What would be considered the most prestigious race in the US? NASCAR's Daytona 500, or IndyCar's Indianapolis 500?
Just days away from becoming an expert in both, Helio Castroneves found it difficult to place the two events against each other for Motorsport.com. “Comparing it to the Indy 500, it’s like you’re comparing it to another star. I don’t know, (like) Taylor Swift and Madonna, you know? It’s a huge show and it’s a huge race and there’s a lot of history behind it - one is IndyCar, one is NASCAR, and I’m very fortunate and blessed to be able to do both."
Castroneves was speaking to several members of the media previewing The Amelia, which next month is celebrating 30 years as one of the more prestigious lifestyle concours in the world. There, hundreds of luxurious cars – including several legendary race cars – will grace the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island in Northern Florida. The event will also feature four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Castroneves, as its honoree.
But before enjoying the splendor of The Amelia, Castroneves will take on the biggest race in NASCAR – the 67th running of the Daytona 500. “I don’t think I can put into words how nervous I am," he laughed.
Check out this fresh drip 🔥 Teaming up with the freshest in the game @wendys@TeamTrackhouse #daytona500 pic.twitter.com/qCvFWc5PgV
— Helio Castroneves (@h3lio) February 11, 2025
It's difficult to believe Castroneves - a 49-year-old with one of the most impressive racing resumes around - would be nervous at this stage in his career, but he’s a true rookie behind the wheel of a stock car. As he noted, “it’s something completely different.” The closest he ever was to this style of racing was competing with IROC cars at Daytona in the early 2000s, which took place just before NASCAR's season-opener. The Brazilian was given a taste of 'The Great American Race as a spectator. He says it "blew my mind away."
Shortly after that experience, Castroneves says he began asking Roger Penske about potentially running a stock car race at any track. But as Motorsport.com has reported before, Penske isn’t keen on his drivers crossing from one playground to another despite operating teams across a wide variety of motorsports.
The dream remained, tucked away in the back of his mind as he became a three-time winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona and a four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. It wasn’t until Castroneves linked up with Don Hawk of the Superstar Racing Experience when a real opportunity came about. It’s well-known how Hawk promised to use his NASCAR connections to find Helio a seat, but only on the condition that the Brazilian win an SRX race, which he did.
The "almost" Daytona 500 shot
There was a chance for the four-time Indy 500 winner to run the Daytona 500 in 2023, but Castroneves claimed “it wasn’t a good situation so I passed it along. And then this year, Trackhouse and Project 91 came about.” He was referring to his rumored entry with the No. 50 car that was being operated by The Money Team Racing, which was co-owned by boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, Jr. The part-time team had limited resources and many gremlins in the lead-up to the qualifying races, but they did end up making the 40-car field with another IndyCar driver behind the wheel – Conor Daly.
Trackhouse is a much stronger situation for Castroneves in terms of the ability to give him the support he needs with zero NASCAR experience. He praised the program for what they’ve done to help him prepare for the battle ahead, which includes an ARCA start on Saturday (before the 500) where he will very quickly learn both the draft and the lingo that is critical in pack races.
“(I want) to make sure when I get to the 500, the day of the race, I at least feel comfortable with some scenarios," explained Castroneves. "But I still gotta learn. I got four hours to learn something and hopefully stay out of the big ones. I’m sure a lot of the competitors won’t look at me as a competitor, which is okay, but we’re gonna try to do some different strategies to put ourselves in the front and see what happens.”
Earning his right to make history
Luckily, one battle he won’t have to fight is the one to actually make the race. In a stunning move, NASCAR recently introduced a new provisional for “world-class drivers” such as Castroneves in order to lock themselves into races as an additional spot on the grid if they don’t make it the traditional way. Castroneves had no knowledge of this new rule beforehand and assumed he would have to race his way into the 500 like everyone else. He was more than willing to face that challenge, but said of the provisional: “I was very happy to hear about it and I’m going to try not to use it. However, if I have to use it, I’ll take it!"
Many Indy 500 winners have attempted NASCAR's 500-miler with Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Sam Hornish Jr. serving as more recent examples. But since the Daytona 500 was introduced in 1959, only two Indy 500 champions have managed to best the stars of NASCAR -- Mario Andretti in 1967 and A.J. Foyt in 1972.
And the fact that only two drivers have ever won both of these esteemed races is something Castroneves is acutely aware of. "How incredible would it be," he imagined. "...Only two drivers were able to win (both) of these races, which was A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti. It would be nice to join those guys, don’t you think?”
