He debuted in the Indy Racing League (IRL) in 2001, competing in two races for Penske and winning the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves drove full time in the IRL from 2002, winning the Indy 500 for a second straight year and finishing runner-up to Sam Hornish Jr. in the championship. He finished third in 2003 and 2006 and was runner-up to Scott Dixon in 2008. During the 2009 season, he won the Indianapolis 500 for the third time, and was fourth three times over the next four seasons, before coming second to Dixon in 2013, and his Penske teammate Will Power in 2014. Castroneves achieved one further series win in 2017 before leaving full-time IndyCar racing to make his IMSA SportsCar Championship debut with Penske at the 2017 Petit Le Mans, paired with Ricky Taylor. He won one race and finished seventh in the 2018 Prototype standings and improved to third with five podiums in 2019. In 2020, he would win three races in a row and his first auto racing title.
Castroneves was born in São Paulo, Brazil on 10 May 1975,[1][2] to automobile dealer Hélio Castro Neves and former school teacher Sandra Alves de Castro Neves.[3][4] He has an elder sister, Katiucia,[5] who is his business manager.[6] In 1977, the family moved to Ribeirão Preto,[7] an agricultural town about 150 mi (240 km) northwest of São Paulo,[5][6] to allow his father to find business in the region's thriving ethanol processing industry.[3] He was educated in the São Paulo school system.[8] In 2000, he changed his surname from Castro Neves to Castroneves to stop the media misidentifying him as "Helio Neves" or "Helio Castro".[9] Castroneves has a daughter with his long-time partner Adriana Henao.[10]
Karting career
From early 1981 to 1986, Castroneves observed his father's minor stock car team race on weekends by being sneaked into a car's trunk in racing overalls and helmet, allowing him into a circuit.[a][6] At age seven, he was given a child-sized motorized car for frequent driving on the streets of his gated community and asked his father about a go-kart.[11] On his 11th birthday, Castroneves received his first go-kart from race car driver Alfredo Guaraná Menezes,[3] and began driving at a karting track in São Paulo.[6] His mother disliked racing, urging him to focus on schooling and enrolling him in less dangerous sports,[6] such as association football, judo, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. Castroneves played those sports infrequently before telling his mother he wanted to focus on racing.[12] He was inspired by Ayrton Senna, a three-time Formula One world champion.[13]
His father enrolled him in the Karting State Championships in São Paulo in early 1987. Castroneves won his first trophy mid-year by bettering himself, as his father sold his Rio de Janeiro property to establish and finance a karting team around his son.[12] At age 13, he was taken off full-time schooling to learn more about karting from his father and team members. Castroneves' mother disapproved because she believed he could opt to stop karting and was fearful of him not having a backup career.[7] Castroneves won the 1989 Brazilian National Go-Kart Championship at age 14.[11] Around this time, he and his family began watching Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and Formula One racing on television. From October 1989 to March 1990, Castroneves did weightlifting and played tennis to improve his physique.[14]
In 1990, he forfeited the Brazilian National Go-Kart Championship and flew to Italy to enter the Karting World Cup to acquaint himself with the more powerful and grippier European go-karts. A mix-up of his registration papers with the Confederação Brasileira de Automobilismo (English: Brazilian Autosport Confederation) and talks with the Commission Internationale de Karting in Switzerland prevented him from entering until a fellow karter sustained an arm injury. Castroneves finished the race 16th.[15] He raced in the 1991 Karting World Cup in France without registration trouble,[15] finishing 25th,[16] and won more races in Brazil.[15]
Junior car racing career
Aged 16 in late 1991, Castroneves progressed into car racing, competing in Formula Chevrolet Brazil, a series for finishing go-karters. His parents hired a trainer to help him lift weights for better car control and took him to a local recreational center. Negotiations to drive for the Arisco team fell through when it asked for $200,000 in sponsorship, causing his father to spend $250,000 on his team.[17] Driving a Copral-Berta-Chevrolet car, Castroneves was championship runner-up with one victory and 92 points in the eight-round season. He moved to the higher-tier Formula 3 (F3) Sudamericana in 1993 driving a Ralt RT34-Mugen Honda car with Copral and later the funded Amir Nasr Racing Team.[b][16][19] Castroneves' five-year-old car was worn and had no aerial to communicate to his team by radio.[c][6] He was championship runner-up to Argentinean driver Fernando Croceri with four victories, eight podium finishes and 57 points.[d][16]
Helio Castro Neves, Paul Stewart Racing, British F3, Donington, 1995
In November 1995, a Philip Morris International executive asked Castroneves whether he wanted to enter a four-day Indy Lights (CART's developmental series) test session at Phoenix International Raceway's oval track against nine other drivers. Although he did not finish the test due to exhaustion, he signed to drive Tasman Motorsports' third car with partial funding from the team and the rest from a corporate sponsor after another year in F3 was financially unfeasible.[20] Driving the No. 8 Lola T93/20-Buick car in the 1996 season,[21] Castroneves won at Circuit Trois-Rivières and achieved seven top-tens for seventh overall with 84 points.[22] A series of accidents and Castroneves' lack of English frustrated him, and he briefly spoke to a sports psychologist for help mid-season.[e][6]
