Helio Castroneves backed up his win in the season opener at St. Pete with a pole position and third-place finish Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, giving him a two-point lead over two-race runner-up Scott Dixon atop the IZOD IndyCar Series points standings.
The series takes a week off before heading West for the April 15 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, where Castroneves won in 2001.
Castroneves discusses the start of his season, testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, the competition of the teams and whether he'll get a chance to attend “Dancing With the Stars,” which he previously won, during the upcoming California race weekend:
Two race weekends, great results. Certainly, leading the championship is great, but there is a long ways to go. It’s great for our group and great for all our sponsors, like AAA and Shell and Pennzoil, to start the season like we have. And it boosts the confidence of the entire group and Team Penske, as well. We feel good, but we know we have a lot of work ahead of us.
It certainly shows the potential that we can build off this year. What we need to do, as a team, is to have the kind of performance we had the first two races and be looking at the small details. I’m really pushing my guys. I’m trying to look at a lot of teams that I didn’t look at before and I think it is helping. But at the end of the day, I feel great. Every time I go on the track it’s fun, and I feel the whole thing is coming together. It’s not just about going fast but it’s also the strategy that is involved.
Racing is always unpredictable, but I have to say that when the drivers know the rules, when everything is clear with what we need to do, then that’s what we call a race. At the end of the day, I think everybody understands how the races are being officiated and that’s why people know when to be aggressive or when to be reasonable. The racing at the end of the Barber race between me and Graham Rahal was awesome. It’s always a lot of fun when you have a good battle like that.
I went testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week. Before that, I hadn’t run in this new car on the ovals. I thought the car handled pretty well, and though we didn’t do that many laps, it was good for me to experience the feel of the car at Indy.
I went into the test wanting to make sure I found the best starting point with the setup and now I feel like I am more ready for the month of May.
It’s still a long shot when it comes to Indy, so I guess it’s great so see what works and it’s good to see what doesn’t work. Normally that’s what happens when you go test.
Every time you can check something off the list, it’s great. I feel that Chevrolet did its homework in the beginning of getting back into IndyCar, and that has certainly made a difference.
I will be travelling again this Easter Sunday because I’ve got to go to Sonoma, Calif., for another test, then it’s time to get ready for the race at Long Beach.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it to “Dancing With the Stars” while I’m out there. Believe it or not, this is the first week I’ve been able to watch it. I know they’ve been working on their Cha-Cha moves. I wish I had been able to see their rehearsals. Any time on my schedule that I can go see the show, I love to. From having been through it, I have so much respect for what they do and, believe it or not, I kind of miss it.
As you can see, there is no down time in the off week. It is full throttle all the time, and I love it.
Editor's Note: Three-time Indianapolis 500 champion and Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves will be contributing columns to FOXSports.com during the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season. This is the third entry for the fan-favorite Brazilian and Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet driver, and it comes as the teams are preparing for the April 15 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
