IRL teams seek edge at RIR

Helio Castroneves has won two of the past three IndyCar Series races -- including a third triumph in the Indianapolis 500.

Still, the Brazilian came to Richmond International Raceway yesterday hoping to catalog engine and tire data that could give him an advantage during the ninth running of the SunTrust Indy Challenge on June 27.

Castroneves, along with Penske Racing teammate Ryan Briscoe, spent much of the afternoon testing their Honda-powered cars amid the scorching heat on the three-quarter mile racetrack that is among the most challenging venues on the Indy Racing League schedule.

"Richmond is a challenging place," said Castroneves, the 2005 winner here. "It's a fun place if you have a very good car, and a nightmare if you have a bad car.

"We want to make sure when we come back we'll have a stable car that can go all the way to the end."

The Penske drivers shared the testing sessions with three other drivers -- Dan Wheldon, E.J. Viso and Raphael Matos. All five drivers endured the heat and humidity during a four-hour afternoon session as they worked on setups and pit stops.

And with only a slight 1-to-3 horsepower difference among teams, stops on pit road at RIR are critical during the 300-lap, 225-mile race. The drivers will turn laps of 16 to 17 seconds, compared to 22 or 23 seconds at Iowa, a seven-eighth mile oval where the series competes this weekend.

"It's hard to make a big change [during a race at RIR]," said Castroneves, who charged from behind to win at Texas last Saturday night. "So, pit stops become extremely important because of the similarity of speed."

Castroneves, who last month won from the pole at the Brickyard, and Briscoe agreed yesteday's testing was invaluable.

"We're always excited to get any kind of testing in, especially at a short track like this, " said Briscoe, the IndyCar Series points leader. "Any kind of track time is important."

The drivers spent much of the morning session dealing with rubber residue NASCAR drivers left behind early last month during Nationwide and Sprint Cup events. Briscoe said drivers got a better grasp of how the Firestone tires are likely to handle in two weeks "after we laid down our own rubber."

For Wheldon, the testing sessions give Panther Racing an opportunity to narrow the competitive gap between Penske and Ganassi racing teams, which have split the first six races this season.

"We did just the one baseline run, and I think we made a pretty big change before that run," said Weldon, the 2004 winner at RIR. "With the IndyCar Series as competitive as it is, I think it's very important to utilize these test days and get as much done as you possibly can.

"This is one of those tracks where if you have a good race car it can be incredibly rewarding. That's what we're working for when come back here for the race. We were able to make the mental big changes you're unable to do on race weekend."

They said it

• "It's like being on a bicycle in a bath[tub]. It's a very difficult track, and there aren't many places to make mistakes. It's a physically and mentally challenging place." -- E.J. Viso on Richmond International Raceway.

"It's difficult for manufactures to commit when the economy is like it is. Honda has done a fantastic job of spicing up the competition. All the engines are the same. It's pretty much restricted. A lot of people were skeptical about the [IndyCar Series] having one engine program." -- Dan Wheldon on Honda as the sole supplier for the IndyCar Series.