Castroneves, 48, is vying for to become the first driver to ever capture five victories in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. He claimed a record-tying fourth Indy 500 win in his debut with MSR in 2021, joining AJ Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears as the only four-time winners of the event.
Cleveland-Cliffs, the largest flat-rolled steel company in North America, first joined MSR in 2022. In addition to the company’s role with Castroneves, it will also have a presence on the full-time entries driven by Tom Blomqvist and Felix Rosenqvist.
“Cleveland-Cliffs has been such an amazing partner to us since they came onboard in 2022 and it’s great to see how they have really integrated themselves into our team and to IndyCar as whole,” said Mike Shank, co-owner of MSR.
“Cleveland-Cliffs is not only a part of our two full-season entries, but for them to take the jump on Helio’s 500 car is really something special. It is a top priority for us to help get Helio that fifth 500 win in one of our cars, and to have Cliffs here to support that journey, we are very lucky.”
The Drive for 5 continues…with a new look 😎
— Meyer Shank Racing (@MeyerShankRac) March 4, 2024
We’re super excited to announce that Cleveland-Cliffs will headline Helio’s No. 06 Cleveland-Cliffs Indy car for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Time to make history. pic.twitter.com/CMSGREkIIJ
Cleveland-Cliffs also has three locations in Indiana, which consists of 9,000 employees.
“Cleveland-Cliffs is not just a name on the side of our car, they have created and produced actual products that we use on our Indy cars,” Shank said.
"If you look closely, the mufflers on each of our cars are created by Cliffs in their Columbus, Indiana facility and they have become well integrated into our operation - even making the crowd barrier that we use during race weekends. So, this relationship goes beyond a typical partnership, and it’s truly mutually beneficial.”
Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. said: “Cleveland-Cliffs is proud to partner with Meyer Shank Racing and Helio Castroneves as the team seeks Helio’s record setting fifth victory of the iconic American race. The racing world sets its eyes on Indiana every May for the Indianapolis 500 and having Helio drive the No. 06 Cleveland-Cliffs Indy car will be an exciting moment for our Cliffs team members.
“The Indy 500 and steel have a long tradition in the state. Indiana is the largest steel producing state in the nation and we are proud to have over 9,000 employees in Indiana producing the best steel in the world. With Meyer Shank Racing, we celebrate teamwork, determination and hopefully soon a record setting fifth Indy 500 win for Helio.”
