Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda, won Sunday’s PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in a thrilling fashion, not only did he fight back from a last-place starting position, but, pushed by teammate Ryan Briscoe, he took the checkered flag a mere 0.0033 seconds, or 12 1/8 inches, ahead of second-place finisher Scott Dixon. 

The finish; second-closest in IndyCar Series history - was not without controversy. Scoring monitors initially showed Dixon as the winner, but video replays showed Castroneves hitting the finish line first. Whenever scoring monitors show a margin of victory of 0.006 or less, IndyCar Series officials revert to photo evidence to determine or clarify the winner and the precise margin of victory. Within minutes of the cars reaching the finish line and Dixon being declared the unofficial winner, Castroneves was declared the official winner. He received the news from a reporter and immediately began jumping with joy on live television.

“I won!” Castroneves screamed. “I knew I’d won!”

Sunday marked Castroneves’ first win at the 1.5-mile oval track and his second win of the 2008 IndyCar Series season. Castroneves closes out the 2008 IndyCar Series championship second in the standings, 17 points behind champion Dixon. 

“What a wild race,” said Castroneves about the 200-lap event, which included multiple laps of three-wide racing and the photo finish. “What a great effort by Team Penske, we did everything we could to win the championship and executed our plan to win and take the extra points (three) for the most laps led (80). We couldn’t catch up to Dixon in points, but we definitely tried!”

For Castroneves, however, the race win and runner-up finish in the championship were the testament to teamwork and dedication. “I want to thank the entire team - they did a hell of a job,” said Castroneves, who recorded 15 top-five finishes in 2008. “Ryan (Briscoe) was a great help today. Without him, there was no question that I would not have won this race. I did what I could. He really helped me out.”

While the championship has been decided for 2008, one race remains for Helio this year. On October 26, the team will compete in Surfers Paradise, Australia in the Nikon Indy 300. The non-points event will be telecast live at 10:30 p.m. EDT Oct. 25 by ESPN Classic and will re-air at 11 p.m. Oct. 26 on ESPN2. The race will also be broadcast on the IMS Radio Network. 

The 2009 IndyCar Series season will begin next March in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

Results Sunday of the PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 IndyCar Series event Sept. 7 at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (28) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
2. (2) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
3. (1) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
4. (4) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
5. (10) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
6. (6) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
7. (23) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
8. (5) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
9. (16) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
10. (3) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
11. (21) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
12. (19) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
13. (15) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
14. (20) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
15. (24) Franck Perera, Dallara-Honda, 198, Pits
16. (9) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 197, Running
17. (12) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 196, Running
18. (17) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 187, Running
19. (14) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 186, Contact
20. (25) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 184, Running
21. (27) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 181, Contact
22. (11) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 177, Pits
23. (26) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 136, Running
24. (18) Sarah Fisher, Dallara-Honda, 116, Contact
25. (22) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 110, Contact
26. (7) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 87, Mechanical
27. (8) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 74, Contact
28. (13) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 36, Contact

In Sunday’s Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone IndyCar Series event, Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda, finished in second place for the record eighth time this season, further closing the gap between himself and his first 2008 IndyCar Series driver championship.

A controversial call by IndyCar Series officials might have cost Helio Castroneves a win on Sunday afternoon in Detroit, but the Team Penske driver still managed to move closer to the series championship. Castroneves was leading the race when, on lap 72, he was ordered to surrender the position to Justin Wilson as penalty for impeding. Wilson went on to win, while Castroneves came home solidly in second. The finish, coupled with current points leader Scott Dixon’s fifth-place finish, brought Castroneves within 30 points of the lead for the championship with just one race remaining in the 2008 IndyCar Series season. 

“We finished second for the eighth time, but the point is we’re still in the hunt for the championship, and Team Penske is going to try everything we can to win it,” said Castroneves, who made his 111th consecutive start on Sunday, passing former teammate Sam Hornish Jr. for the second-longest streak all time. 

While Castroneves was visibly upset after Sunday’s race, he congratulated his crew on its effort. “Our Team Penske guys did a great job in the pits, and it’s too bad we couldn’t win for them,” he said.

The 2008 IndyCar Series season finale, the PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300, will take place on Sunday, Sept. 7 at Chicagoland Speedway. The race will be telecast live at 3:30 p.m. EDT by ABC and be broadcast live on the IMS Radio Network.

Results Sunday of the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone IndyCar Series event, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (4) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
2. (2) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
3. (8) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
4. (3) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
5. (1) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
6. (7) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
7. (24) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
8. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
9. (5) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
10. (17) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
11. (16) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
12. (15) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
13. (6) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
14. (20) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 87, Running
15. (19) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 86, Running
16. (10) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 86, Running
17. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 83, Running
18. (13) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 81, Mechanical
19. (18) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 76, Mechanical
20. (11) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 64, Contact
21. (25) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 56, Running
22. (21) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 54, Mechanical
23. (23) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 46, Handling
24. (9) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 32, Contact
25. (22) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 16, Contact
26. (DNS) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 0, Did not start

Hello everyone,

I’m back in Miami, after this wonderful weekend. It all started with running strong at the practices with the awesome car Team Penske gave me. Then on Saturday came the pole! 

But the greatest part of the weekend was Sunday, with the victory! Awww, finally!!! Has been soooo long!

I got so excited that I ran to the crowd, never done that before, but it was great!

Now we have to keep the momentum for next weekend (Detroit), and fight for the championship. 

I want to Thank all the fans, for everything!! The cheers and the words of expiration, it is great to see/hear/read all the good things everyone has to say, that cheers me up! Thanks guys!

