Castroneves Climbs Fence After Winning Again

FORT WORTH, June 6, 2009: Helio Castroneves won for the third time at Texas Motor Speedway, grabbing the lead off a Lap 175 pit stop and going on to a 0.3904 of a second victory over Team Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe.

"It was an incredible day for Team Penske," the 2009 Indianapolis 500 winner said. "All the credit also goes to Ryan Briscoe and his team. They push us, and we push them, and together, we're pushing towards the top. Having first and second at Texas is not easy, so that's a compliment for everyone."

Scott Dixon, the 2008 race winner, was third and Marco Andretti finished a season-high fourth. Dario Franchitti, the pole sitter, was fifth and Danica Patrick finished sixth.

"We did the best we could, I just didn't have enough for Helio in the final stages," said Briscoe, who led a field-high 160 laps and took over the IndyCar Series championship race with 199 points (three ahead of Dixon). "The last 20 laps were some of the most frustrating I've ever driven. To lead the whole race and have the quickest car out there, I just couldn't pass Helio. The high line was slower.

"At least we came in second. We got points for leading the most laps. The important thing is we're racing for the wins. We'll get our wins. It's just frustrating for tonight."

The win marked Team Penske's fifth at Texas Motor Speedway, tying Panther Racing for most wins at the 1.5-mile oval.