NASCAR: 2 possible Daytona 500 landing spots for Helio Castroneves

Two teams have emerged as serious possibilities to field an entry for Helio Castroneves in the NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500.

Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves has been discussed as a candidate to make his Daytona 500 — and NASCAR Cup Series — debut in 2023 for the last several months.

After Castroneves won the SRX season opener at Five Flags Speedway back in June, he revealed that he and SRX CEO Don Hawk had a bet that if he won an SRX race, Hawk would find him a NASCAR ride.

Hawk is apparently keeping his promise, as the 47-year-old Brazilian is reportedly nearing a deal to compete in the 65th annual running of the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway, according to Sports Business Journal‘s Adam Stern.

Two teams have emerged as potential landing spots.

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Trackhouse Racing Team

Trackhouse Racing Team has long been considered the top option for Castroneves if a Daytona 500 ride were to materialize for next year.

The Justin Marks and Pitbull-owned team, which field full-time entries for Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, introduced something called PROJECT91 during the 2022 season. This is essentially a third entry designed for “renowned international racing drivers” in select races.

The team debuted the entry at Watkins Glen International in August, fielding the #91 Chevrolet for 2007 Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen. The car only made one appearance in 2022, but it is slated for an expanded schedule in 2023.

A four-time Indy 500 winner would be the ideal candidate to get things underway with PROJECT91 during its first season with an expanded schedule.

The Money Team Racing

After several years of rumors, The Money Team Racing finally entered the Cup Series in 2022. They only competed in four races, but one of those races was the season-opening Daytona 500. Kaz Grala drove the #50 Chevrolet in this race.

Despite the fact that Grala competed in this race and two others, the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-owned team are already no strangers to fielding an entry for IndyCar drivers. Conor Daly, who competes full-time for Ed Carpenter Racing, made his Cup Series debut at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in October.

Could Castroneves, who is set to compete full-time for Meyer Shank Racing again during the 2023 season, become the second IndyCar driver to make an appearance in the #50 Chevrolet?