Helio Castroneves Back in Big Way

INDIANAPOLIS -- It's been suggested more than once that two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves is living a Hollywood movie script. Courtroom drama meets sporting triumph, all pointing to a happy ending.

Two weeks ago -- a month after being acquitted of federal tax evasion charges -- the popular two-time Indy 500 winner Castroneves showed up at his beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway and won the pole position for Sunday's Indianapolis 500.

He topped the speed chart during Indy's traditional final practice on Friday -- Carburetion Day -- after receiving word minutes before he climbed in his car that the lone remaining federal charge (conspiracy) against him had been dropped.

Later in the afternoon, Castroneves and the No. 3 Team Penske team won the annual Indy 500 pit stop competition.

"If they think it's a Hollywood movie they should let me get the Oscar at the end of the day," Castroneves said smiling, but shaking his head.

"It certainly feels very, very good when the team's work pays off. Maybe I did push harder than I did before, but I believe certainly things start happening for a reason. It feels right."

It would surprise absolutely no one should Castroneves earn a third sip of Indy's traditional victory milk. Team Penske's 14 Indy 500 wins are unequaled and no one has been better here than Castroneves in the last eight years. He won the first two Indy 500s he entered (2001-02) and has finished ninth or better in seven of his eight starts.

There were times during an emotional seven-week trial this spring, when Castroneves wondered if he'd get another shot at Indy glory. Had he been convicted of the seven counts, Castroneves faced years in federal prison.

"When I hear words like 'objection,' 'sustained,' 'over-ruled,' it brings flashbacks (of the trial)," Castroneves said this week, the first time he's spoken extensively about his seven-week ordeal.

And, he added with a smile, he is no longer a fan of those popular court-themed television shows.

"I change the channel. I don't want to watch even Judge Judy. I just keep moving on. It does not bring me good memories in terms of sitting on the other side."

"The scars are there. I will never forget. But I will definitely move on and keep working on what I love most."

And that's the essence of Castroneves, who longtime friend and former teammate Tony Kanaan calls the "happiest guy on the planet."

"He wakes up in the morning singing," Kanaan said. "It's hard to put into words, he's just. ... he's just Helio."


Those that know Castroneves best insist that, despite the challenging circumstances, he hasn't lost the skip in his step or the twinkle in his eye. His teammates joke that the biggest difference in the gregarious Brazilian is that now he offers to buy dinner.

"We always knew he was cheap, but he's not a criminal," Team Penske President Tim Cindric said. "But seriously, before the trial, if you asked me if I'd ever met a more positive guy, I'd have said no. Now if you ask me I'd say, yes. We have met a more positive guy than even before."

Much of that came through the constant support of fans, family and fellow competitors and of course his loyal owner Roger Penske, who never wavered in his support of Castroneves and made good to immediately put him in a car when the case was resolved.

Castroneves said he received notes and phone calls from people like NASCAR champions Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson and NBA team owner Mark Cuban, who competed with Castroneves on television's Dancing With the Stars. In fact, two of the show's professional dancers, Mark Ballas and Derek Hough, were at the track Friday cheering him onto victory in the pit top contest and also getting a hands-on look at Castroneves' 650-horsepower car.

Watching Castroneves grin and pose for photos with Hough alongside the race car, it was clear that Castroneves was in his environment again and relishing the opportunity to be.

Whether it's a testament to the power of positive thinking or a result of high speed therapy, he's proven his resiliency on a number of levels.

He missed the first race of the season. But then hours after receiving his April 16 verdict flew across the country from Miami to Long Beach, Calif. where he jumped into the car for the first time in six months and finished seventh in the Long Beach Grand Prix. He finished runner-up to defending Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon at Kansas on April 26.

And no one has been better this month.

"I feel I have turned the page," Castroneves said. "The scars are there, yes, but it's over and there's nothing you can do about it. You can't change the past, you can't change what's done. The only thing you can change is how you move on. Once you turn the page, you're on the next chapter. And here today, is the next chapter.

"Right now I'm here and I'm as happy as can be.''