Two-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves wasn't at Road Atlanta on Friday for qualifying. Instead he was in federal court in Miami facing charges of tax evasion and tax fraud. The Associated Press reports that the Indy Racing League star from Sao Paulo, Brazil, who is expected to participate in today's Petit Le Mans, is accused of using offshore accounts to avoid paying taxes to the Internal Revenue Service. The AP reports that Castroneves, 33, pleaded not guilty to six counts of tax evasion for allegedly failing to report to the IRS about $5.5 million in income between 1999 and 2004. Each count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. Penske Racing vice president Bud Denker said Castroneves was scheduled to return to Georgia on Friday night and prepare to co-drive the team's No. 5 Porsche with Australian Ryan Briscoe. Briscoe qualified the car first in the LMP2 class and fourth overall for today's race. Denker declined to speculate on what effect the court proceedings would have on Castroneves' relationship with the team.
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