Drive for 5: Helio Castroneves makes another attempt at Indy 500 history

Helio Castroneves won the first time he raced in the Indianapolis 500. He won his second one the following year, and a quest for history began in earnest following that 2002 triumph.

He had to wait a little bit before the third came and that was in his ninth. And he drank the milk in his history-tying fourth in his 21st Indianapolis 500.

Unsuccessful in three attempts for a history-making fifth Indy 500 victory, Castroneves is back for more. He ranked in the top 10 in opening-day practice Tuesday for the Indianapolis 500, which will be his 25th.

If Castroneves captures his fifth Borg-Warner Trophy this year, would it finally be his last start in the race?

"I'm going to come back and try for six," Castroneves said with a little bit of a laugh. "I want a statue."

Going for a statue likely wasn’t on Castroneves' radar when he first won the Indy 500 as a 500 rookie in 2001 (it was his fourth open-wheel season but 2001 was his first Indy 500 amid the split of open-wheel racing series). 

His 2001, 2002 and 2009 wins came for team owner Roger Penske, with a 2007 notable victory of a different sort — in "Dancing With The Stars" — between the second and third wins. 

After driving for 20 years in INDYCAR for Penske, Castroneves landed a ride with Meyer Shank Racing for 2021. And he promptly won in a year that was a partial schedule for him that eventually turned into two more full-time seasons before now doing a schedule of select races.

Ask Castroneves about why at age 50 he continues to try for that fifth win, and he will give a variety of answers as he tries to break a tie for the most 500 wins with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears.

First comes the Meyer Shank team, which fields cars for Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong on a full-time basis.

"Basically winning that fourth, putting the team on the map [in INDYCAR] and they know that they can do it again, whether it's me or my two other teammates. They know they can do it," Castroneves said.

"And that's probably why we keep on pushing. We feel that we're going to another level as a team."

Part of that growth is a new alliance for Shank with Chip Ganassi Racing, which has won the Indianapolis 500 five times and the series championship 16 times.

"We have a different partnership now, which really, really helps," Castroneves said. "I’m really looking forward to it. ... I’m noticing the difference and I’m happy we were able to do that. They don’t win races or championships because they’re lucky."

Castroneves also says he feels rejuvenated after turning 50 last Sunday.

"I feel I have a brand-new engine," Castroneves said. "I feel that I'm like ready to go. ... They say life starts at 50, so I'm ready to start again."

But he cites another reason for his rejuvenation. 

In the last few years, he has raced in other disciplines, including stock cars in Brazil and the Daytona 500. While a Penske driver, his opportunities were limited to what he could drive outside of an INDYCAR.

Instead of declining as he ages, he feels he has improved as a driver over the last few years.

"For you to become a good driver, you've got to drive different cars," Castroneves said. "And I feel that now I have the opportunity to do that. When I spent 20-plus years with Penske, I wasn't able to do that.

"Now it just feels like I'm a late bloomer. Everything started late in my life, which is fine. You just keep it going. As long as I have the desire, the fun, and I know that I can do it, I will keep pushing."

For now, he doesn’t have a contract beyond 2025, but he does hope to race at least in 2026.

"Obviously, we have a contract for this year," Castroneves said. "I’m looking for another year as well. But as of right now, we're thinking for this week, the next couple of weeks."

Certainly his teammates like having him around. 

Armstrong, at age 24, wasn’t even a year old when Castroneves first raced in the Indianapolis 500. As a Ganassi driver who is racing for Meyer Shank this year, Armstrong has picked the brains of three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti (who advises Ganassi drivers) and Castroneves.

He said Franchitti likes to theorize the entire race, while "Helio is a bit more simple and flamboyant."

Few are as flamboyant as Castroneves, who found it funny when he was talking to Franchitti and Tony Kanaan in the paddock area before practice Tuesday.

"It was the most fun five minutes that I had because we're just talking about, ‘Imagine the kids looking at us right now, look at those bunch of old farts,’" Castroneves said. "Which is probably what we used to look at the other guys and say."

To say he has a spring in his step is an understatement. At 50, he seems ready for many more beyond his 25th Indianapolis 500.

"It’s just a different feeling," Castroneves said. "This place brings the best out of me. And I'm just excited and ready for this race."

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Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.