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“My life is still the same, but I enjoy very much the recognition of the public, the fans,” he said. “If you asked me, ‘Aren’t you tired of that?’ No, I’m actually surprised people are still recognizing me. When you go places, people are looking like, ‘Hey, the “Dancing with the Stars” (guy).’

“I really wish people now take that opportunity from the show, the people who knew nothing about racing, and start watching. Hopefully the League will take advantage to make that transition fun for new fans.”

After greeting Gov. Jennifer Granholm and briefly dancing with her Thursday, Castroneves acknowledged while he might be the same guy, much has changed in his life. He moved to Los Angeles for 2 1/2 months to train for and participate in the show. He has received television and movie offers, and he suddenly experienced the other side of celebrity — the close examination of his private life.

Toward the end of the show, there was considerable speculation about his relationship with Hough. Rumors got stronger after he and fiancГ©e, Aliette Vazquez, broke off their engagement. The news was reported in all the national entertainment media.

“It feels awesome, I’d have to say,” Castroneves said when asked how it felt to be single again. “I can’t complain about it. If you want to go on the personal side, it’s sad. Obviously I was focused on building up a family. Unfortunately, it did not happen. I can’t complain. It is what it is. If it happened for a reason, the reason is, it would not work in the future. I respect and really care about her. She’s a great person. We’re going to remain friends.

“I’m not going to go into details. It just didn’t happen. I think sometimes celebrities want to hide so much, they cause their own situations. No, Julianne and I never got together. The only romance that you saw was on the dance floor.”

As for his budding television and movie career, Castroneves said that will have to wait. He wants to win a third Indianapolis 500, after all.

“Right now, for me, I love what I do, (and) it’s racing,” said Castroneves, who drives for Team Penske. “Right now is not the time. Right now, the time for me is to go back to my race car and do what I love most. If there is a good opportunity to do some pieces here and there, I would love it, but nothing to jeopardize my career.”