NASCAR: 5 possible Trackhouse drivers for 2023
By Randy Smith
Possible Trackhouse drivers for 2023: No. 2 – Helio Castroneves
Helio Castroneves has a proven ability to win in just about any vehicle he climbs into. A four-time Indy 500 winner, Castroneves is not only competing full-time in IndyCar for the first time in five years, but he is competing in SRX as well. The Sao Paul, Brazil native scored his first SRX win in this year’s season opener at Five Flags Speedway.
But Castroneves’s ability to hop into a stock car and win on a short track wasn’t what really fueled the Castroneves to NASCAR steam. That happened because of what he said after his SRX win.
When “Spiderman” talked to Racing America’s Matt Weaver after the race, he explained that SRX CEO Donald Hawk promised to help him find a NASCAR ride, should he win in SRX. Castroneves had previously stated his desire to compete in NASCAR, specifically in the Daytona 500.
Following his SRX win, Hawk seems to be keeping his promise about finding him a ride in NASCAR for next season, as he recently confirmed his conversation with Castroneves and his promise to him on his Twitter account. With Hawk being a former manager at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), it’s safe to say that he still has connections within the business of stock car racing.
Ironically enough, former DEI employee Ty Norris is now the president of Trackhouse Racing Team. So with a former DEI manager promising Castroneves a ride, and a former co-worker now working at a team looking to add an international driver for next season, the idea of the 47-year-old competing in the “Great American Race” in the #91 Chevrolet next year may become a reality.