For the 1997 season, he remained at Tasman Motorsport, but was told his sponsor was leaving, forcing Katicia to promote him to several Brazilian companies. He and team owner Steve Horne agreed if he won five races, Horne would retain all prize monies until Castroneves paid him what he was owed, effectively driving for free.[25] Driving the No. 29 Lola T97/20-Buick car,[16] Castroneves was championship runner-up to teammate Tony Kanaan,[26] winning three of the twelve races, six top tens, four pole positions, and 152 points.[22] On 11 June 1997, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi became Castroneves' manager and sponsorship finder.[27][28]
In mid-1998 Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) wanted Castroneves to replace the Formula One-bound Alex Zanardi; Team Rahal were also interested in him. Fittipaldi blocked both deals as he felt Mercedes-Benz was CART's best engine.[30] Bettenhausen Racing fired Castroneves in January 1999, and replaced him with the sponsored Shigeaki Hattori.[32] Castroneves agreed with team owner Carl Hogan on 26 January to drive for Hogan Racing in 1999 in place of JJ Lehto on the condition he paid $3 million in sponsorship to the team.[28][30] He drove the unreliable No. 9 Lola B99/00-Mercedes-Benz car with an engine inconsistent in producing power.[31][33][34][35] Castroneves was ninth in the Firestone Firehawk 500K at Twin Ring Motegi, before coming second in the Motorola 300 at Gateway International Raceway.[31] In the Miller Lite 225 at Milwaukee, Castroneves achieved his first CART pole position.[36] The rest of the season saw him achieve four more top-tens and finished 15th in the points standings with 48.[31]
2000–2001
Post-season, Hogan closed his CART team because Fittipaldi was unable to provide him with the requested sponsorship money and consequently, stopped paying Castroneves a salary.[37] Castroneves and his sister negotiated without Fittipaldi's help with Walker Racing to replace the outgoing Gil de Ferran and also Team Rahal without success.[38] Following Greg Moore's death in an accident at the season-ending Marlboro 500 at California Speedway, Penske owner Roger Penske, team president Tim Cindric, attorneys, and sports agent Alan Miller hired Castroneves on a three-year contract for Castroneves after pressure from sponsor Marlboro to find a replacement driver by that date. Castroneves ended his working relationship with Fittipaldi soon after for career mismanagement.[f][39]
For the 2000 season, Penske stopped building cars, switched to a Reynard 2KI, changed engine manufacturers from Mercedes-Benz to Honda, and tire supplier from Goodyear to Firestone in a bid to improve performance.[33][40] Castroneves found the Honda engine's driveability different from Mercedes-Benz's,[41] and was at first, not friends with his teammate de Ferran because they were competitors.[42] He finished second at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, his only points finish in the first six races. He led the final 24 laps of the Grand Prix of Detroit in his first series victory after Juan Pablo Montoya retired with mechanical trouble. Castroneves won the Miller Lite 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, took five top-tens, and a third victory in the Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca.[40] He was seventh in the drivers' championship with 129 points,[31] and was named the inaugural winner of the Greg Moore Legacy Award as "the driver who best typifies Moore's outstanding talent on the track as well as displaying a dynamic personality with the fans, media, and the CART community."[43]
In 2001, he drove the No. 3 Reynard 01I-Honda,[33] and journalist David Phillips considered him a championship contender.[44] Castroneves changed his strategy on a race-by-race basis, getting support from de Ferran and his teammate's pit crew.[45] At the season's second race, the Grand Prix of Long Beach, he led all 82 laps from pole position for his fourth career win.[46] Castroneves started from pole position in the Firestone Firehawk 500 at Motegi, leading more laps than any other driver to finish second, and led every lap of the Grand Prix of Detroit for his second victory of 2001.[47] He achieved a third win at the Miller Lite 200 to go one point behind championship leader Kenny Bräck,[48] and overtook the latter after finishing seventh in the Motorola 220.[49] Castroneves lost the points lead after coming 18th in Indy Vancouver, but claimed three top sixes in the final six races to finish fourth in the drivers' standings with 141 points.[31]
IndyCar Series
2001–2004
He debuted in the Indy Racing League (IRL) in 2001, driving Penske's No. 68 Dallara IR-01-Oldsmobile car,[31][33] at the season-opening Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 at Phoenix to understand the series before the Indianapolis 500.[50] Castroneves started 17th but retired with engine failure after three-quarters race distance.[47] He qualified 11th for his first Indianapolis 500 and led the final 52 laps to win the race at his first attempt.[51]
Castroneves en route to winning the 2002 Indianapolis 500, his second of four victories at the race.
