Polesitter HELIO CASTRONEVES and his #3 Team Penske Honda claimed the annual Pit Stop Challenge Contest on Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a record-breaking time of 7.677secs, earning $50.000.

He also presented each of the pit-stop crew with a $1,000 Ritmo watch after defeating Penske team-mate, SAM HORNISH Jr in the finals. This is the third Pit Stop Challenge victory for Castroneves, his second in a row and the second time he has won it as pole sitter. Five winners of the Pit Stop Challenge have won the Indy 500, including BUDDY RICE in 2004. The contest has been going on since 1977. If polesitter Castroneves wins the race, it could be considered an Indy Trifecta.

Penske Racing teams have won a record ten Pit Stop Challenges, including the last three. ROGER PENSKE's teams are on a roll, figuratively speaking. Last weekend, his NASCAR Cup team with RYAN NEWMAN won the NASCAR Nextel Pit Crew Challenge; and Newman starts Sunday's Coca-Cola NASCAR Nextel Cup race from the pole at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina.

There are no drivers 'doing the double' of racing the Indy 500 and then the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day this year. The start time change of the Indy 500 pretty much put a stop to that last year.

The Pit Stop Challenge started out with ten drivers, moving to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and then the finals. Castroneves defeated SCOTT SHARP in the semi-finals when Sharp stalled and turned no time, while and Hornish defeated VITOR MEIRA. In the quarter-finals, Sharp defeated SCOTT DIXON, while TONY KANAAN defeated AGR team-mate DARIO FRANCHITTI. Losing out in the first round were DAN WHELDON, TOMAS SCHECKTER and DANICA PATRICK.

Saturday's activities at the Speedway are of the off-track variety, including the public driver's meeting at 11am local time.

So far there has been no rain at the Brickyard, although the Freedom 100 Indy Pro Series race was ended under caution due to 'moisture' in turn two. ALEX LLOYD won the race, his fourth in a row.