Castroneves joined Indy’s most exclusive club and wants to start his own
INDIANAPOLIS – Helio Castroneves has noticed the difference in the tone of the questions he’s being asked, and he likes it.
“Last year, remember, a lot of you guys were like, ‘Hey, you’re running out of time’ … all that,” Castroneves said of the days leading up to last May 30, and really for a half-dozen Mays before that.
“Now that’s changed. The question’s changed: ‘What about five?’ ”
When the bubbly Brazilian passed beneath the checkered flag on the final lap of the 105th Indianapolis 500, he became the fourth member of the exclusive club of four-time Indianapolis 500 winners at age 46 and 30 years after his mentor Rick Mears had become the third.
Not long after Castroneves stopped his car on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway front stretch, climbed the fence with his crew and bearhugged hundreds of friends, rivals and Indy legends, the narrative changed.
Now two interesting possibilities for compelling Indy history seem within reach.
Castroneves could start his own club, or someone else could eventually join him, Mears, Al Unser and A.J. Foyt with four wins.
“This business today – and especially today – the competition is so tight today and so strong, the depth of the talent and the teams, the engineers, the teams and drivers is as strong as it’s ever been,” Mears said. “It’s as tight as it’s ever been.
“Helio’s obviously got a good shot to be the first five-time. And I’m sure he’s going to be standing up in the seat trying to make it happen. But there’s a lot, lot of guys running quick.”
If Castroneves is to go back-to-back – as he did in 2001-02 for his first two Indy victories – he’ll have a longer drive than ever.
He’ll start 27th Sunday, outside the ninth row. In 21 previous Indy starts, he has started deeper in the field only once, and his wins have come 11th, 13th, first and eighth.
“I want it a lot,” Castroneves said. “I want to do something nobody ever did. That’s what A.J. said: Records are made to be broken. We tied the record. Now it’s time to do something nobody ever did.
“Am I going to fight for it? Absolutely right. Is it going to happen? We’re going to see on Sunday.”
Foyt (1961, ’64, ’67, ’77) won for the first time in his fourth start and for the last time in his 20th, at age 42. He would compete 15 more times and then retire on pole day before the 1993 race.
Unser (1970, ’71, ’78, ‘87) picked up his first win in his fifth start and his last in his 23rd try, five days before his 48th birthday. He would run Indy five more times.
Mears (’79, ’83, ’88, ‘91) won in just his second try and completed the quad in the shortest span and at the youngest age, 39. He retired after the ’92 season.
Castroneves (2001, ’02, ’09, ’21) was the first driver to win Indy twice in his first two tries. After losing his full-time IndyCar ride with Penske – the most successful team in Indianapolis 500 history with 18 victories – at the end of 2017, Castroneves ran the race three more times with Penske and then joined Meyer Shank parttime last year and delivered the team its first IndyCar victory.
“I said to Helio last year in a text, I said I’m just very privileged to race against him in his era,” said Scott McLaughlin, who is about to start his second 500 for Castroneves’ former team. “He’s a legend of the sport and not many people can say they raced against one of the four-time club members.
“I very much enjoy racing him. I enjoy passing him. And I’m excited for how the race unfolds and what the script is going to be … potentially with Helio to have that history-making achievement. Hopefully he’s around a few more years to try it regardless if he doesn’t get it this year.”
With no three-time winners active, the four-time foursome can’t grow Sunday, but Takuma Sato (2017, 2020) and Juan Pablo Montoya (2000, 2015) could move within a step.
Time is running out on them, though, as it seemed to be on Castroneves in recent years. Sato is 45 and Montoya 46.
Ditto for 41-year-old Scott Dixon, who has won six championships and will start on the pole Sunday – for the fifth time – but has won the 500 just once (2008).
“I’m not sure Helio would swap any,” Dixon said. “Indy is so special, so unique. I think what he’s been able to achieve is I think for all of us very cool to see it in the modern day.”
Of the eight past winners in the field, Alexander Rossi (2016) is the youngest at age 30 and Simon Pagenaud (2019) second at 38. So if another four-time winner does come along anytime soon, it’d seem more likely to be one of the younger drivers without a 500 win yet.
Those who come to mind include reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou, who is 25 and finished second last year; Rinus VeeKay, who is starting on the front row for the second time in three tries at age 21; and 22-year-old Colton Herta and 23-year-old Pato O’Ward, if they’re not pulled to Formula One for extended stretches of their careers.
“There’s definitely a lot of talent, but it also takes a lot of luck to make that happen,” said owner/driver Ed Carpenter, whose team includes VeeKay. “There’s plenty of people that’ve come along that have what it takes to win four or more, but it’s not as simple as that in a 500-mile race.
“I’m sure it’ll happen eventually; whether Helio creates a new club or someone else (joins), time will tell.”