No pain, no gain unless you win

RICHMOND, Va. – The pain management patches had done their job, allowing Helio Castroneves to ignore any sting in his bruised left shoulder and drive to victory.

Then, it was time to celebrate as only he does, and the way that long ago earned the Indy Racing League star from Brazil the nickname “Spiderman.”

“When the adrenaline is going on, you don’t look. You just keep climbing, climbing and you realize when you look on the right and there is somebody there, ‘Oh, you’re not supposed to be here,’ ” he said Saturday night of his traditional scaling of the fence after winning the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway.

As he climbed the fence on the front stretch, Castroneves realized he was very close to the flagstand – close enough to see the look of surprise on the flagman’s face.

“The crowd went crazy and that’s what makes me drive,” Castroneves said. “Winning – that’s what makes me drive, and it just inspired me so much. I love it. I love this and I have to keep working hard because nothing comes easy, unfortunately.”