SPARTA, Ky. -- The man Indy Racing League fans lovingly call
"Spiderman" once again is at the top of the IndyCar Series
standings.
But forgive Helio Castroneves if he's not yet planning a
fence-conquering victory climb -- such as the one he famously
unveiled after winning his first Indy 500 in 2001 -- if he finally
wins the points title.
Castroneves leads Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr.
by eight points heading into Sunday's Meijer Indy 300 at Kentucky
Speedway, with Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon within 31 points of the
lead.
And while Castroneves knows winning a season points championship
is the only hole in his otherwise sparkling resume that includes
two trips to Victory Lane at the Indy 500, he's been around long
enough to know how quickly things can change.
"A championship is something I really want, we're close,"
Castroneves said. "But it's challenging. You think you're having a
great year, and then it's like all of a sudden, 'Oh."
Castroneves would know. He finished second to Hornish in the
2002 points race and was third in 2003 before sliding down to sixth
last season as the Toyota engines used by Team Penske strained to
keep up with the teams using Hondas.
In a way, the ingenuity Team Penske had to use while playing
catch-up paid off when the entire IRL switched to Honda engines
this season.
Instead of finding an extra tenth of a second where they could
to keep up, Castroneves and Hornish now find themselves using that
extra tenth of a second to pull ahead. As a result, they've
dominated the series this season, winning seven of the circuit's 11
races and grabbing seven poles.
"Before, Honda was the dominant power in IRL and we were
competing hard to just get thirds and sevenths," Hornish said.
"Now, we haven't been to a place (this year) where we haven't been
competing for a win."
That leaves it up to the drivers -- and a little racing luck -- to
determine the champion.
Castroneves and Hornish have been trading the points lead for
most of the season, though Hornish seemed to have a firm grip on
the top spot before the Firestone Indy 400 at Michigan on July 30.
But a broken water pump sent him to a 19th-place finish, erasing a
30-point lead.
"To go from 30 points up to eight points behind is a pretty big
hit in one race," said Hornish, whose three wins this season
include the Indy 500. "But the key from here on out is going to be
consistency, the one who manages to stay consistent is the one who
is going to win."
Unlike their 2002 season points battle, when Hornish won the
final two races to hold off Castroneves, this championship chase is
different.
Then they were rivals, now they're teammates, making for a
slightly more complex relationship. While they compare notes before
every race, things change when the green flag flies.
"On one hand, there's nobody you want to beat more than your
teammate," Hornish said. "But if you can't win, you want him to
win more. The way I look at it, I want to fight him tooth and
nail."
It could make for some interesting racing over the next month.
Hornish has run very well at tracks such as the 1.5-mile tri-oval
at Kentucky Speedway, success Castroneves attributes to the way
Hornish attacks the course.
"He likes to drive really on the edge, especially in the ovals,
and at ovals it tends to be hard to do that," Castroneves said.
"But there's no question he's a talented driver and we push each
other a lot."
The winner may be whoever pushes back.
While some of the IRL tracks -- such as Michigan -- require
teamwork to get to the front, tracks including the Kentucky
Speedway allow for a little more individuality.
"It's a place where you can go on your own," said Castroneves,
who has finished fifth three times in four starts at Kentucky.
"It's about getting the right setup."
Hornish had the right setup three years ago, winning from the
pole. He hasn't cracked the top five in two starts at the track for
Penske. He finished 14th in 2004 and seventh last year.
Scott Sharp, a good friend of Castroneves who shared the
inaugural IndyCar Series points title with Buzz Calkins in 1996,
said it'll be interesting to see how the season plays out.
"More often than not, on two-car teams your biggest competitor
is the guy next to you," Sharp said. "And it's easy to see that
it could happen over there. There is a lot expected out of both of
those guys ... but when it gets down to it, there can only be one
champion and (each driver) wants to be the one."
Despite his close calls, Castroneves said he doesn't feel any
added pressure to win the series. He knows he's got a good car, a
good crew and a good chance. That's all he can ask for, well that
and a fence to climb if he manages to hold onto the top spot after
the checkered flag at the season-ending Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at
Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 10.
"Trust me man, I can find any fence," he said with a laugh.
"After winning the race, finding a fence is a good problem to
have."