In the space of a few hours Friday, Castroneves learned the remaining tax evasion charge against him had been dropped by the federal government, then he posted the fastest speed in the final practice for the Indy 500, then he won a pit-stop competition with the help of his Penske Racing crew.
All that good news came on the heels of Castroneves capturing the pole for Sunday's race, making him one of the favorites to win "The Greatest Spectacle In Racing" for a third time, a victory that would leave him trailing only A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears
- the gold standard at the ol' Brickyard.
"This month just keeps getting better and better," said Castroneves, struggling to hold back tears. "This is the last page in my book."
Well, not quite, but he's already got quite a story.
Castroneves was hauled off to court in shackles when the federal government accused him of hiding millions of dollars in an offshore company to avoid paying taxes. A guilty verdict could have sent him to prison for up to six years and might have ended the career of one of IndyCar's most popular drivers.
But a Miami jury acquitted him of most charges April 17. That very same day, he hopped on a plane sent by team owner Roger Penske, flew across the country and jumped back into the car Penske had promised to hold for him.
Two days after the verdict, Castroneves finished seventh in a race on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. He followed up with a runner-up showing on the high-speed oval in Kansas City. Now, he's determined to add another Indy victory to his back-to-back wins in 2001 and 2002.
He no longer has to worry about that lone conspiracy charge the jury couldn't agree on. As expected, federal prosecutors decided to drop what was left of their case against the 34-year-old Castroneves.
"You're thinking it's going to happen, but it takes a little while," he said. "Then it happens, and you're still like,
'Is this for real?' Maybe tonight, or maybe after the race, I really don't know if it's going to sink in or not. But right now, this is just the best month of my life."
Castroneves' sister Katiucia - who also was charged in the case and received the same verdict as her little brother
- delivered the news to him just before he went out for the traditional "Carb Day" practice, when the drivers get one final hour on the historic 2.5-mile oval to set up their cars for race day.
Their father came along, too. It was brief but exuberant celebration, an entire family feeling as though a burden had been lifted. Castroneves hurried off to tell his team before heading to the track to post a faster lap than anyone else, nearly 224 mph.
"This is my family's win," he said. "My life is back."
U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of Miami declined comment beyond his office's terse one-paragraph dismissal order that was signed by U.S. District Judge Donald Graham, ending the criminal case.
The Castroneves' lawyers, Roy Black and Howard Srebnick, said it would have been illogical to try the siblings again on a conspiracy charge when they were found innocent of the underlying tax evasion counts. Black also made a reference to Helio's nickname "Spiderman," which comes from his practice of scaling racetrack fences after his victories.
"The jury finds him not guilty, then he wins the pole position at Indy, and now the government drops the case completely," Black said. "All he has to do now is win the race and climb the fence."
Castroneves said he's got his climbing shoes on.
"Absolutely," he said with that gleaming smile of his. "Why change?"
He has changed, of course, and everyone around him believes it's for the better. Those on Castroneves' team couldn't resist poking a little fun at him after the pit-stop event.
