Helio Castroneves wins on the streets of St. Petersburg

By Dave Lewandowski, indycar.com

Helio Castroneves made it look easy on the streets of St. Petersburg. The sweat-soaked firesuit and weary celebratory fence climb belied that notion.

Sure Castroneves started from the pole, posted the fastest race time on Lap 88 (1 minute, 3.0737 seconds; 102.737 mph) and led 95 of 100 laps. Sure his Team Penske crew was flawless on pit stops in a race that dictated ethanol fuel strategy and economy. So while it might appear that Castroneves was the grand marshal of this parade, his physical labor and mental focus was intense for the duration.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon was only 0.6007 of a second in Castroneves' wake – the closest finish in six IndyCar Series street/road course events spanning three years – and with a few more available laps, Andretti Green Racing's triumvirate of Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti and Dario Franchitti might have been able to make some noise, too. They completed the top five.

"It's incredible," said Castroneves, who recorded his second consecutive victory in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. "You have to be so focused. I had to be really careful that I didn't make a mistake. But it's my time. We won."

Castroneves, who has led 135 of 200 laps on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn circuit the past two years, tied Dixon as two-time winners on IndyCar Series road/street races. He is the first to translate a pole start in to a race victory on a street/road course.

Read the full story: Castroneves makes it two in a row on street course