Castroneves thanks fans for help

The Brazilian, who has taken pole for every previous IRL IndyCar Series race at the track, suffered a stuck throttle cable before he could set a lap time in qualifying today.

He stopped the car in a run-off area, and decided to attempt a repair in the hope he could get back to the pits and rejoin the session.

That led to the unusual scene of Castroneves getting out of his car, walking to the nearest fence and gesturing for a screwdriver by twisting his right hand. One fan went to his camper and emerged with a screwdriver, but Castroneves couldn't get the engine cover off the car.

"I asked them for a screwdriver, but I had my helmet on," Castroneves said. "So I was like, 'Screwdriver.' (Makes twisting motion with hands.) That's the universal sign for screwdriver. I could have used other ones, but I didn't."

The incident will force Castroneves to start last in the 26-car field when Sunday's race begins. His teammate, Ryan Briscoe, won the pole position.

Castroneves said he was grateful to the fans who helped, and emphasised that he returned the screwdriver to its rightful owner.

"Actually they were quite helpful," he said. "They were trying. I was like, 'Come on, let's go.' It reminded me of those longer American Le Mans Series races where you have to fix it yourself. I'm a good driver, but I'm not a good mechanic. I couldn't even get the engine cover off."