IN THE GROOVE; Helio Castroneves warms up for Indy by winning in Japan.(Motorsports)

Byline: DINO DALLE CARBONARE

Team Penske's Helio Castroneves was in top form during the Indy Japan 300, leading 184 of 200 laps at Twin Ring Motegi to take his second straight win.

Ganassi Racing's Dan Wheldon, defending series champion and winner of the past two Motegi races, came up short in his bid to become the first driver to win in Japan three straight years. Third-place finisher Tony Kanaan secured 35 much-needed points, bringing the Andretti Green team leader up to fifth in the standings behind Wheldon's teammate Scott Dixon. Kanaan had to fight for third place after a tire puncture on lap 126 forced him to pit early, dropping him down to 14th.

The weekend did not get off to a smooth start. Rain forced Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart to end Friday's practice early and completely washed out qualifying. So point standings dictated the starting order, with Castroneves on pole.

Dixon lined up next to him and took advantage of the starting order, leading twice for a total of five laps. Dixon spent a great deal of the race behind Castroneves, but he threw away a potential second-place finish when he stalled his engine during his final pit stop on lap 148, losing 30 seconds.

"I lost the clutch, stalled it, and fell back too many spots too late in the race to make a decent comeback,'' said Dixon. "It really is a shame.'' Dixon finished ninth.

Super Aguri Fernandez Racing driver Kosuke Matsuura finished seventh for the second straight race, just ahead of Rahal Letterman Racing's Danica Patrick. She and teammate Buddy Rice started 14th and 18th, respectively, due to sitting low in the points. (They missed the Homestead season opener after Paul Dana's fatal crash.) Rice finished fifth, and both he and Patrick managed to stay out of trouble in two large crashes.