Motor Racing-Brazilian Castroneves back on track after tax trial

By Lewis Franck

LONG BEACH, California, April 18 (Reuters) - Brazilian Helio Castroneves jumped back in an Indy car to race for the first time in six months on Saturday after a seven-week tax trial.

Castroneves, acquitted of six U.S. tax evasion charges on Friday, showed little sign of being rusty and finished seventh in unofficial practice for Sunday's Indycar race.

The twice Indianapolis 500 winner, who faced a prison term, became a nationwide celebrity in the U.S. after winning the popular televised competition 'Dancing with the Stars'.

He flew across the continent from the trial in Miami, Florida to practice on Saturday for this weekend's race on a twisting street circuit in Long Beach, California.

Holding back tears and trying to smile to a crowd of mostly racing journalists Castroneves, who insisted all along that he was innocent, said: "Everyone knows I'm an emotional guy".

Jumping back in a race car appeared to be the best tonic for the 33-year-old, who won the Indy 500 in 2001 and 2002.

Team owner Roger Penkse flew in from a NASCAR race in Phoenix for the practice and said: "We've won one of the biggest races we've ever had".

He later added: "It's not a race it's a person's life. To see him back in a car it's tremendous."