The website is coming along well, Thanks to your comments and suggestions! Keep them coming, please.
Much more to come!

Valeu,
Helio

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.

On the way to Sonoma, Helio said:

“Infineon Raceway is one of the most technical tracks we run on all year. It has big hills, big turns and high speed, so it makes running well there very difficult. Fortunately, we’ve been quick in Sonoma in each visit, but we haven’t been able to bring home a win. We’ve finished in the top-five the past two years, and I really want to take it to the next level this season in order to keep the Championship battle going. We’re not out of it, but we’re going to need a strong run to be able to stay in the fight.”

Let’s cheer for Helio this Sunday (Aug 24) at 5:30pm(EST) on ESPN2.

On a side note:
He is extremelly happy with the amount of visitors the website is getting, as well as the comments on posts. More to come
Thanks to everyone of you!

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves was back in Hollywood this past weekend to attend the 2008 ALMA Awards.

Castroneves joined fellow “Dancing with the Stars” celebrity Cristian de la Fuente to present the “Outstanding Actor in a TV Comedy” award. The show is scheduled to air on September 12th on ABC.

The ALMA Awards was created by National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., in 1995 as part of its strategy to promote the diverse, accurate, and balanced portrayals of Latinos in the media and the enhancement of the Latino image in the entertainment industry. The show is an example of how inclusion strengthens the entertainment industry.

The evening also included performances by the Black Eyed Peas, John Secada and Brian McKnight, Lisa Lisa and Sergio Mendes.

Other celebrity participants included Paula Abdul, Jessica Alba, Cheryl Burke, Oscar De La Hoya, Placido Domingo, Zac Efron, Ryan Seacrest, America Ferrera, Daisy Fuentes, Selena Gomez, MARIO, Joey Medina, Carlos Mencia, Edward James Olmos, Adam Rodriguez, Rosalyn Sanchez, and Charlie Sheen.

“Wow, what a fantastic event,” said Castroneves. “It was an incredible honor to be invited to present an award at this year’s ceremony. I think the ALMA Awards are a very important evening for the Latin community in the United States, and I am certainly proud to have been affiliated with it. The NCLR has done a great job with this event, and I definitely hope to be a part of it for years to come.”

Source: PENSKE PR
on August 18th, 2008

Hello Everyone,
I’m writing the first Blog entry for the new website. Sorry it took so long, but we wanted to make it fun for you.

The site is launching on August 18th (Monday), and it’s currently in “TEST DRIVE MODE”. Only a few pages are active already, pretty much the RACING area is online at the moment. But don’t worry, every day we are going to add more and more stuff! Tons of pictures, videos, news, blog entries by myself and the crew at Castroneves Racing.

Expect changes every day!

Please test the website, let us know what you think. In the mean time I’ll be writing more over the week before heading to Sonoma.

Valeu,
Helio

DETROIT (AP) - IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves tosses out the ceremonial first pitch before the Detroit Tigers baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008 in Detroit.

Tony Kanaan gets compliments every race weekend on his dancing ability. Fans tell him they watched Dancing With the Stars and hit the redial button on their phones to keep voting for him.

Kanaan smiles sheepishly, knowing folks are confusing him for fellow IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves.

“Sometimes I just say thank you,” said Kanaan, one of the 28 drivers expected to compete in Saturday night’s Bombardier Learjet 550 at Texas Motor Speedway. “Other times, I remind them that it’s the other Brazilian driver that dances.”

It’s a clear indication to Kanaan that Castroneves’ fan base has grown since the 33-year-old driver with a big smile, and bigger personality, won the hit TV competition last year.

In other words, Danica Patrick isn’t the only popular driver in the IndyCar Series.

Ryan Briscoe, Castroneves’ teammate, has noticed an increase in Team Penske paraphernalia. He was signing autographs hours before he won his first IndyCar Series race last Sunday in Milwaukee, and several fans told him they were attending their first race.

“I asked what made them come out, and they said they watched Helio on TV and wanted to see what his day job was like,” Briscoe said. “What fans find out is, that personality and fun guy they saw on TV is the way he is all the time. That’s not an act.”

Castroneves is more than a pretty face. He has won two Indianapolis 500s and 10 other career races, including in 2004 and 2006 at TMS. There’s only one thing missing from Castroneves’ mantel, which includes the mirror ball trophy given to the Dancing With the Stars winner.

“I want to win a championship, and I know we’ve got the team to do it,” Castroneves said. “Things just have to come together, and we’ve got to be consistent.”

He has yet to win a race this season, but Castroneves has finished fifth or better in all six races.

Castroneves, second to Scott Dixon in the standings, has come close to winning the title. He led then-teammate Sam Hornish Jr. by one point before the 2006 finale at Chicago. Castroneves was penalized for speeding in pit lane early in the race and ended up fighting lapped traffic to finish fourth. That was one spot behind Hornish, who tied Dan Wheldon for the points lead.

Hornish, now in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, won the title in a tiebreaker because he had more wins, and Castroneves finished two points behind. It was the latest near miss for Castroneves, who was second in 2002 and third in 2003.

Castroneves said he doesn’t think about that now, focusing only on the rest of this season. He looks and feels good – thanks, he says, to grueling hours of dancing to prepare for the show – and is ready to break through for his first 2008 victory. It could come Saturday night.

“I like this track and am comfortable here,” Castroneves said. “I want to race well and have fun.

“I always like to have fun.”

Source: The Dallas Morning News - Richard Durret
10:42 AM CDT on Friday, June 6, 2008