A MATTER OF CONSISTENCY; Castroneves wins again, but Briscoe takes points lead.(NEWS)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

Maybe there is justice for Ryan Briscoe, the IndyCar Series driver who dominated the last two races, in Milwau-kee and Texas, only to lose both late. Instead, he has the points lead.

While the sport continues to witness Helio Castroneves's remarkable personal and professional season, Briscoe, Team Penske's other driver, is taking control. He led 154 of the 225 laps in Milwaukee on May 31, only to see Scott Dixon scoot by late in the race as they negotiated traffic.

In Texas, Briscoe was blazing into the night when one of those questionable NASCAR-style cautions for debris slowed his pace. Gone was his 11-second lead. Shortly thereafter, the top spot went, too.

Castroneves's crew had pit-box selection priority over Briscoe because it led the series in owner points. The advantage included stand-in driver Will Power's sixth-place finish in St. Petersburg, Fla., while Castro-neves was standing trial in his federal tax-evasion case.

The result was that even though the two Penske drivers had nearly identical pit stops, Castroneves swiped the lead by simply pulling straight out of his box. Briscoe, who had to swing around Castroneves, was irritated.

"It wasn't anything we did, he said. "Helio just had the better spot.