Castroneves switched to the IRL from the 2002 season since Marlboro wanted Penske to focus on the American market.[47] Penske changed engine manufacturers from Oldsmobile to Chevrolet for its Dallara IR-02 car.[33] At Phoenix for the season's second race, he won from pole position after passing his teammate de Ferran on the 183rd lap.[52] Castroneves' season highlight was the Indianapolis 500, which he won in controversial circumstances. With one-and-a-half laps remaining, CART driver Paul Tracy overtook Castroneves for the lead, just as the yellow caution flag light came on for a two-car accident between Buddy Lazier and Laurent Redon. IRL officials' rejected an appeal from Tracy's squad Team Green, upholding Castroneves' second successive Indianapolis 500 victory.[g][1][54] He finished no lower than ninth in the next nine races,[31] battling his teammate De Ferran and Panther Racing's Sam Hornish Jr. for the championship.[55] Before the final round at Texas Motor Speedway Castroneves was 12 points behind Hornish and needed to win the race and for Hornish to finish third or lower to claim the championship.[56] He finished second, 0.010 seconds behind Hornish,[54] ending the season runner-up with 511 points.[31]
Before the 2003 season, Penske allowed Castroneves to test for the Toyota Formula One team at Circuit Paul Ricard in France before possible contract renewal. He impressed Toyota with his performance but was told CART champion Cristiano da Matta signed as a race driver for 2003. Castroneves told Penske he would stay with the team, citing his fair and loyal treatment towards him.[57] The beginning of the season saw Castroneves earn two top threes in Homestead-Miami, Phoenix, and the Indianapolis 500.[31] Castroneves took two straight second places at Richmond International Raceway and Kansas Speedway and won at Gateway International Raceway and Nazareth Speedway to take the points to lead. A gearbox failure at Chicagoland Speedway leaving him 20th and a sixth in California meant he entered the season-ending Chevy 500 at Texas as one of five championship contenders and equal on points with CGR's Scott Dixon. A minor collision with Tony Kanaan took Castroneves out of title contention.[58] He was third in points with 484 scored.[31]
For the 2004 season, Hornish joined Castroneves at Penske after De Ferran retired from IndyCar;[59] at first, the two did not speak to each other often because of their differing personalities.[60] He led most of the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 before Hornish passed him on the final lap to win. Castroneves qualified eighth for his fourth Indianapolis 500. A lack of horsepower against the Honda-powered cars caused him to finish the rain-shortened race ninth. Two races later, Castroneves' first pole position of the season came in the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond, where he finished third.[61] He took eight more top tens, four pole positions,[31] and overtook Andretti Green Racing's Dan Wheldon to lead the final 21 laps of the season-ending race at Texas for his only win of 2004.[61] Castroneves' finished fourth in the drivers' championship with 440 points.[31]
2005–2008
Penske's performance in 2004 saw Castroneves being viewed as an outsider for the 2005 title. He began the season with a fifth place in the Toyota Indy 300 and a second at the following XM Satellite Radio 200.[62] Starting the Indianapolis 500 from fifth position, Castroneves finished the race four places lower in ninth.[31] At Richmond for the SunTrust Indy Challenge two races later, he qualified second and led a race-high 112 laps to win.[63] The relationship between Castroneves and his teammate Hornish cooled after failed overtakes causing both drivers to collide.[62] He qualified on the pole position at Pikes Peak International Raceway and Watkins Glen International and took six top-tens in the final ten races,[62] finishing with 440 points for sixth in the drivers' championship.[31]
Before the 2006 season, Penske changed engine manufacturers from the under-powered Toyota to the more powerful Honda in its Dallara IR-05 car after Toyota withdrew from IndyCar.[64][33] Castroneves started fifth and led 40 laps for his first series road course win in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.[31] He took a second successive victory at Motegi, leading 184 laps from pole position to lead Wheldon by 42 championship points entering the Indianapolis 500.[64] After qualifying second, handling difficulties caused him to strike the turn four concrete barrier,[64] leaving him 25th after 109 laps.[31] Castroneves won the Bombardier LearJet 500 after strategic errors by his teammate Hornish and CGR before tire problems at Kansas and a sixth place at Kansas lost him the points lead to Hornish. A victory at Michigan International Speedway gave Castroneves a one-point lead over Hornish going into the final race in Chicago.[64] A fourth-place put him third in points with 473.[31]
For the 2007 season, Castroneves believed the competition would be stronger than in 2006.[65] The relationship between him and Hornish became cordial and the two shared information.[60] He began the year with four top nines,[31] leading 95 laps from pole position to win the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.[66] He took his third career Indianapolis 500 pole position,[31] finishing the rain-shortened race third after pre-race electrical and fueling problems.[67] At the ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225 at Milwaukee a week later, he took his third pole position of 2007, but a rear wing mounting failure on lap 201 caused him to crash while leading.[68] Castroneves took six top-nines, and three more pole positions in the final ten races for sixth overall in points with 446.[31]
