Helio Castroneves Is Chasing More History at the Indianapolis 500
Welcome to the greatest weekend in auto racing.
On Sunday, 33 drivers will compete in the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. Of those 33, one has the opportunity to make true history: Helio Castroneves.
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Should the 49-year-old win, he will become the only driver in history to win the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” five times. Castroneves’ four wins currently matches legendary drivers A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears.
This year, Castroneves will pilot the No. 06 Cliffs Honda. Partnered with Meyer Shank Racing, he captured his most recent 500 title with this team in 2021. It was announced earlier this year that Castroneves is now a minority partner in the team, splitting his time between the pit stand and the cockpit. He will start in the center of row seven after being shut out of the fastest qualifiers. While this is the 23rd straight Indy 500 that Castroneves will race, it’s the fourth time in five years that he has qualified 20th or worse.
More than any race on the IndyCar schedule, Indianapolis is known for its unpredictability. The winningest team in the paddock, Team Penske, has been plagued with accusations of cheating in an earlier race this season. The team launched an internal investigation and has issued a statement that multiple engineers, including its president Tim Cindric, will be suspended for the month of May and will have to sit out the largest race of the year. Despite the turmoil, the Penske cars qualified first, second and third fastest for Indy, commanding the front row.
This year’s 500 will include a celebrity entrant in NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. Larson will be the fifth driver to attempt ‘double duty’ of racing both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day (weather permitting.) The IndyCar/NASCAR changeup includes flying between Indianapolisand Charlotte, N.C., medical observation (usually an IV), and a lot of mental stamina. Only Tony Stewart has completed every lap of both races on the same day, topping 1,100 miles. Larson will start the IndyCar race fifth-fastest and will finalize his NASCAR cup race staring position on Saturday.
A shadow lurking behind the camera is IndyCar’s broadcast rights battle. NBCUniversal has held the exclusive rights since 2019 and was a league partner for many seasons before that, splitting the schedule with ABC/ESPN. As the new contract comes up for discussion, experts within the industry now say that the chances are 50/50 that the league stays with the Peacock. Earlier this year, Fox was seen as the favorite to win the bid, per the IndyStar and other local reporters.
The largest single-day sporting event in the world, the Indy 500 course is the oldest still-operational facility in racing. Businessman and longtime team owner Roger Penske purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the league from the Hulman family in 2019. Penske also owns teams that race in multiple disciplines, including IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA.
Last year, the total purse paid out to the field of contestants was the highest in history at $17 million. That race’s winner, Josef Newgarden, took home $3.66 million. The numbers for 2024 have yet to be released. Castroneves earned the most of any driver in the history of the race, with a combined $15.5 million at Indy that includes nearly $500,000 from his 15th place finish last year.
Nicknamed “Spider-Man” because of how he climbs the fencing behind the track after his victories, Castroneves is a long-time fan favorite. Though he is already a part of the Mount Rushmore of Indy 500 lore, winning a fifth title would boost him to an elite status. On Sunday, 300,000-plus race fans in Indianapolis and millions more around the globe will be watching in hopes of seeing him drink the famed bottle of milk at victory lane.
With assistance from Jason Clinkscales.
Editor’s note: The Indianapolis 500 race, IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are owned by Penske Entertainment Corporation, which is a subsidiary of Penske Corporation that is owned and operated by Roger Penske. Sportico is owned by Penske Media Corporation, operated by Jay Penske, Roger’s son. PMC operates independently of Penske Corporation.
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