Things just got a lot tougher for Helio Castroneves in his quest to overtake Scott Dixon for the IndyCar Series championship.
Castroneves, who has been trying hard to get into Dixon's head as he chases the New Zealander in their title duel, was penalized after qualifying yesterday for driving under the white out-of-bounds line more than once at the bottom of the banked Chicagoland Speedway oval in Joliet.
That negated a solid fourth-place qualifying effort for Castroneves, whose Team Penske teammate, Ryan Briscoe, knocked Dixon off the pole and into second place in the 28-car field. Castroneves will start last.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton clinched pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix today ahead of main challenger Felipe Massa. Hamilton finished in 1:47.338 at the 4.3-mile Spa-Francorchamps circuit, beating Massa by 0.3 seconds.
Ron Hornaday raced to his fourth NASCAR Craftsman Truck victory of the season and record 37th overall, holding off Dennis Setzer by 0.646 seconds in the Camping World 200 Madison, Ill.
First Published: September 7, 2008, 4:00 a.m.