Three minutes with Izod IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves

Izod IndyCar Series Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and a Dances With The Stars champion, almost missed last year’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
He was involved in a tax evasion case in Florida and was acquitted of most of the charges the weekend of the race. He flew from Florida to California, qualified for the race and finished seventh.
He called last year’s Grand Prix of Long Beach a renewal, to his racing career, his life and his focus. He went on to win the Indianapolis 500, his first since winning back-to-back at the Brickyard in 2001-02, and added another win at Texas Motor Speedway.
He also had a daughter, Mikaella, in December with his girlfriend Adriana Henao.
And of course, he won Dancing With The Stars in 2007.
Castroneves was in Los Angeles on Tuesday and met with members of the media at ESPN Zone next to Staples Center. He talked about what he remembers most about his return to the IndyCar Series in Long Beach last year, what he would like his daughter’s first word to be and who he thinks will win this year Dancing With The Stars.

Awaiting Helio

Helio Castroneves is on his way to Long Beach.
The IndyCar Series driver was acquitted earlier in the day on tax evasion charges. Penske Racing was awaiting his arrival in Long Beach sometime in the afternoon. Castroneves will be back in his No. 3 car for the race.
“His best medicine will be to get back in a race car,” said Penske Racing president Tim Cindric. “His focus and his concentration are among the best. It will be like riding a bike for him.”
Penske Racing will have three cars in the Grand Prix of Long Beach with Ryan Briscoe and Will Power in the other two cars.
Power appears to be the odd-driver out. There are no plans at the moment to expand Penske Racing to a three-car team for the rest of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. Power will race in Long Beach and the Indianapolis 500 for Penske. There is a race at Kansas Speedway between Long Beach and the Indy 500 in May, but there are no plans to have Power race at Kansas, said Cindric.