DAZED AND CONFUSED IN DETROIT; JUSTIN WILSON WINS AS INDYCAR'S TITLE CONTENDERS GO HOME UNHAPPY.(NEWS)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

The IndyCar Series championship will go down to the final race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 7. But it might have already been decided by a controversial on-track maneuver.

In a season that has seen Graham Rahal and Danica Patrick win races and Scott Dixon dominate, Helio Castroneves's defensive driving in the Detroit Indy Grand Prix at Belle Isle could end up being what decides the championship.

Castroneves and his Team Penske crew were doing everything right to win their second consecutive race, leading with 16 laps to go. But feeling pressure from a recent Champ Car World Series driver eager to win his first Indy Racing League event, Castroneves changed his driving line twice to keep Justin Wilson behind.

Castroneves has been an IRL regular since 2002; he has heard the instructions of chief steward Brian Barnhart on many occasions. One move to protect a position is allowed; a second is not. The Brazilian made two, and the latter sent Wilson scrambling for his brake pedal.

"From my position, he slid a little bit through [turns] 10, 11 and 12, Wilson said. "When he went into 12 on the brake, he overshot. I went back to the inside and had some great traction, and before we even got to full power, I was inching alongside him. I thought, "Well, this is pretty straightforward. By the time we hit the brakes, [we will] be axle-to-axle.'

That's not what happened.