Castroneves not losing hope of title
While 30 points might seem like a large margin to erase in one race, Helio Castroneves is convinced that it can be done
"I'm the hunter," Castroneves said Friday afternoon in the Team Penske motorcoach at Chicagoland Speedway. "I can be more aggressive. I can do what I want.
"The focus point for me is there, but for Scott (Dixon), even if he thinks he has his eye on the ball, he has other things to think about. I have to take chances. I have to be in front. I'm thinking only about the win. He's not in that situation."
Scott Dixon leads Castroneves by 30 points heading into Saturday's qualifying for the season-ending Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway's 1.5-mile tri-oval, meaning Dixon has to finish eighth or worse to give Castroneves a shot at the IndyCar Series championship.
Dixon, who has been nearly impeccable this season, winning six races, has finished eighth or higher only three times in 16 races this season.
However, in nine of the 10 oval races this season, Dixon has been on the podium. While that statistic doesn't give the Penske camp cause for hope, it hasn't stopped Castroneves.
"We have 28 cars; that's more obstacles for him," Castroneves said, noting the slightly larger field for Sunday's finale.
"Yes, he's been doing great on the ovals and he'll have a great car here, but last year we were very fast here. On ovals, anything can happen. If something goes wrong, it goes wrong. There's no coming back. It's not like a road course where you can spin out and come back. Here, if you spin, it's bad."
On Sunday in Detroit, Castroneves fumed after a decision by IRL director of operations Brian Barnhart to black flag him for position for impeding Justin Wilson, who went on to win.
Castroneves, who was leading at the time of the penalty, finished second -- his record eighth runner-up finish of the season -- but he trimmed 13 more points from Dixon's lead.
"They're in a situation where they have to be very careful," Castroneves said of Dixon's Target Chip Ganassi Racing team.
"For me, it's very simple, which is why I believe I have a better chance: I just have to win. I just have to focus on being in front. That's it. For them, they have to focus on where I'm at. If I'm second or third and they're fifth, they're in a good place.
"But anything can happen. That's distracting. That might cause them to lose this championship."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
The Blomqvist attributes that will make him a strong fit for IndyCar
Castroneves “disappointed” to not chase fourth consecutive Daytona 24 win
Castroneves: How I kept it under control to make Indy 500 history
Jota's first Le Mans car to return to competition
Why Porsche doesn't expect another WEC domination at Imola
Pourchaire to make IndyCar debut for Arrow McLaren at Long Beach
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
The apprenticeship that will aid Ilott's IndyCar to WEC switch at Jota
The long evolution of Dallara's Indy 500 winner
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments