INDY RACING LEAGUE

• Castroneves penalized for post-race outburst at Edmonton

  Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - The IZOD IndyCar Series on Tuesday handed driver Helio Castroneves a $60,000 fine and placed him on probation for the remainder of the season following his post-race altercation with officials last month in Edmonton, Canada.

  Castroneves was penalized for refusing to follow the direction of race officials and unsportsmanlike conduct when he engaged in a heated altercation with two officials on pit lane after the conclusion of the race.

  IndyCar officials met with Castroneves on Sunday in Indianapolis to discuss his actions.

  Castroneves was leading the race at Edmonton when he was issued a black flag for blocking his Team Penske teammate Will Power just after a restart with three laps remaining. He failed to take the drive-through pit-lane penalty.

  At the conclusion of the race, Castroneves was penalized 20 seconds and placed at the tail end of the lead lap, which resulted in a 10th-place finish. Castroneves had crossed the line first, but Scott Dixon from Chip Ganassi Racing was awarded the victory.

  Castroneves was furious with the decision. He confronted the two officials and made physical contact with one of them after he exited his car.

  "I fully support the decisions of chief steward Brian Barnhart and Race Control," Randy Bernard, the chief executive officer for the series, said in a statement.

  "The drivers have been aware of the blocking rule for quite some time. Brian reminded the drivers of the blocking rule in the Edmonton pre-race drivers' meeting, which serves as the first warning, and the rule was executed during the race, just as it dictates." IndyCar officials contemplated the possibility of suspending Castroneves.

  "This is a very serious matter, and we weighed all options, including suspension, but we felt suspension would hurt the fans more than anyone else," Bernard added.

  08/02 19:07:33 ET