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Well not only The Power of Penske, but Power to Penske…  I know, sounded lame…sorry.  It is reported however that Will Power will be on deck at Penske Racing if Helio can’t run this season due to his pending trial.  He will be in the car during the off-season testing according to IndyCar.com  I would have honestly chosen Ryan Hunter-Reay but who am I to argue with Roger Penske.  Their is no doubt in my mind that The Captain knows what he is doing.  Everyone doubted Briscoe when Penske picked him up after his abysmal season with Target Chip Ganassi in 2005, but who can doubt the season that he had in 2008 with 3 wins.   We already know Will Power is a hell of a road course driver.  I myself am anxious to see him this year on the ovals.    After all, with a name like Will Power, how can you lose…

Wow! Who would have thought that the 2008 IndyCar season would be as eventful as memorable as it turned out to be. It will definitely go down in history as one to remember. From the last minute Champ Car merger weeks before the season opener at Homestead Miami Speedway all the way through Helio Castroneves drive from last place to first place at the season finale at Chicagoland Speedway. This year has also been a year of firsts. Graham Rahal went on to become the youngest winner in open wheel history with his first IndyCar Series start on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Danica Patrick went on to be the first female in open wheel history to win an event, doing so at Twin Ring Motegi when she passed Helio Castroneves with just a few laps left in her 50th IndyCar Series start and Ana Beatriz became the first woman in the Firestone Indy Lights to win an event at Nashville Superspeedway. It is going to be tough to top the eventful history making 2008 season.

and it couldn’t be at a worse time, one month before the 2009 season debuts on the Streets of St. Petersburg.  According to the Associated Press, Castroneves will stand trial in March in Miami federal court on tax evasion charges.

U.S. District Judge Donald Graham set the March 2 trial date for Castroneves, his sister and a Michigan lawyer. Prosecutors say Castroneves and the others tried to hide $5.5 million in income from the IRS… He has pleaded not guilty and is free on $10 million bail.

We’ve created a countdown on the site for you to keep track of the date.

Helio Castroneves, who is coming off a great season in which he placed second in the championship standings, is going to face a tough off season. Helio has been indicted for tax evasion. He is being accused of failing to pay taxes over a five year period for a total of over 5 Million dollars. A relative and his attorney are being charged as well.

This is big news seeing that it will most likely affect next season. We have seen how government charges can affect athletes. Kobe Bryant who was charged with rape several years ago played basketball significantly well but dropped up to 15-20 pounds by traveling for court appearnances, not to mention with his future of not only being able to play in the NBA in the balance but the chance of being in prison for years to come as well.  

Castroneves is not a basketball player obviously. With that said it won’t be safe for him to go behind the wheel of race car with mental stress that will drain him physically without question. It could affect his well being as well as others on track when traveling over 200 mph. As we know mental and physical strength is something that is a necessity to drive a race car.

Now the topic is what will Roger Penske choose to do with his driver. Granted Castroneves is a great driver, but with the Government hovering over him he won’t be able to perform and the last thing the boss wants is a distraction and having to answer questions day in and day out.

No more power steering and less elbow room is in Dario Franchitti’s future. When Franchitti left the IndyCar Series at the end of the 2007 season, most thought that he would not come back. Well, we are not even into the 2009 season yet and he is back in an IndyCar driving for the same team he drove for in the Nascar Nationwide Series, Target Chip Ganassi Racing. It might not be a points race or count towards anything other than a win for one team and driver. Surfers Paradise should be a nice refresher course for Franchitti to get reacquainted with the car along with his new crew, and should also give him an opportunity to get used to working with his new teammate and reigning Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion, Scott Dixon. Franchitti showed that he had a difficult time transitioning into stock cars being a back marker most of the season in the Nationwide Series. The addition of Franchitti alongside Dixon will definitely make TCGR an even stronger powerhouse team in 2009.