Castroneves wins race; Dixon wins title

JOLIET, Ill., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Helio Castroneves won the last 2008 IndyCar race by capturing Sunday's Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

Castroneves finished 0.0033 of a second ahead of Scott Dixon in the second-closest finish in IRL history.

The victory was Castroneves' second this season and the 14th of his career. He won the season-finale despite starting the race from the 28th starting position, and his qualifying time was disallowed when he ran below the white line numerous times during his four-lap attempt.

"It is awesome," a surprised Castroneves said in a post-race interview. "We tried everything we could to win. Thanks to my guys, they gave me a great car."

Castroneves led for a race-high 79 laps and picked up three bonus points, but Dixon ended up clinching the title by 17 points and a $1 million bonus.

With his sixth win, Dixon, the Indy 500 winner equaled the IRL record for victories in a single season, established by Dan Wheldon in 2005.