Many counted out Helio Castroneves in the 2008 IndyCar Series championship race when the Team Penske driver lost the lead and certain victory on the final lap at Kentucky Speedway to drop 78 points behind Scott Dixon. They just didn’t mention it in his company.
Castroneves, an eternal optimist, also is a ceaseless competitor. In the next two races, he charged to victory at Infineon Raceway to slice the deficit to 43 points and was the runner-up at Belle Isle to preserve his title aspirations at 30 points back. In the season finale at Chicagoland Speedway, Castroneves’ all-or-nothing attitude injected heightened suspense and excitement as he roared from the rear of the 28-car field to beat Dixon to the checkered flag by 0.0033 of a second - the second-closest margin of victory in series history.
Castroneves’ championship run was tethered to his race result on the 1.5-mile oval - and the finishing order - with the differential after 17 rounds a scant 17 points.
“It was a big task, but we believed and did everything possible,” he said.
Another exciting scenario is playing out this season.
With four races remaining, Dixon is in front again but only by three points over Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe. Dario Franchitti, who bested Dixon for the 2007 series championship on the final lap of the final race, is 20 points back to highlight the third-closest 1-3 battle since 2001. The 1-2 gap is the closest over the same number of seasons.
The Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 23 isn’t likely to break the logjam as all three - plus Castroneves and Danica Patrick as wild cards in the top five - are experienced and formidable road racers. Events at Chicagoland Speedway and Twin Ring Motegi potentially could create some separation, but all the contenders are pointing to the title being decided for the fourth consecutive year - and 10th in the 14 years of the Indy Racing League—in the finale Oct. 10.
That plugs in the spotlight to shine on Homestead-Miami Speedway and its variably-banked 1.5-mile oval that’s so familiar to the competitors - having tested there in March and the series making an annual pilgrimage there since 2001.
“I figured it was going to go down to the wire from the first race,” said Franchitti, who returned to the IndyCar Series this season to team with Dixon at Target Chip Ganassi Racing. “You have to expect that. I didn’t know whether I’d be part of that fight.”
He brings three victories and nine top-five finishes into the fray at Infineon, where he earned the pole in 2007 and has finished second and third in his past two races. Dixon won that ‘07 race and started from the pole in ‘06, while Briscoe followed Castroneves across the finish line last year in second and won the pole in the inaugural event in 2005.
“I like the next four tracks we’re going to; it’s going to be exciting,” said Briscoe, who has paired two victories with a half-dozen runner-up finishes to join the title chase for the first time.
Dixon lost some footing last year with a 12th-place finish at Infineon last year - with the New Zealander pointing to looking at the year-end prize in lieu of fastidious race preparation as the culprit.
“With the championship, nobody wants to lead it. It’s going to come down to the wire,” he said, wiser this time around. “Penske definitely isn’t going to let up. Dario isn’t going to let up either.”
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