The Trackhouse Racing team, after giving NASCAR a road course expert, Shane van Gisbergen, is bringing in another driver through Project 91 — Helio Castroneves. On Tuesday, the team announced that Castroneves will be making his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series with the Daytona 500 race driving #91 Chevy.
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But what do we know about Castroneves? Castroneves, 49, who started on his racing journey in go-karting at 10 before ascending through the ranks to car racing, is an IndyCar and IMSA driver who has bagged four wins at the Indianapolis 500. The achievement places him in the elite company of legends like A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser Sr.
Besides that, he’s won the Rolex 24 at Daytona thrice, accumulated 25 wins in the IndyCar Series, and has six wins in the former Champ Car Series. He has maintained a presence in the IndyCar circuit annually since 2001. Castroneves participated in 16 IROC races between 2002 and 2005, achieving his highest finish — P2 place — at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Castroneves has also won 10 races in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series and has expanded his horizons by competing in the Repco Australian Supercars Championship during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
However, NASCAR has never been a part of his racing portfolio.
Upon being given the chance to compete in NASCAR, particularly at the Daytona 500 with Trackhouse Racing, Castroneves expressed his astonishment and excitement, stating, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing.”
He continued, sharing his heartfelt enthusiasm for the opportunity, “This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down. I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car, (Trackhouse owner) Justin Marks, and everyone that made this happen. I wish the race were tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Justin Marks is quite confident about Castroneves’s capabilities. He remarked, “Helio is one of the greatest drivers of all time and exactly the type of driver we want to bring to NASCAR.”
“I think race fans around the world will be excited to see Helio in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. It also exposes our sport to a global audience and allows them to see just how great of a series we have in NASCAR.”
Castroneves faces the challenge of securing his spot in the February 16 race either through a swift performance in the time trials or by navigating his way through a qualifying race.
If he can win at the Daytona 500, he’d join racing legends Foyt and Mario Andretti as one of the few to have won both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 — a prospect he eagerly anticipates.
Darian Grubb, a seasoned crew chief and the competition director at Trackhouse, will lead the project, steering Castroneves towards what could potentially be his 25th major win.