Castroneves began the 2008 season by finishing no lower than fourth in the first four rounds with consecutive second places at St. Petersburg and Motegi to take the early points lead.[69] He qualified fourth for the Indianapolis 500;[31] Castroneves lost the points lead to Dixon when front wing damage relegated him to fourth.[70] He finished second in both Texas and Richmond with consecutive pole positions at Nashville and Mid-Ohio, both of which did not result in a race victory.[31] Castroneves won the Peak Antifreeze Indy Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway leading a race-high 51 laps from pole position to end a 29-race winless streak.[71] After finishing second in Detroit for illegally blocking Justin Wilson, he entered the season-ending Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 30 points behind championship leader Dixon. Castroneves needed to win the race and for Dixon to finish 11th or lower to become the champion.[72] He began in 28th due to a track limit penalty, beating Dixon by 0.0033 seconds in the second-closest finish in series history,[73] ending the season second in points with 629.[31]
Tax evasion trial
In late 2008, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) jury charged Castroneves with conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion for failing to report $5.5 million of income earned from 1999 to 2004.[h] The issue came about when Alan Miller signed Castroneves to his first contract with Penske in early November 1999 following Greg Moore's sudden death at the 1999 Marlboro 500. With heavy pressure from sponsors to fill Moore's vacant seat, the deal had to be completed in a matter of days. Due to time constraints, Miller rushed through the contract negotiations for Penske, simply striking out Moore's name on the contract documents, and hand-writing in Castroneves' name. He also struck out the name of Moore's promotion company (Greg Moore Enterprises, which Moore owned) and wrote in Seven Promotions, erroneously implying and identifying Castroneves as owning that company.[37] Castroneves, who had been investigated by the IRS since 2004 when it issued 150 subpoenas to businesses and individuals who did business with him,[75] pleaded not guilty to the charges on 3 October, and was ordered released on a $10 million bail.[76] The IRS said he owed them $2.3 million in taxes.[77] The trial was held in March 2009 at the U.S. District Court in Miami. A guilty verdict in the trial would have likely sent Castroneves to prison, and ended his driving career.[78][79]
During the trial, his indictment centered around whether he used Seven Promotions as a tax shelter to avoid paying U.S. taxes. The defense claimed Seven Promotions was a Panamanian company created by Castroneves' father (Helio Sr.) in early 1999 to improve his son's image in Brazil and to recruit sponsors. Prosecutors called that a lie, showing jurors documents claiming Castroneves owned Seven Productions, and that it was merely a shell corporation set up to obscure taxable income. An IRS agent testified Castroneves owed every amount of taxable income despite the driver not receiving any of it.[i][80] The defense argued Castroneves focused on racing rather than his income; he was unaware of his finances and disliked Dutch and Panamanian business dealings. They said he was uninterested and could not understand his finances and signed papers without knowing their meaning.[81] They also affirmed that the listing of Castroneves as the owner of Seven Promotions in the original Penske contract was a 'clerical error', and that other holes were later discovered in the contract, a result of haphazardly rushing through the negotiations.[37]
The trial ended with closing arguments on 10 April 2009. If found guilty, he faced a maximum prison sentence of 61⁄2 years with subsequent deportation because he was a non-American citizen, and the loss of his contracts with companies he endorsed and with Team Penske.[81] The jury deliberated until 17 April, when it acquitted Castroneves of the six counts of criminal tax evasion but hung on the conspiracy charge. On 22 May, with Castroneves at Indianapolis and back to driving, prosecutors dropped the remaining criminal conspiracy charge.[80] A few months later, Castroneves and his attorneys hand-delivered a check to the IRS for back taxes owed, seemingly closing the issue once and for all. About two years later, the IRS filed a $6.21 million civil lawsuit against Castroneves for additional taxes and fraud penalties.[82] The suit was settled before going to court for approximately 10 percent of what the IRS claimed.[83]
2009–2013
Castroneves driving in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, his third victory at the race.Castroneves at Carb Day prior to the 2010 Indianapolis 500
Castroneves signed a multi-year contract with Penske from the 2009 season;[84]Will Power replaced him for the season-opening St. Petersburg race before Castroneves returned for the Grand Prix of Long Beach.[77] Castroneves' season highlight was the Indianapolis 500, where he qualified fastest, and led twice for a total of 66 laps for his third victory there.[85] In the Bombardier Learjet 550 at Texas two races later, Castroneves achieved his second victory of 2009.[86] He took six more top-tens, including a second place in the Edmonton Indy,[31] and pole position in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway.[87] Castroneves was eliminated from championship contention at Chicago,[88] and finished fourth overall with 433 points.[31]
For the 2010 season, he felt Penske had reached the potential of its ageing Dallara-Honda car, and feared other teams would exploit this to close the performance gap.[89] Castroneves won the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama to extend his record of winning a race to ten straight seasons.[90] After qualifying on pole position for the Indianapolis 500, a stall in a pit stop relegated him to ninth.[91] Five races later, at the Honda Indy Edmonton, Castroneves was the first to finish, but was demoted to tenth after he was deemed to have blocked his teammate Power.[92] He won two consecutive races, at Kentucky Speedway and Motegi, before ending the season with a fifth at Homestead-Miami. With 531 points, Castroneves was fourth in the drivers' standings.[31]
The beginning of the 2011 season saw him struggle in comparison with his previous years at Penske. Castroneves finished poorly as a result of three collisions in the first four races in St. Petersburg, Long Beach and São Paulo; his best result in that period was a seventh at Birmingham, putting him 17th overall by the time of the Indianapolis 500 in May.[93][94] Castroneves qualified 16th for the race;[31] a flat tire and vibration left him one lap down in 17th.[95] The rest of Castroneves' season included two-second places at Edmonton and Sonoma, and three top-nines. He was 11th overall with 312 points, his lowest finish since he was sixth in both 2005 and 2007. The 2011 season was the first since 1999 in which Castroneves did not achieve a race win.[31]
