As great sports comebacks go, the Helio Castroneves story is still a work in progress. But the script he’s in the process of crafting—from the IRS to the IndyCar Series, from a future behind bars to a month on the pole—well, that’s a pretty good raw material for a feel-good epic.
“Being here, it’s already been very special,’’ Castroneves said Saturday after holding off Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe for the pole. “Many times during the trial I was thinking about (Indianapolis) . . . I have to think about racing because that’s what I love, and I was just wishing that I would be here. That was my wish, in those times.’‘
After nearly seven months of dying a little bit inside with every passing day in the courtroom, Castroneves is once again his old irrepressible self. He can even laugh a little about the struggle that consumed his life for the better part of the last year. After Castroneves answered a reporter’s question, his team president, Tim Cindric, chimed in.
Click Here For Indianapolis 500 Photos
On a windy and difficult day, the Penske folks showed again why they own this joint. Briscoe spent most of the day on the pole, only to be displaced later by Castroneves. Then team owner Roger Penske and Cindric made a bold decision that could have blown up in their faces: They let Briscoe, sitting comfortably in the second spot, make a late run at the pole in an effort to dislodge his teammate, Castroneves.
“When I saw Helio in Long Beach, I told him, ‘I’m really, really happy to see you, but I know you’re going to be a huge pain in the butt all year,’ ‘’ Dario Franchitti said. “It’s all turning around for him. He looks like he’s having the time of his life.’’
| 
|