Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, four-time IndyCar championship runner-up, and three-time Rolex 24 winner Helio Castroneves will attempt to make the Daytona 500 next month. Castroneves will drive the #91 Camaro for Project 91 for Trackhouse Racing. He could possibly join Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt as the only drivers in history to win both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500.
Helio Castroneves will attempt the 2025 Daytona 500 with Trackhouse Racing
In one last race before retirement, Helio Castroneves, winner of 4 Indy 500s and three Rolex 24s, will be tackling the last US Crown Jewel race he has not won, the 2025 Daytona 500. Castroneves has long stated he wanted to run the Daytona 500 before his retirement, and Trackhouse’s owner Justin Marks has provided that wish. With partnership from Wendy’s, the long successful Project 91 returns, for its first outing since Shane Van Gisbergen won at Chicago in 2023.
In the press release from Trackhouse Racing, Castroneves said;
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing. This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down. I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car, Justin Marks, and everyone that made this happen. I wish the race were tomorrow!”
Justin Marks followed up the sentiment, saying;
“Hélio is one of the greatest drivers of all time and exactly the type of driver we want to bring to NASCAR, I think race fans around the world will be excited to see Hélio in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. It also exposes our sport to a global audience and allows them to see just how great of a series we have in NASCAR.”
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About Project 91:
Started in 2022, Project 91 was an effort to bring international talent to the Cup Series. Championed by Justin Marks, he would tap Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen. The first race for the Project was Watkins Glen, where he qualified 27th, but an incident would end the day on lap 45.
Raikkonen would return to race at Circuit of the America’s in 2023, qualifying 22nd and finishing 27th. The next outing would be at the Chicago Street Course with Van Gisbergen, where he would win in his first start. SVG would race at the Indy Road Course that same year, starting eighth and finishing tenth.
The project would be disbanded for 2024, as SVG would run a part-time Cup Series schedule through a partnership with Kaulig Racing.
Expectations for Daytona:
Castroneves has stock car racing experience. He raced in the original IROC Series from 2002 to 2005, finishing with two podiums. More recently he has competed in the SRX Series. He made twelve starts, won a feature race, podiumed twice, and won four heat races. He also has starts in Supercars and Brazilian stock cars.
While he has the experience, the 500 is a different animal. Pack racing for 200 laps, to finish first, first you must finish. But to even start the 500, he must qualify as one of the top open cars. If that does not happen, he must finish high in his duel race.
Castroneves has a lot of preparation to do before qualifying on February 12th. But he has a solid, race-winning team surrounding him, so give him the tools to get into the show on qualifying night, or a clean duel to get into the race. It would certainly be a sight and history-making to see him climb the fence in Daytona.
Watch Helio Castroneves attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 on February 12th at 8:15 PM Eastern. If he does not qualify on Wednesday, he will attempt the Bluegreen Duels on Thursday, February 13th at 7 PM Eastern. The 2025 Daytona 500 will begin at 2:30 PM Eastern on Sunday the 16th.
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