Hail to the King of the Curves! It was great to see you running so strong yesterday — you make it look easy and keep it fun! Congratulations on the win! Ahhhhhhhh.
Helio, you did a fabulous job on Sunday, I am so happy for you. The pole and the race…and with Ryan right behind you. There is absolutely no better way to come back from the week your team had. Way to cut that championship lead down! I’ll be walking around with a smile on my face all week. Thank you!!!!!
Helio, I already sent a congratulatory message, but just had to add that I love this picture of you, it says everything about your whole attitude. And you never gave up hope you were going to get a win this season. Incredible!!! We all knew you could do it and will be looking forward to your next 2 races and hope you get the championship to add to your long list of successes!!!!