Helio Castroneves climbs fence again after three years of waiting

Helio Castroneves climbs fence again! After more than three years of waiting, one of the most popular IndyCar drivers has an opportunity to perform his trademark climbing celebration at Iowa Speedway. Team Penske’s driver has won the Iowa Corn 300 at 0.875-mile oval in Newton, scoring his 30th CART/IndyCar victory in a career.

With Iowa victory the 42-year-old Brazilian driver closed within eight points of the championship lead after eleven of seventeen races. The championship leader is Scott Dixon, who finished eighth at Iowa.

After starting third, Helio Castroneves took the lead for the first time on lap 20. He was leading for 217 of 300 laps, winning ahead by 3.9647 seconds over JR Hildebrand (Ed Carpenter Racing). A three-time winner of Iowa Ryan-Hunter Reay (Andretti Autosport) completed a podium with third-place finish. Pole sitter Will Power led 23 laps before finishing fourth.

30th IndyCar win for Castroneves

It’s interesting that Helio’s victory is the first ever for Team Penske at Iowa Speedway. The team collects so far 192 IndyCar wins, more than any other team.

In the championship standings after 11 races, Scott Dixon has 403 points. Castroneves follows with 395 points, ahead of reigning champion Simon Pagenaud (372), Will Power (350) and Josef Newgarden (347).

Check the full results of Iowa Corn 300

The championship will resume on July 16 with the Honda Indy Toronto on the streets of Exhibition Place.

Photos: indycar.com,