During tire testing this week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Helio Castroneves was talking about how next year’s Indianapolis 500 will offer him a chance to become a four-time race winner. That led to a discussion about his longevity with the best team in Indy-car history.

Castroneves is completing his 10th season with Team Penske, one of only two drivers to do so. Rick Mears drove 14 seasons with the team, winning four 500s.

Castroneves has won 22 races, second among Roger Penske ‘s drivers. With at least one win each season since joining the organization in 2000, he is drawing within striking distance of Mears’ team-best 29.

At 34, Castroneves figures to have time.

“It’s just incredible; I guess I keep doing the right things,” Castroneves said. “I’m just honored, first of all, to be in this organization. What I admire most is the loyalty of Roger, (team president Tim) Cindric and everyone else.”

The one thing that has eluded Castroneves is a season championship. He has finished second twice — in 2002 and ’08 — with both titles decided on the last lap of the last race.

He can finish no higher than fourth this year no matter how he fares in next week’s season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“The good news is, we keep ourselves hungry,” he said. “When we come back next year, I’m going to be as hungry as ever.”

Testing aftermath

There appears to be a down side to the extensive testing Goodyear and NASCAR did at the Speedway in preparation for the Brickyard 400: There are waves in the asphalt below the white line in the turns.

Dario Franchitti figures the rolls are the result of the heavier stock cars seeing a weight transfer as they rumbled through the corners. He said Indy-car drivers don’t dare allow their cars to venture that low on the track.

“It will just turn the car,” he said.

Franchitti said he’s eager to get to Homestead next week to settle the IndyCar Series championship. He trails Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon by five points and leads Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe by three.

A race win by any of the three should guarantee a title, though if Briscoe wins the race, Dixon can escape with his second consecutive crown and third overall if he wins the pole (one bonus point), leads the most laps (two bonus points) and finishes second.

Franchitti likes the fact it’s essentially winner-take-all. “It’s kind of cool, isn’t it, that you just go out there (and race),” he said.

Etc.

Marco Andretti said the aerodynamic changes he and others tested for the IndyCar Series on Wednesday at IMS provided more tire grip. “I could feel a little more downforce, a little less drag,” he said. That combination translates to increased speed, although such information was not released. . . . Danica Patrick is believed to have had the fastest car among the seven that tested at Homestead on Wednesday. Speeds were not shared. The other cars were driven by Mario Moraes , Tony Kanaan , Justin Wilson , Sarah Fisher , Alex Lloyd and Raphael Matos . Dixon, Franchitti and Briscoe tested there last week. . . . Franchitti on Scott Sharp ‘s horrific-looking crash in an American Le Mans Series car last weekend at Road Atlanta. “He did a proper job there.” The video has attracted more than 93,000 viewers on YouTube. Sharp was not injured. . . . Chicagoland Speedway will offer tickets to its IndyCar Series race separately rather than tying them to a season package that includes its NASCAR race. . . . In MotoGP, Ben Spies will join fellow Texan Colin Edwards on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team in 2010, forming an all-American rider lineup. It’s the first time Americans will team up for a full season in the premier class since 2005, when Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins paired for Suzuki.