Castroneves Fever

The economic situation all over the world has been felt in many industries and sports in the last few months. Concerns over the IndyCar Series has been on the minds of most members of the auto racing industry, but on Sunday, a capacity crowd and the spectacular victory of Helio Castroneves during the Indy 500, set the Indianapolis Motor Speedway alight with emotion, excitement and overwhelming joy. It was a magnificent racing event that gave spectators all the racing drama, disappointment and elation that is expected from the Indy 500.

The economic situation all over the world has been felt in many industries and sports in the last few months. Concerns over the IndyCar Series has been on the minds of most members of the auto racing industry, but on Sunday, a capacity crowd and the spectacular victory of Helio Castroneves during the Indy 500, set the Indianapolis Motor Speedway alight with emotion, excitement and overwhelming joy. It was a magnificent racing event that gave spectators all the racing drama, disappointment and elation that is expected from the Indy 500.

Many refer to the Indy 500 as the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and it was most certainly true of this year’s event. The grandstands were packed with approximately two hundred thousand spectators, and the almost one hundred thousand that could not find space on the stands, decorated the infield in color and vibrant energy. Spectators sat stuck in traffic for hours, to find a parking and a good seat to watch all their racing heroes in action. After seeing ticket sales dwindle and a slump in spectators, the turnout on Sunday, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, proved that the IndyCar Series was gaining momentum again.

Castroneves delivered a magnificent performance, biding his time until near the end, where he took the lead and won the Indy 500 for the third consecutive year. His win awarded Team Penske with $3 million in prize money, with second place driver Dan Wheldon taking $1.6 million, Danica Patrick in third took home $763 305 and Townsend Bell in fourth, received $445 305. Danika Patrick has been performing extremely well, and is well supported by female racing enthusiasts who are elated to see a woman driver succeed on a closed circuit course. In Victory Lane, Castroneves was overwhelmed by emotion over his victory and the fact that his entire family had come out to support him. After being acquitted from federal tax charges, the victory at the Indy 500 most certainly brought joy to Castroneves and a close to the stressful time he had endured. There is no doubt that his fans will be anxious to see Castroneves in action again, and waiting for the next big victory.