Helio breaks drought in Iowa
53-race spell’s end makes racer giddy
NEWTON, IOWA There will be no more talk of droughts. No more questions about winless streaks. No more wondering whether or not he’d ever enter the winner’s circle again.
After a more than three-year drought, after 53 consecutive races of having to drive past victory lane, Helio Castroneves finally found his way there Sunday night at Iowa Speedway.
“What a great feeling,” a soon tearful Castroneves shouted as he climbed out of his car. “What a day guys, I’m telling you this is so cool. It’s just like the first time, man! It’s awesome!
“I’ve never doubted, not even in my thoughts. Great support, especially Team Penske. They never gave up on me.”
Moments later, Simon Pagenaud came running down the track to embrace his teammate and friend. Dozens more followed the Frenchman, as Castroneves shared his victory with all of the people who knew how badly he wanted it.
Then he shared the win with the people who adore him so well. Castroneves darted to the Iowa Speedway fence and made his signature ascent. The fans cheered wildly for their “Spiderman,” and he soaked in their love and admiration like it was the first time.
“Seeing the faces of those fans who were so excited for me, that’s a great feeling,” 42year-old Castroneves said be-
fore joking, “but I did think climbing the fence was a little harder this time.”
The victory was the 30th of Castroneves’ career, which put him at 12th all time, one win ahead of his hero, mentor and spotter, Rick Mears. Castroneves also turned another impressive feat, as he moved ahead of Al Unser Sr. for fourth all time in laps led after he paced 217 of the 300 laps Sunday night.
And while the milestones mean a lot to Castroneves, what might mean more to him is that the victory inched him ever closer to what has proved so elusive throughout his 20-year IndyCar career: a series championship.
Amid season-long rumors that his time at Penske and in IndyCar will be coming to an end this year, the three-time Indianapolis 500 champion has talked repeatedly about his dogged pursuit of the one trophy he doesn’t have.
Entering the race third in the championship and 37 points back of Scott Dixon, Castroneves vaulted himself past Pagenaud — who finished seventh Sunday — and is eight points behind Dixon with six races to go.
“It’s great momentum to carry on for the championship,” Castroneves said. “This is exactly what we needed. But as for the championship, we just have to keep the momentum going and keep doing what we’re doing.”
The win was not an easy one for Castroneves, who started third. He jockeyed all night with pole-winner and teammate Will Power, Ed Carpenter Racing ’s JR Hildebrand and Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay. But none proved able to keep up with Castroneves, who said he had a phenomenal car Sunday night.
The runner-up, Hildebrand, too, had an excellent car all weekend, just like he knew he would. Hildebrand bounced back well after crashing during the first practice to earn a spot on the outside of Row 1, then battled valiantly with Castroneves and other front-runners. He came up a bit short but could hardly be disappointed with his second podium of the season and his best finish since the 2011 Indianapolis 500.
“It feels good,” Hildebrand said of his runner-up finish. “I definitely think under some slightly different circumstances we had a car that could win out there. Hopefully this can get us kicked off for the stretch run for the rest of the year.”
Joining Castroneves and Hildebrand on the podium was Ryan Hunter-Reay. The Andretti driver, who has been snakebit by bad luck all season, was simply relieved that neither good nor bad played a part in his sterling finish.
“It’s rewarding, especially after the season — all the misfortune we’ve had,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s been one of those seasons where we just can’t seem to get a break or like I’ve been saying, I just want — I don’t need good luck, I don’t need bad luck, I just want none at all. I just want no variables to come into play that are outside of our control, and that’s what we had today, so it was nice to finish on the podium, and appreciate the remark. It’s nice to be on the podium here after such a hard year last year.”
Following Hunter-Reay were Power and Graham Rahal. Dixon remains in the points lead.