A Miami federal jury has acquitted Indy car driver and Dancing With The Stars champ Helio Castroneves of tax evasion. Castroneves, as you'll remember from earlier this week, was facing six years in the slammer and millions in potential back payments, penalties and fines stemming from alleged unpaid taxes on income. However, the jury hung on the charge of conspiracy to commit tax fraud; in other words, after deliberating for six days, they found themselves "hopelessly deadlocked" and unable to reach a verdict.

Castroneves' co-defendants included his sister and business manager, Katiucia Castroneves, and his Michigan-based attorney, Alan Miller. Miller was acquitted of all charges; the jury remained hung on Katiucia Castroneves' conspiracy account.

Outside the courthouse after the verdict was announced, Castroneves was spotted by the AP handling a rosary, contrite: "I just want to thank God, and my fans, and all of the people who prayed for me ... It has been a very difficult place to be in."

According to the AP, the central element of the case was the ownership of Seven Promotions, a Panama-based company. Prosecutors termed it a shell corporation, while Castroneves' father claimed it as his own and said Helio never had ownership of the corporation. Prosecutors produced documents indicating the exact opposite, and charged that Castroneves and his associates knew exactly what they were doing when shuffling all that money around.

Defense attorneys relied on a humiliating but ultimately effective approach -- the "my client is an idiot" defense. "Does anybody really think Helio Castroneves really made a financial decision?" attorney Roy Black said in closing arguments. "All he did was drive -- and drive he did." (Tell me that doesn't sound like the tag line from a dopey '80s movie.)

And now he's driving away from conviction, as fast as he possibly can. Here's hoping Helio keeps a little closer eye on his dealings from here on out.