He signed a contract extension with Penske prior to the 2012 season.[96] At the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Castroneves passed J. R. Hildebrand with 26 laps to go to win.[97] He took pole position for the following Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and finished third.[31] In the Indianapolis 500, Castroneves qualified sixth, but finished tenth due to his car lacking downforce.[98] He then took three sixth places at Milwaukee, Iowa and Toronto. and won the Edmonton Indy to draw within 23 points of championship leader Ryan Hunter-Reay.[99] Castroneves ended the season with three more top-tens for fourth overall with 431 points.[31]
Castroneves re-signed with Penske for the 2013 season;[100] the team modified his car in the off-season.[101] Two podiums in the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the following Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama gave him the points lead.[102] Castroneves fell to third after finishing 13th in the São Paulo Indy 300,[103] He qualified eighth for the Indianapolis 500;[31]rev limiter issues left him in sixth.[104] In the Firestone 550 at Texas, Castroneves led the final 132 laps to win, breaking a tie with Marco Andretti for the points lead.[105] Castroneves took two more second places at Milwaukee and the second Toronto race and finished no lower than ninth in the next eight races.[31] An opportunity for him to win the championship before the season was over came to nothing when gearbox problems in the Grand Prix of Houston double leader dropped 25 points behind Dixon.[106][107] To win the championship in the season-ending MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships, Castroneves needed to finish nine positions higher than Dixon.[108] A sixth place for Castroneves and a fifth for Dixon gave Castroneves second overall with 550 points.[109]
He remained with Penske for the 2014 season.[101] Castrovenes finished third at the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis three races later.[110] He qualified fourth for the Indianapolis 500,[31] and finished second, 0.0600 seconds behind Hunter-Reay in the second-closest finish in event history after a late race duel for the victory.[111] He took pole position for the first Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix race and won the second.[112] After three straight sub-par results,[110] Castroneves finished second in the Pocono IndyCar 500 at Pocono Raceway to tie his teammate Will Power for the points lead,[113] which took after finishing eighth in the Iowa Corn Indy 300.[114] He relinquished the points lead after a throttle problem left him 19th in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.[115] Entering the final race, the MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships, Castroneves was 51 points behind Power.[110] After winning the one point for the pole position, he had to claim victory and for Power to finish seventh or lower to become the champion.[116] Castroneves placed 14th for second overall with 609 points.[31]
Castroneves sitting in his car on the final day of practice for the 2015 Indianapolis 500
For the 2015 season, his Penske car was fitted with Chevrolet's updated aerodynamic package.[117] Castroneves achieved consecutive second places in the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana and the Grand Prix of Long Beach and two pole positions.[31] During practice for the Indianapolis 500, he lost control of his car in the first turn, and struck the barrier, flipping his car over 180 degrees and landing upside down.[118] He started fifth and ran consistently within the top five but finished seventh.[119] The rest of the season saw Castroneves achieve consecutive third places in the Firestone 600 and the Honda Indy Toronto and was second in the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 along with two more pole positions for fourth overall with 453 points.[31]
Castroneves stayed with Penske for the 2016 season. At the Grand Prix of Long Beach, he led a race-high 47 laps from pole position but a strategy error left him third.[120] Castroneves took another podium finish two races later, a second place at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.[121] After qualifying ninth for the Indianapolis 500, he led 24 laps, finishing 11th after a lap-160 collision with Hildebrand dislodged Castroneves' left-rear bumper pod.[122][123] Castroneves achieved two more podium finishes, a second in the Honda Indy Toronto,[124] and a third in the IndyCar Grand Prix at the Glen.[31] In the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono, the top of his vehicle was mounted by Alexander Rossi's airborne car after Rossi and Charlie Kimball collided in the pit lane. Castroneves was uninjured from the impact.[125] With 504 points, Castroneves was fourth in the drivers' championship.[31]
He remained at Penske for the 2017 season. Castrovenes began with his third successive pole position at the Grand Prix of Long Beach; electrical problems left him ninth.[126] He led the first 73 laps of the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix for fourth after winning pole.[127] Castroneves began from a career-low 19th in the Indianapolis 500, moving through the field to finish second after a late race duel for the win with Takuma Sato.[128] He earned his 50th pole position in the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America,[129] and went on to lead 214 laps in his first victory in 54 races in the Iowa Corn 300.[130] Castroneves finished no lower than eighth in the next five races,[31] and entered the season's final race, the Grand Prix of Sonoma 22 points behind championship leader and teammate Josef Newgarden and 19 behind Dixon. A victory and Newgarden finishing third or lower and Dixon second or worse would give Castroneves the title.[131] He finished in fifth place to be fourth overall with 598 points.[132]
2018–2024
Castroneves driving in the 2021 Indianapolis 500, his record-tying fourth victory in the race.
