Backstretch Motorsports

FORT WORTH, Texas - Helio Castroneves won for the third time at Texas Motor Speedway, grabbing the lead off a Lap 175 stop, courtesy of his Tim Cindric-led crew and was followed across the finish line by his Penske Racing teammate Ryan Briscoe with a gap of 0.3904 of a second.

“It was an incredible day for Team Penske,” said the popular Brazilian. “All the credit also goes to Ryan Briscoe and his team. They push us and we push them, and together we’re pushing towards the top. Having first and second at Texas is not easy, so that’s a compliment for everyone. [read more...]

WEST ALLIS, WIS. (Saturday, May 30, 2009) - Team Penske drivers will start at opposite ends of the grid for the May 31 ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile. Defending race winner Ryan Briscoe will start first after winning his fifth career IndyCar Series pole, while Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will start 20th after crashing during PEAK Performance Pole Qualifying.

Briscoe recorded a four-lap qualifying average of 1 minute, 26.7966 seconds, 168.394 mph to earn his first pole since the 2008 season finale at Chicagoland Speedway. Graham Rahal will start second at Milwaukee for the second consecutive season after a qualifying effort of 168.117 mph.
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INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 24, 2009) - An emotional Helio Castroneves choked back tears in Victory Lane after becoming the first foreign-born three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.

The affable Brazilian performed his signature fence climb along the front straightaway after taking the checkered flag in his third race since returning to the IndyCar Series following an acquittal in federal court on charges of tax evasion. [read more...]

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 22, 2009) - Helio Castroneves paced the final practice before the Indianapolis 500 and Wade Cunningham became the first two-time winner of the Firestone Freedom 100 Firestone Indy Lights event Friday on the final day of on-track activity before Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

The 33 starters in the field for the “500″ combined for 1,224 incident-free laps on the 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Castroneves, a two-time winner who will start from the pole, recorded the best lap at 40.1929 seconds, 223.920 mph. [read more...]

INDIANAPOLIS (May 9, 2009) — Helio Castroneves will start his ninth Indianapolis 500 from a familiar spot.

The Brazilian, who celebrates his 34th birthday on May 10, scored his third Indianapolis 500 pole position and Roger Penske’s record 15th pole position with a four-lap average speed of 224.864 mph (2 minutes, 40.0967 seconds cumulative time) on the 2.5-mile oval. It was the Brazilian’s 27th career IndyCar Series pole and his first of the season.

Teammate Ryan Briscoe made a late attempt to unseat Castroneves in the six-hour session, withdrawing his second-best qualifying time, but came up short (224.083). He’ll be in the middle of Row 1, with 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti (224.010) on the outside in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car. [read more...]

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - If practice is any indication, Penske Racing expects to be right in the middle of the battle Saturday for the pole position for the 93rd Indianapolis 500.

Roger Penske could be in line for his record 15th pole at the Indianapolis 500. On the final practice day before Pole Day, Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves recorded the fastest laps on the 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. [read more...]

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sunday, April 26, 2009) - Reigning IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon earned his first victory of the 2009 season, taking the checkered flag in the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway .7104 of a second ahead of Helio Castroneves.

The win was the third in a row at the track by a Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver. [read more...]

Chicago ready to crown third IndyCar Series champion

The IndyCar Series champion will be crowned at Chicagoland Speedway for the third consecutive season. This year’s battle features Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves, neither who have won at the 1.5-mile oval. Dixon, who leads Castroneves by 30 points, has finished second three times in five starts, including last year when he ran out of fuel in the final turn of the final lap. His average finish in five starts is 6.4. Castroneves has three consecutive top-four finishes at Chicagoland, including a second in 2005. His average finish in six starts is 7.3. Who will fare better at Chicagoland?

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Castroneves second after penalty; Dixon fifth

DETROIT, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008 - Justin Wilson didn’t let a steering problem ruin his day. The IndyCar Series rookie turned only two laps in the morning warm-up due to the problem, but went on to lead the final 15 laps of the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone in the afternoon to claim his first IndyCar Series victory.

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DETROIT, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008 - Scott Dixon won the PEAK Motor Oil Pole Award for Sunday’s Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park, his sixth earned pole of the season.

Dixon will share the front row with Helio Castroneves, whom he leads in the championship by 43 points with two races remaining.

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