Castroneves’ career is back on the fast track

Helio Castroneves, with a dark cloud about his future lifted, nearly wept throughout a news conference soon after he was acquitted of tax evasion charges earlier this year.

For the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, the jurors' faith in his insistence of innocence left him humbled. He, too, discovered a greater appreciation of the rare talents that have endeared him with admirers from the storied Brickyard to the stage of "Dancing With the Stars."

Amid the tears, Castroneves joked, "Instead of going to Disneyland, I want to go racing at Long Beach."

Castroneves, who was replaced by Will Power for the IndyCar Series season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., hasn't missed a beat -- or a step -- since climbing back into the cockpit of his Honda-powered machine.

At Indianapolis, the Brazilian punctuated his return with a sip of victory milk -- a soothing chaser for the humble pie he reluctantly swallowed during a seven-month ordeal that jeopardized his reputation and career.

"It's been an amazing experience and a rollercoaster of emotions," Castroneves said earlier this month during a testing session at Richmond International Raceway. "No doubt about it.

"It's so nice to be back in a race car. This is my life."

Admittedly, life has changed some for Castroneves.

Now, he accounts for every penny after the Internal Revenue Service examined his portfolio. He makes it a point to understand the fine print of contracts and sponsor agreements.

Castroneves, though, hasn't changed much as a driver. From that standpoint, life is back to normal, if not better.

"Things aren't back to normal," said Castroneves, who won at Texas earlier this month and last weekend captured the pole in Iowa. "They are better than normal. Right now, I appreciate things much better. I didn't miss a step, but it helps to have a great team.

"When I jump into the car, I'm as happy as I can be. I never thought that my career was gone. I knew there might be a pause. I had a lot of faith, and I have to say the fans were incredible to me. After everything was over, I was able to focus my mind on racing."

A clearly focused Castroneves returns to Richmond International Raceway this weekend for the SunTrust Indy Challenge.

Castroneves, 34, will try to win for the third time this season tomorrow night. He'll face off against an impressive list of challengers -- including Penske Racing teammate and IRL points leader Ryan Briscoe, defending points champion Scott Dixon, defending race champion Tony Kanaan and 2007 IRL and Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti.

Briscoe enters Race 8 with a 241-238 points lead over Franchitti and a 29-point edge over the fourth-place Castroneves.

A year ago, Castroneves found himself at the back of the starting grid. Yet, he rushed to the front to finish second.

"I almost closed the deal," he recalled. I really enjoy Richmond, and that's why it was important to be [at RIR] for testing and to find the balance we want for the car."

Admittedly, Castroneves struggled to achieve any semblance of balance as he tried to convince a federal jury that he, his sister and lawyer did not try to evade more than $2.3 million in U.S. income taxes.

Ultimately, he was acquitted on six counts of tax evasion. However, the jury was hung on one count of conspiracy -- an acceptable outcome that left Castroneves sobbing in the courtroom.

"It's given me more of a reason to come do what I do best," Castroneves said. "I'm not thinking about whether I'm feeling good or bad.

"[Team owner] Roger [Penske] knew I didn't do anything. I was very happy to have a fair trial, and I was able to prove the truth. It's one of those things you can't control. Roger and the whole team was very supportive."

Castroneves rewarded Penske's faith in him with a record 15th Victory Lane celebration at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Roger gave me my life back, so winning at Indy was like giving something back to him," said Castroneves, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001 and 2002.

And Castroneves would like to give Penske another victory at RIR. But he knows it won't be easy taking the checkered flag on a three-quarter-mile oval where cautions and pit strategy often dictate the outcome on the series' shortest venue.

"Physically, Richmond is the road course of ovals," said Castroneves, the 2005 winner at RIR. "You have got to drive the car. It's a challenging place.

"We're doing 16-second laps, compared to 22 seconds for NASCAR. Iowa is similar, but this is different because of the banking and the shaping of the corners. When you win here, you feel very good about it."

Nothing, however, is as good as having his life back, one fueled by Castroneves' passion for racing.

Contact Ralph N. Paulk at (804) 852-7851 or .