Post-season, he stepped down from IndyCar full-time to move to Penske's IMSA SportsCar Championship program.[133] Castroneves was entered into both the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 as part of his 2018 campaign; he prepared for the races by sharing notes with his teammates and familiarizing himself with the car.[134][135] Castroneves' team employed a strategy allowing him to finish sixth in the IndyCar Grand Prix.[135] At the Indianapolis 500, he started from eighth place, before losing control of his car in turn four and crashing on the 146th lap for a 27th-place finish.[136] In the 2019 season, he again entered both the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves finished the IndyCar Grand Prix two laps behind the leaders in 21st.[137] He started 12th in the Indianapolis 500,[31] finishing the race 18th following a pit lane collision with the rear of James Davison's car earning him a drive-through penalty.[138] He began the 2020 Indianapolis 500 from 27th and finished the race in 11th.[139]
Castroneves signed to race for Arrow McLaren SP in place of the unfit Oliver Askew at the Harvest Grand Prix in his first IndyCar start for a team other than Penske since 1999.[140] He finished 20th in the first race and 21st in the second.[31] Following an approach by team owner Michael Shank in late 2020,[141] Castroneves signed for the small Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) team to compete at six races in the 2021 season,[141] feeling the growing team would give him the opportunity to win a fourth Indianapolis 500.[142] He had asked MSR to enter him in more races but the request was denied.[142] At the Indianapolis 500, Castroneves achieved his record-tying fourth career victory in the event after a late-race pass on Álex Palou.[143] He struggled with his form after his victory,[144] and he went on to score one more top ten finish at Nashville in his final five races of 2021 to finish 22nd overall with 158 points.[31]
In July 2021 he signed a contract extension with MSR to drive for the whole of the 2022 season – his first full-time season for five years.[141][145] Castroneves achieved a season-best result of seventh at the Indianapolis 500 and scored two other top-ten finishes at Long Beach and Mid-Ohio in placing 18th overall with 263 points accumulated,[31] which was his least successful full-time IndyCar season in his career and he did not finish on the podium over a whole year for the first time in his career.[146] In August 2022, he signed a one-year contract extension to remain at MSR for the 2023 championship.[147] During the season, Castroneves finished in the top ten once at Texas, the season's second round, and scored 217 points for 18th in the championship standings.[31]
Castroneves stopped full-time IndyCar racing at the start of the 2024 season, having become a minority partner in MSR's ownership group and a driver coach. He was replaced by IMSA driver Tom Blomqvist but was set to continue to compete in just the Indianapolis 500 in MSR's third car.[148][149] Castroneves qualified and finished the Indianapolis 500 in 20th.[31] He replaced Blomqvist in the No. 66 car for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix and the following XPEL Grand Prix at Road America after Blomqvist under performed relative to teammate Rosenqvist.[150] Castroneves finished 25th in Detroit and 19th at Road America.[31]
In 2016, Roger Penske asked Castroneves if he wanted a full time sports car career.[133] Although Castroneves wanted to remain in IndyCar,[157] he solicited advice from Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears because he had doubts about staying at Penske. Mears told Castroneves to remain at Penske because of Roger Penske's personality. Talks with several teams came close to employment but Castroneves decided to remain with Penske out of loyalty.[158] To prepare for the 2018 IMSA SportsCar Championship in a Acura ARX-05 car in the Daytona Prototype International (DPi) category, he drove the final race of the 2017 season, the Petit Le Mans.[159] Teamed with Montoya and Simon Pagenaud, he qualified the No. 6 Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 car on pole position,[160] finishing the race third after a collision with Matteo Cressoni's Ferrari.[152][161]
He formally joined Penske's 2018 IMSA program in October 2017.[162] Castroneves was joined by Ricky Taylor for the entire season, and by Graham Rahal for the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.[152] He referenced his teammates Dane Cameron and Montoya,[163] and communicated constantly with his race engineer and Taylor.[164] Their car started second for the Daytona race, and finished ninth,[152] after Castroneves and Action Express Racing's Felipe Nasr collided in the 16th hour.[165] After starting third at Sebring, he retired after six hours with a loss of oil pressure.[166] In the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio he and Taylor led 87 laps from pole for his first series victory.[167] The final six races saw him achieve four top tens and finish second in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Detroit.[152] Castroneves was seventh in the Prototype drivers' standings with 243 points and was third in the North American Endurance Cup.[168]
For the 2019 season, he remained at Penske in the new DPi class. He again partnered Taylor in the No. 7 car, joined by Rossi at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring and Rahal in the season-ending Petit Le Mans.[152] Castroneves and his co-drivers finished the rain-shortened Daytona season-opener third from starting second.[169] A fourth place at Sebring and a second in the following BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach moved him and Taylor to a season-high second in the DPi standings.[170] The rest of the season saw Castroneves and Taylor achieve two third places in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic and the Petit Le Mans and a second place in the Monterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca.[152] With 284 points, he finished third in the DPi standings and was joint fifth with Oliver Jarvis and Tristan Nunez of Mazda Team Joest in the North American Endurance Cup.[168]
