AP Photo/Rainier EhrhardtHélio Castroneves already has the pole position for this weekend's Indianapolis 500. And now he's left his legal docket in the dust.
Federal prosecutors have dropped all remaining tax-related charges against the chipper race car driver, a little more than a month after a jury acquitted him of two counts of tax evasion but deadlocked on five other charges, including conspiracy to diss the IRS.
From Indiana, where he's preparing for Sunday's race, Castroneves (a two-time Indy 500 winner) called the dismissal "incredible."
"My life is back," the erstwhile Dancing With the Stars winner said. "The only thing I can think about is to go and be in the race car again."
The Miami U.S. Attorney's Office did not comment on the matter, issuing only a brief confirmation of its decision.
Earlier this week Castroneves, teammate Ryan Briscoe and Ashley Judd's hubby, Dario Franchitti (aka the 2007 Indy 500 champ)appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to demonstrate the time-honored tradition of milk-chugging at the Brickyard.