Castroneves’ Dominance Is Rewarded This Time Around

Helio Castroneves didn’t let this one get away.

One year after losing with the dominant car because Dan Wheldon’s gamble on fuel paid off, Castroneves dominated again Saturday night to win the Indy Racing League’s annual visit to its shortest, diciest track, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

With nine laps to go, Castroneves was leading by about three seconds when Darren Manning and Roger Yasukawa made contact just ahead of him.

The contact sent Manning’s car skidding quickly into the outside wall, and then Yasukawa’s followed, but not before Castroneves was able to squeak by, with Yasukawa’s car missing Castroneves by mere inches.

It took eight laps to clean up the track, leaving one for a green-flag finish. Castroneves beat runner-up Dario Franchitti by 0.5588 seconds.

Patrick Carpentier was third, followed by Tomas Scheckter and Wheldon, the points leader and defending race champion who never contended.

Rookie Danica Patrick, who started 21st after a difficult first day on the three-quarter-mile oval, was never a factor but avoided the many mishaps that took out numerous top drivers and finished 10th.

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Pole-sitter Johnny Sauter overcame a black flag and led the final 80 laps for his third career Busch Series victory, winning the rain-shortened SBC 250 at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis. The race was shortened from 250 to 200 miles after a storm dumped heavy rain.

Martin Truex Jr. was second, Paul Menard third, J.J. Yeley fourth and David Stremme fifth. Ten cars were on the lead lap when the race was stopped.

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For the second straight year, Paul Tracy will start from the pole in the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland. In this race, though, the inside of Row 1 isn’t always the place to be.

Tracy blazed around the course in 57.419 seconds to secure the pole and a chance to be the first car into the course’s infamous Turn 1, a traditional spot for mishaps and chaos.

A year ago, Tracy started on the pole but got knocked out of the race after sustaining damage when he was hit from behind by Justin Wilson, who was pushed into Tracy when Alex Tagliani tried a daring inside pass.

Tracy, who has won two poles this season and 24 in his career, will start alongside Cristiano da Matta, who won his first Champ Car race in three years last week at Portland, Ore.

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Tom Dyer held off four Nextel Cup regulars in Sonoma, Calif., to win his first NASCAR Southwest Series event.

Dyer, of Corte Madera, Calif., beat his car owner, Eric Holmes, to take the Blue Lizard Australian Suncream 200 by about five car lengths at Infineon Raceway, where he is an instructor at the Jim Russell Racing School.