Helio Castroneves Tag

By INDYCAR INDIANAPOLIS – There’s still one jewel missing from Alex Palou’s racing crown, but testing Oct. 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway showed he may be closer than ever to adding it next May. Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou has won the championship three times in the last four seasons, but he still seeks his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victory. But Palou led testing on the historic 2.5-mile oval Friday with a top speed of 224.342 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou’sRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Fresh off his one-off appearance in the Indianapolis 500, Helio Castroneves will get to spend some more time behind the wheel, taking over driving duties for the No. 66 Meyer-Shank Racing Honda for the next two races. On Wednesday, the team, which Castroneves is part owner, announced that the regular driver for that car, rookie Tom Blomqvist, would be stepping aside for Detroit and Road America, with the four-time Indy 500 champion substituting for him. In a team release, Meyer-Shank called the decision to pull BlomqvistRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor SPEEDWAY, Ind. – There’s something to be said about experience at Indianapolis. Two of the most veteran drivers in the 33-car field for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 – Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves – put their track knowledge to work during Friday’s Carb Day practice, leading the final two-hour session before the green flag drops on Sunday. Dixon topped the board at 227.206 mph, followed by Castroneves at 226.939 mph. Both drivers will have some work to do on Sunday starting from RowRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor SPEEDWAY, Ind. – “If it’s meant to be, it will be.” Helio Castroneves hung up the helmet from full-time racing in the NTT IndyCar Series at the end of last season, but in his new role as co-owner at Meyer Shank Racing retained the option to race in the Indianapolis 500 and this season, he makes another run at the Drive for Five. The 49-year-old Brazilian is one of only four drivers to have won four times in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, along with A.J.Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Meyer Shank Racing will have a bit of a different look heading into the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season. Ahead of this weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the team announced changes to both its driver lineup, as well as a change to its ownership group to better position itself for the future. On the driver front, the team’s current IMSA star Tom Blomqvist will take over one of the team’s two full-time cars in 2024, replacing Helio Castroneves, who will move into anRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor NEWTON, Iowa – Team Penske is back at it again. Coming into the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Weekend at Iowa Speedway, it was expected that Team Penske would be the team to beat and they lived up to those expectations in qualifying as teammates Will Power and Scott McLaughlin locked out the front row for both races on the 0.894-mile oval. As the leader in all-time pole positions, Power only added to his legacy with his 69th and 70th career poles, respectively. With his double pole grab onRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Hello, Palou. The 2021 NTT IndyCar Series champion led the way in the second practice session of the weekend at Barber Motorsports Park ahead of Sunday’s running of the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix. Palou jumped to the top of the board in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda with a lap of one minute, 6.278 seconds and that’s where he would remain for the remainder of the session. “We’re looking strong,” Palou said. “I don’t know if the practice results are trueRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor FORT WORTH, Tex. — A busy Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway ended with six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon topping the board in final practice for Sunday’s running of the PPG 375. The Chip Ganassi Racing ace, who has won five times previously at the 1.5-mile track, put down his fast lap of 223.378 mph with less than 10 minutes left in the session to give him a boost of momentum heading into Sunday. Josef Newgarden, the defending winner at Texas, led the way forRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor MADISON, Ill. – After hinting that an announcement about his future would be coming soon, official word came down Friday that Helio Castroneves will remain as the driver of the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda in 2023. The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner first joined the team on a part-time basis before moving into a full-time role this season – his first full-time season since 2017. “Keeping Helio onboard wasn’t really a question for us,” team owner Mike Shank said. “We’ve built a really strong relationshipRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer After a grueling, love-hate drama string of races, the NTT IndyCar Series had a much needed week off from the madness. Now they’re getting ready for the final three rounds of the championship trail, beginning with the final oval of 2022 at Gateway. A popular circuit amongst fans, the main headline involves the two protagonist from the crash fest at Nashville. In the closing laps, last year’s Gateway winner Josef Newgarden and the race’s media darling Romain Grosjean, tangled and it ended the latter’s afternoon. ThereRead More