Penske: Fourth Indy 500 Win Would ‘Absolutely’ Give Castroneves Shot at Fifth

Chris Owens/ASP,Inc.
HELIO CASTRONEVES (3) of Brazil brings his car through turn three during the third day of practice for the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.
By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

INDIANAPOLIS – Roger Penske has stated that if Helio Castroneves captures his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 win today that an opportunity to score a fifth awaits.

Castroneves, 43, moved over the offseason to Team Penske’s Acura program in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship after 20 years racing Indy cars. However, it was always in the cards to be part of the month of May festivities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the INDYCAR Grand Prix and “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

The crown jewel event of the Verizon IndyCar Series – as well as all of racing – Castroneves has tasted the famed milk in Victory Lane on three occasions, but not since 2009.

Even still, Penske is at the ready should Castroneves tie the likes of A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Jr.

“I think the scenario is if he wins his fourth, absolutely give him a chance to get his fifth,” said Penske, a 16-time Indy 500-winning team owner.

“Now, to me, we’ll have discussions about that. Maybe I’ll get Mears to run for his fifth.

“But seriously, I just want to let him know that this isn’t the last race for him.”

For Castroneves, that chance means everything.

“I can’t thank enough Roger and the entire organization to not only give me the opportunity, but accommodate as well all of the details that we need to put ourselves in a position to win,” Castroneves said.

“Doing that shows they have the same goal as I do and everybody is really willing to make something historic. I see all the fans, I see a lot of people really excited to grab No. 4 and I’ll do everything I can to make a lot of people’s wishes come true, including mine.”

Although driving Indy cars is “part of my DNA” for Castroneves, it’s the chance to keep racing that has provided the ultimate dream. However, this incentive-based program is unlike any other.

“Certainly gives you the confidence to go out there and push it to the limit.”

About Joey Barnes 600 Articles
Joey Barnes is the Founder of Motorsports Tribune, an outlet that began with the goal of helping aspiring journalists break into and grow the industry. A regular on the racing scene since 2013, the journey for Joey started by covering a Grand-Am event at Circuit of The Americas in his home state of Texas. He has since primarily focused on the IndyCar Series, with appearances in the garages of NASCAR, paddocks of Formula 1, IMSA and World Endurance Championship, while also occasionally engulfing clouds of dust at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and select Supercross rounds. With previous stops at Autoweek, IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com and RACER, among others, Joey evolved from the singular task as a freelance writer to advanced roles behind the copy desk and alongside some of the best editorial teams in the business. Recognized as a multi-time award winner by the National Motorsports Press Association, Joey currently resides in Dallas-Fort Worth with his trusty four-legged canine companion, Rocket.