Castroneves remained at Penske's IMSA program in 2020. He was again teamed with Taylor in the No. 7 vehicle, with Rossi joining them for the endurance races.[171] Castroneves' team was comprised in the fourth hour of the season-opening 24 Hours of Daytona following a collision with Harry Tincknell restricting them to finishing 22 laps down in eighth.[172] He won consecutive races in the rain-affected Road Race Showcase at Road America from pole position,[173] the Grand Prix of Road Atlanta,[174] and the Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio.[175] Castroneves and Taylor won the championship at the season-ending 12 Hours of Sebring, his first in auto racing, by one point over Briscoe and Renger van der Zande.[176]
In the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship, he won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona as an endurance driver, sharing the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 car with Filipe Albuquerque, Rossi and Taylor.[177] Castroneves replaced Olivier Pla in the No. 60 MSR Acura ARX-05 DPi car he shared with Montoya and Cameron at the season-ending Petit Le Mans.[178] He shared MSR's No. 60 Acura ARX-05 entry for the Endurance Cup races of the 2022 IMSA season alongside full-season racers Tom Blomqvist and Jarvis as he returned to competing in IndyCar full-time.[179][180] Castroneves fended off Taylor in the final laps of the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona to win the event for the second year in succession.[181] Although he was set to enter both the 12 Hours of Sebring and the IndyCar round at Texas that were held on the same weekend, he later withdrew from the Sebring race due to logistical complications and he was replaced by Stoffel Vandoorne.[182] Castroneves went on to win the season-ending Petit Le Mans alongside Blomqvist and Jarvis.[183]
At the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona, Castroneves achieved his third consecutive victory in the race, sharing the No. 60 MSR Acura ARX-06LMDh entry with Blomqvist, Colin Braun and Pagenaud as an endurance driver in the GTP category.[184][185] He then finished sixth at the 12 Hours of Sebring following a left-rear wheel suspension failure.[186] Castroneves, Blomqvist and Braun won the season-ending Petit Le Mans after overcoming a collision with a slower GT car that necessitated a toe-link replacement.[187] MSR left IMSA following the race primarily due to IMSA deciding that the team manipulated tyre data pressure at Daytona, so Castroneves did not compete at the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona.[180][188]
In late 2012, Castroneves joined Shell Racing in the season-ending Stock Car Brasil race, the Stock Car Corrida do Milhão, after a sponsor invited him to enter with Roger Penske's support.[192] He placed 14th in a Peugeot 408.[16] Castroneves was signed as a guest driver for Shell Racing in the seventh round of the 2013 Stock Car Brasil at Ribeirão Preto Street Circuit;[193] doctors ordered his withdrawal due to sustaining bruised ribs, neck sprain and a deep shin cut in a practice accident.[194]
For the 2022 Race of Champions, Castroneves competed in the individual competition and for Team Latin America in the Nations Cup alongside rally driver Benito Guerra Jr.[202] He was eliminated in the first round of both events.[203]
Media appearances
Castroneves was encouraged by Apolo Ohno, an Olympic speed skater, to participate on dance program Dancing with the Stars in 2007.[204] He was accepted onto its fifth season by the casting director and producers, who watched a video of him and his teammate's Hornish driving styles in different locations.[j] He was paired with professional dancer Julianne Hough, with whom he built a rapport due to their similar personalities. He prepared by watching episodes of the fourth season and instruction videos.[k][205] The couple lasted until the finals, which they won with a higher percentage of the public vote than singer Mel B.[206] When he won Dancing with the Stars Castroneves appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in February 2008.[207] From 2007 to 2010, he was a correspondent on Dancing with the Stars for Entertainment Tonight.[69][208][209]
In 2010, he collaborated with writer Marissa Matteo on his autobiography, Victory Road: The Ride of My Life.[24] Castroneves was inspired to write the book to convey his negative emotions in his tax evasion trial and how he dealt with them.[13] He was selected to be a judge on Miss Universe 2011, a beauty pageant held that September in São Paulo.[210] In 2012 Castroneves appeared on Dancing with the Stars'15th season and was partnered with Chelsie Hightower. The couple were eliminated in the competition's third week.[211] Castroneves appeared on the 17 December 2012 edition of The Jeff Probst Show,[212] and featured on an episode of Celebrity Wife Swap's third season in 2014.[213] In 2016, he was chosen to take part on American Ninja Warrior,[214] and teamed up with IndyCar drivers Conor Daly, James Hinchcliffe, Tony Kanaan and Will Power on Celebrity Family Feud that same year.[215]
