Castroneves is enjoying life right now

Helio hugs the Borg Warner trophy

IMS

Maybe he's greedy.

But these days, Helio Castroneves is loving life more than ever, so forgive him if he wants to both soak in the accolades awarded an Indianapolis 500 winner and return to work as soon as possible.

"I want to be back in the car," Castroneves said Monday, less than 24 hours after becoming the newest three-time Indy winner. "That's the best place to be, and I was already talking to my engineer about Milwaukee.

"But everything has its time, and this time right now is to just tell the world it was a very happy day."

Castroneves has lived through the drill. After a long Sunday night, the winner comes back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for more photos and interviews and ultimately the victory banquet.

Tuesday means New York, where the "Dancing with the Stars" champ may pose for pictures with the famous Rockettes. Wednesday involves a trip to Texas, Thursday in Chicago and then a limousine ride to Milwaukee. There Castroneves will be reunited with his car on Saturday morning for the ABC Supply / A.J. Foyt 225 the next day at the Milwaukee Mile.

"The old Helio would probably be, 'OK, come on. Let's move on,' " he said. "But the new Helio . . . I will enjoy the moment like I always did in the past. It's awesome just to be talking to you guys here as a three-time winner."

Castroneves developed a deeper appreciation for life, for family and friends and for the opportunity to race, in the past year. He was charged with seven counts of tax evasion last fall, and a six-week trial concluded with his acquittal last month.

In that time, every compliment and every honor has taken on extra significance.

"One of the fans said, 'Hey, man, now the IRS went after you,'" Castroneves said. " 'You're becoming an American now.'" More at JSOnline.com