IRL notes: Castroneves stays out front in points

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Helio Castroneves loves to win, but consistent finishes are just fine with him for now.

The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner has never won an IndyCar Series championship and he will head for Indy next month leading the points after finishing fourth in Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway.

So far this season, the Brazilian has finished fourth, second, second and fourth and goes to Indianapolis holding a lead of six points over Scott Dixon and nine over Kansas winner Dan Wheldon, both former series champions.

“Thankfully, we were able to stay out of trouble and bring home a fourth-place finish, which keeps us in the championship lead heading into Indy,” Castroneves said. “We’ve run consistently well the first part of the season, and I have no doubt that the team will continue to give me the car I need to go for my third Indianapolis 500 win next month.”

Ryan Briscoe, his new Penske Racing teammate, finished seventh on Sunday.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“The final laps were a little frustrating because I think I had better than a seventh-place car,” said Briscoe, who was driving a sports car for Penske last season. “I was just trying to play it safe, looking for a solid finish. I thought it was a good day for me and I feel like I learned a lot out there.”

OVAL DEBUT: Teenager Graham Rahal felt pretty good about his first IndyCar oval race Sunday.

The 19-year-old driver, who last month won on the street circuit in St. Petersburg, Fla., becoming the youngest winner ever of a major open-wheel race, finished 20th in the 27-car field, just one lap behind the leaders on the 1.5-mile oval.

“I was pretty happy with the competitiveness of the car,” said Rahal, whose only other oval race came in 2005 when he finished second in a low-level professional series at Pikes Peak International Speedway. “Especially with the teams that we thought we would be competing with. I was pretty happy with it.

“The biggest thing today was to learn who you can trust, who you can’t, where you could run and where you can’t,” the son of longtime racing star Bobby Rahal said. “To get confidence to run on the high line takes quite a bit of guts. It takes some heart to run up there and know that the thing is going to stick and you’ll be all right.”

Rahal, moving from the now-defunct Champ Car World Series to IndyCar with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, added, “It’s just nice to get a full 199 or whatever laps. That’s what I am most happy about. … It wasn’t the easiest thing I have ever done, but the biggest thing is to get your rhythm coming in and out of the pits. I’m just glad we finished.”

Teammate Justin Wilson, who ran in the season-opener on the oval at Homestead — which Rahal missed due to a crash in testing — finishing ninth on Sunday.

“The car was great in traffic and when I was in a draft,” the Englishman said. “It was great to be able to keep up and start to race people. I was enjoying myself and having fun.

“As soon as we lost the draft we struggled to keep up with the pace. That’s the part where these other teams have had years of experience on us so, hopefully, we will work that out over the next couple of weeks and close some of that gap.”

TRAGEDY AVOIDED: Simon Morley, chief mechanic and a tire changer for the car driven by Tomas Scheckter, escaped serious injury when the car driven by Marty Roth slid into him during a pit stop.

Morley was kneeling alongside the right front of Scheckter’s car when Roth hit him from behind with the left front wing of his Dallara. Morley was able to jump up and hurry away. His only injury was a cut on his hand.

Several of Scheckter’s crewmen then tried to help get Roth going again and one of them gave Roth a hard slap on the helmet after the driver appeared to run over his foot as he moved away.

The IRL hit Roth with a drive-through penalty for contact with a crew member. Roth finished went out of the race with a handling problem after 41 laps, finishing 26th.

GANASSI DAY: Team owner Chip Ganassi had a very good day Sunday.

Not only did his IndyCar drivers Wheldon and Dixon finish first and third, but former open-wheel star Juan Pablo Montoya was second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega and Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas combined to give Ganassi’s team a victory in a Grand-Am sports car race in Virginia.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

AquaSox shortstop Colt Emerson takes a swing during Everett's 3-2 win against the Tri-City Dust Devils at Funko Field in Everett, Washington on June 14, 2025. (Shari Sommerfeld / Everett AquaSox)
Emerson walks off Tri-City to extend AquaSox win streak

The Mariners’ top prospect hits an RBI-single to seal 3-2 win; Batista has 2 RBI in return.

Everett AquaSox infielder Michael Arroyo receives high-fives in the dugout during Everett's 8-1 win against Tri-City at Funko Field in Everett, Washington on June 13, 2025. The 20-year-old Colombia native had two home runs and a career-high six RBI. (Shari Sommerfeld / Everett AquaSox)
Arroyo’s big night lifts AquaSox to 8-1 win over Tri-City

The 20-year-old smacks 2 homers and a career-high 6 RBI while extending hit streak to 10.

Everett Silvertips defenseman Landon DuPont was named CHL Rookie of the Year at the 2025 CHL Awards in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo courtesy of Josh Kim / Canadian Hockey League)
Tips’ Landon DuPont named CHL Rookie of the Year

The 16-year-old is the first defenseman in 30 years, and first Silvertip ever, to win the award.

Stanwood sophomore Addi Anderson in The Herald's 2025 All-Area Softball Pitcher of the Year. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2025 Softball Pitcher of the Year: Addi Anderson

The Stanwood sophomore had a 1.32 ERA to lead the Spartans to a district championship.

Michael Arroyo hit a 2-run home run for the Everett AquaSox in an 11-4 loss to the Tri-City Dust Devils at Funko Field on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Shari Sommerfeld / Everett AquaSox)
AquaSox pitching goes cold in loss to Dust Devils

Although they held a first-inning lead, the Everett AquaSox fell… Continue reading

Jackson senior and UW commit Allie Thomsen is The Herald's 2025 All-Area Softball Hitter of the Year. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2025 Softball Hitter of the Year: Allie Thomsen

The Jackson senior had a .544 batting average and 1.600 OPS while striking out just once.

Seahawks defense end Leonard Williams (99) participates in a workout at minicamp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Edwin Hooper / Seattle Seahawks)
Seahawks bond over stories of their paths to football glory

Leonard Williams’ path to the NFL included stints of homelessness.

Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the Florida Panthers during Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (David Santiago / Tribune News Services)
Panthers blow lead, Oilers even Stanley Cup Final series

The game probably shouldn’t have gotten to this point.… Continue reading

Edmonds-Woodway senior Alex Plumis is The Herald’s 2025 Boys Soccer Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2025 Boys Soccer Offensive Player of the Year: Alex Plumis

The Edmonds-Woodway senior scored 23 goals and dished nine assists.

Stanwood’s Rubi Lopez cheers after getting a base hit during the 3A District 1 championship game against Sedro-Woolley on Thursday, May 15, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Wesco all-league softball teams announced

Wesco has announced its all-league teams for boys soccer. WESCO 4A First… Continue reading

Taylor Dollard of the Everett AquaSox throws a pitch in a 5-2 victory over the Tri-City Dust Devils at Funko Field on Wednesday, June 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Shari Sommerfeld / Everett AquaSox)
Strong pitching anchors AquaSox, sinks Tri-City

Everett AquaSox pitching held Tri-City Dust Devils to just two… Continue reading

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) hands off to running back Zach Charbonnet (26) during minicamp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Edwin Hooper, Seattle Seahawks)
Dave Boling: Sam Darnold’s first priority is the run game

For those Seattle Seahawks fans curious about the early… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.