Older drivers feeling pressure
Castroneves, 42, not ready to walk away from sport he loves.
INDIANAPOLIS — Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves watched from afar as NASCAR stars Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart retired and Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced that he will step away after the season.
Castroneves is far from jealous. But he is definitely curious.
After all, there’s no denying that Castroneves and fellow 42-year-old IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan are in the backstretch of their racing careers. Although no one is questioning their driving ability, age is always a factor in regards to sponsorship, so this could be their final Indy 500.
Neither expects that to be the case, but they are realistic and understand the inevitable is coming sooner rather than later.
Castroneves, one of openwheel racing’s biggest stars, wants desperately to win another Indy 500 before calling it quits. The Penske Racing fixture is looking to tie A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, A.J. Fort and Al Unser Sr. as the only four-time race winners.
“We don’t want to think about anything in terms of hanging up the shoes or the steering wheel. We want to keep going until we achieve everything,” Castroneves said Thursday at Indy 500 media day.
“But you always look at what’s next and who’s doing what and what’s going to happen to you.”
Castroneves acknowledged that walking would be even tougher if he won a fourth Indy 500. The push then to become the first driver with five would be too great a challenge to give up.
“I don’t think you can plan those situations very well,” Castroneves said. “I think it has to happen in the spur in the moment.
Kanaan’s exit appears to be even more imminent. Earlier this season, team owner Chip Ganassi was noncommittal about Kanaan’s future, saying only that IndyCar’s Ironman has a future within the organization.
“I understand a lot of the situation it becomes sponsorship, and sometimes when you get to a certain age, the team has got to look for its own interest,” Kanaan said.
The bi g ge s t i s s ue wit h sticking around: Teams are always looking for the next rising star, a young driver with infinite potential behind the wheel and in front of the television cameras.
NA S C A R q u a l i f y i n g : Kevin Harvick will start on the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, while Cup Series point leader Kyle Larson will begin NASCAR’s longest race at the rear of the field.
Harvick turned a lap of 193.424 mph on the 11/2-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway oval Thursday night. It’s only the second time a Ford has won the pole in the last 16 Cup races at Charlotte.
“I t w a s b r e a t h t a k i n g because it was so edgy to drive,” Harvick said. “But loose is fast.”
Kyle Busch, the All-Star ra c e winner S a t urday at t he Charl ot t e t r a c k , wil l start alongside Harvick on the front row. Chase Elliott will start third, followed by Matt Kenseth, Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin.
L a r s o n’s c a r f a i l e d t o get through prequalifying inspection in time for him to make a qualifying lap.