Castroneves is one of IndyCar's most popular drivers;[53] Dave Caldwell of The New York Times noted Castroneves' personality transcends IndyCar through his achievements and media attention outside it.[107] J.J. O'Malley of Auto Racing Digest wrote that Castroneves received some coverage for "his charisma and personality", adding, "The driver seems to permanently wear a smile, and he's not afraid to show his emotions."[26] After 2007, he became more recognized for winning Dancing with the Stars than his sporting achievements.[204][208] A merchandise sales tallying company attributed Castroneves' popularity outside racing for increasing IndyCar attendances by 68 percent in 2008.[l][69] Of his IndyCar Series legacy, NBC Sports' Tony DiZinno said, "With four championship runners-up in 2002, 2008, 2013 and 2014, Castroneves is your equivalent Dan Marino, Buffalo Bills or Mark Martin of IndyCar. He'll forever be acknowledged as one of the best, but perhaps known more as the driver who never quite won a title".[217]
After winning a race, Castroneves celebrated by stopping his car, and climbing the catchfence to send a message of delight in achieving success. He began the tradition with his first CART victory in Detroit in 2000 and repeated it each time he won a race.[26][217] After this celebration, John Kernan, host of RPM 2Night, first gave Castroneves the nickname "Spider-Man",[218] and has been mimicked by other drivers in the following years.[218] His photogenic looks have been picked up the press,[5][26] Including People,[219]ESPN The Magazine, and Cosmopolitan.[26] Castroneves has done business with oil companies Pennzoil, Shell,[220] and electronics company SMS Audio.[221] In December 2004, he had an audience with Pope John Paul II and spoke to a congress on how Catholicism impacted his life and racing career.[222] Castroneves was part of the National Motorsports Coalition that spoke about spectators returning to race tracks and his season to the Congressional Motorsports Caucus in June 2021.[223] He won the 2001 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and the 2004 Scott Brayton Award for "displaying the character that best exemplifies the racing spirit of the late Scott Brayton."[224] Castroneves was inducted into the Indy Lights Hall of Fame in 2014 as a 1997 graduate,[225] the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame and the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2018,[226][227] the Team Penske Hall of Fame in December 2020,[228] and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America as part of the class of 2022.[229]
Motorsports career results
American open–wheel racing results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (small number denotes finishing position)
^Since the minimum age of admittance to a Brazilian race track was 16, Castroneves hid between his father, another karter and equipment to prevent circuit officials from spotting him.[3]
^A test for the Cesário Fórmula team did not lead to a drive because it asked for $250,000 in sponsorship.[18]
^Castroneves' father relayed instructions to him via placards attached to a pipe.[6]
^Castroneves lost the championship when four drivers behind him stopped on track during the final lap of the season-ending race to allow Croceri into second and claim the title for himself.[19]
^Castroneves had lost enough confidence that he told his parents he wanted to stop racing but was encouraged by both of them to continue.[6][23] The sports psychologist gave him a rubber band to be worn around his wrist and snap it if he felt negative.[24]
^Fittipaldi sued Castroneves for breach of contract, which was decided in favor of the latter on 30 March 2005.[28]
^Castroneves was the first driver since Al Unser in 1970 and 1971 to win the Indianapolis 500 in consecutive years.[2][53] He was also the youngest driver to win the race in successive years and the first to win it at his first two attempts.[53]
^Taxes of $550,000 from a 1999 to 2001 sponsorship agreement and a $5 million from a "Deferred Royalty Contract" from his 2000 to 2002 Penske contract and under-reporting his income were the specific charges Castroneves faced.[74]
^The payments were invested in a deferred compensation agreement with the Dutch firm Fintage Licensing for athletes with relatively short careers and are at risk of injury or worse.[80]
^Castroneves was certain of an early elimination that he made preparations for a 15-day run.[204]
^He prepared for each dance by practicing for up to eight hours per day.[11]
^Increased television and press coverage focused on Castroneves during the 2008 pre-season testing period.[216]
^James, Brant (28 February 2004). "Elusive IRL title motivates Castroneves at Homestead Series: Racing: A Weekly Special Report". St. Petersburg Times. p. 5C. ProQuest263976497.
^Castro, Ruben (30 August 2001). "Lider con hambre de novato: Castroneves dice que los pilotos de Cart deben de preocuparse por destronarlo" [Leader hungry for rookie: Castroneves says Cart pilots must worry about dethroning him]. La Opinión (in Spanish). p. 1C. ProQuest368315094.
^Armijo, Mark (18 March 2002). "Castroneves Outduels Teammate in Copper World Team Penske Captures Top 2 Spots". The Arizona Republic. p. C1. ProQuest238150981.
^ abBrudenell, Mike (3 August 2007). "Penske's Pride and Joy: Castroneves, Hornish form unlikely alliance". Detroit Free Press. p. D8. ProQuest436838869.
^Graves, Gary (27 June 2005). "Castroneves finally conquers Richmond". USA Today. p. 06C. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2020 – via Gale in Context: Biography.
^Hayes, Reggie (28 May 2007). "Castroneves: 'I was going for it': He showed patience and skill in making up 24 spots in one 30-lap stretch". Tribune Business News. p. 1. ProQuest462301403.
^Braun, Travis (15 July 2008). "Title will have him dancing". USA Today. p. 11C. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2020 – via Gale in Context: Biography.
^"Castroneves sem título antecipado E liderança" [Castroneves without advance title and leadership]. O Globo (in Portuguese). 7 October 2013. ProQuest1439717574.
^ abRothschild, Sarah (30 March 2008). "Spotlight on IRL star". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
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