LIGHT ON HIS FEET: Two-time Indy 500 champ Helio Castroneves is racing’s ultimate showman. The dapper Brazilian, who drives for Roger Penske, wins races, climbs fences and now is wowing on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Castroneves and his dance partner, Julianne Hough, can be seen on the program at 8 p.m. Monday on ABC (Channel 7 in Detroit).
3. SWEETENING THE DEAL: The Indy Racing League is trying hard to get drivers to stay with the series. IRL will award a minimum of $1.2 million per car for teams that compete the entire season, while the purse for the Indianapolis 500 will be increased to at least $13.4 million, a 25% boost from this year’s race. Freep.com
The phone call pleased, then worried IndyCar Series driver turned “Dancing with the Stars” competitor Helio Castroneves.
On the line: team owner, Roger Penske.
The subject: the happy-go-lucky Brazilian’s moves on the dance floor, not the race track.
“He was like, ‘Great job, I’m really impressed,’ ” said Castroneves, who helped the IndyCar Series conduct testing Thursday at Iowa Speedway. “‘Have you ever thought about acting?’ “
Castroneves shifted gears.
“I’m like, ‘Roger, if you want to get rid of me just say it,’ ” the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner said with a smile. ” ‘I am a race car driver.’ ” Castroneves hopes to improve his performances on and off the track. He’s enjoying greater celebrity from the show because of whom he meets and how it can help the series, not for purposes of vanity. Rob Gray, DesmoinesRegister.com
Castroneves completed his second “Dancing” performance Monday night, scoring the highest vote total from the judges (27 of a possible 30).
He is fitting in so well with 19-year-old dance partner Julianne Hough, who won last season’s contest with speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, that she calls him “a natural” on and off the dance floor.
Because Castroneves adapted so quickly, Hough installed dance moves she planned to unveil later in the season.
And when Castroneves is not spinning and gliding in front of an estimated 20 million TV viewers, he is the center of attention among the show’s celebrities, the professional dancers that support them, the backstage help, costume designers and even waiters at the restaurants they frequent. Curt Cavin, IndyStar.com
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