Helio Castroneves’ biggest challenge ahead of Daytona 500 attempt

Helio Castroneves, The 49-year-old remains a charismatic personality and energetic driver who has a remarkable resume – winning the Indianapolis 500 four times and three consecutive overall victories in the Rolex 24. But the ‘Spider-Man’ challenge is scheduled to take place in Daytona next month. , something brand new, has never driven a NASCAR stock car at any level, and his only experience on Daytona’s oval-only layout was during IROC Racing two decades ago.

idea of ​​doing Take part in NASCAR’s biggest races A little more formed recently, and momentum was gained when Castroneves was competing in the Superstar Racing Experience. Series CEO Don Hawke promised to help the open-wheel legend secure a Daytona 500 ride if he wins the SRX race — which Castroneves did at Five Flags Speedway in 2022. The Brazilian driver shared that from that point on, the idea started ‘snowballing’, leading to a connection Trackhouse Racing Team Owner Justin MarksKnown for its NASCAR Project 91 program which has been used as a launching pad into the stock car series for global motorsports stars Kimi Räikkönen and Shane van Gisbergen.

This is a ‘no’ from the Captain

“Last year we couldn’t do it, but now, finally everything is ready for a legitimate attempt,” Castroneves said at a media conference on Tuesday. The four-time Indy 500 winner has wanted to take on NASCAR for some time, but it’s never been possible – even while behind the wheel Team Penske (In IndyCar).

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about. I’ve always wanted to do it. When I raced with Penske, I asked about it, but Roger (Penske) never allowed me to do it. But now, you have to keep trying and one day the dream will come true.”

While the veteran driver has zero NASCAR experience, he does have experience in a handful of IROC races at the 2.5-mile superspeedway since the early 2000s. Any bit of that experience could be helpful as Castroneves, as an open entry, makes his way into the 40-car field via duel races on Feb. 15. And that’s no easy feat, even for the most experienced drivers. Last year, seven-time NASCAR Cup winner and two-time Daytona 500 winner jimmy johnson He nearly missed the 500 before a last-lap stack-up saved him. “It will be a challenge,” Castroneves admitted. “There’s no question about it. It’s a big oval. It’s a tough oval. There are a lot of fearless competitors, but I have a great group behind me.”

Trackhouse is particularly suitable for bringing in drivers with limited experience. The goal of its Project 91 program is to create and promote a pathway for star drivers from various disciplines to participate in the stock car series – typically those who would not otherwise have the opportunity. Castroneves added, “They’ve done this before, where people had no experience at all and they understood.” “They’re guiding me. They’re doing everything they can.”

Preparation and biggest challenge

Preparation for NASCAR’s big race has included simulator work, a shakedown test at Talladega and, as revealed Wednesday, the start of the ARCA season-opener at Daytona. SVG took a similar path ahead of the 2024 NASCAR season as he learned superspeedway racing.

“Amazing convenience with Chevy,” Castroneves said of his experience in the manufacturer’s NASCAR sim. “I’ve worked with Chevy for so many years and I couldn’t believe how incredible the facility was at Charlotte. (I) was able to learn a little bit of the language, working on pit stops and pit lane, qualifying. The whole process of doing it was very useful.”

His biggest challenge in February (in his own words) will be around the slowest part of the track – pit road. NASCAR has no pit stops like IndyCar, and drivers have to watch their gauges closely while navigating around each other and through each dangerous section of the pits.

The pit box will also be an adjustment. “In IndyCar, you park as close to the wall as possible because of fuel. In Cup cars, you actually have to get away a little bit so the jack guy can lift the car so there are some tricks.”

With sim work, the Talladega test and the ARCA race, Castroneves won’t be going into the race blind, but there will still be a lot to learn in a short amount of time. “Just like when I went on Dancing with the Stars (DWTS), I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. But hey, she won the 2007 season of DWTS.

Should Castroneves run the race and accomplish the impossible – win the Daytona 500 – it would be a rare feat indeed. Only two drivers have won both the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500 – Mario Andretti who won the Daytona 500 in 1967, two years before his Indy 500 victory, and AJ Foyt who won the Daytona 500 in 1972.