Castroneves probation spans the rest of the 2010 season.

Castroneves let his emotions get the best of him after he was penalized for blocking with just a few laps left in the Edmonton race. Following the race he was screaming at race officials and had physical contact with a series' official.

According to a series news release, Castroneves penalties were for “refusing to follow the directions” of officials and for “portraying unsportsmanlike conduct” after he had physical contact with two officials in pit lane after the race.

Castroneves commented on the decision via his Twitter account.  "I want to thank Randy Bernard for taking the time to meet with me in Indianapolis today, said Castroneves. "Once again, I regret what occurred following the IZOD IndyCar Series race in Edmonton and I apologize for my behavior as I let my emotions get the better of me. Although my disappointment with being black-flagged while leading the race with just a few laps to go will probably always remain with me, I understand and accept the league's decision to penalize me for my reaction. I am ready to move forward and I'm hoping to add to Team Penske's success at Mid-Ohio this weekend."

"This sport is so close and competitive that emotions are always on display," said series Chief Steward Brian Bernard. "However, that does not justify the post-race conduct of Helio toward series officials. This is a very serious matter and we weighed all options, including suspension. But we felt suspension would hurt the fans more than anyone else. Fans have paid their hard-earned money to watch the best drivers in the world and many bought their tickets for upcoming events with the expectation of watching Helio. He is a great ambassador for this sport and we know his actions after the race in Edmonton are not indicative of his normal behavior."

The stewards decision to penalize Castroneves in the first place was the most extreme example of the IndyCar Series' blocking rule, in so much as it affected the outcome of a race. The blocking rule prevents drivers from defending their position by choosing the inside line entering a corner and forcing a driver to pass on the outside.

RacingWire was unable to find any other open wheel road race series that has such a blocking rule. Most series define blocking as changing your line to impede an attempted pass.

"I fully support the decisions of chief steward Brian Barnhart and Race Control," said Randy Bernard, chief executive officer, IZOD IndyCar Series.  "The drivers have been aware of the blocking rule for quite some time. Brian reminded the drivers of the blocking rule in the Edmonton pre-race drivers' meeting, which serves as the first warning, and the rule was executed during the race just as it dictates."

"This rule is unique to IndyCar racing," said Barnhart. "It was put in place to protect our competitors, officials and fans, prevent unnecessary damage to these cars and allow for more passing opportunities. Bad things happen when these cars touch and there have been serious incidents with major consequences on temporary circuits throughout Indy car history. With the new wheel interlocking prevention technology that is coming in our 2012 car, we will be re-evaluating this rule in the future."

There is no word yet whether Penske Racing will appeal the penalty.