When Team Penske decided to take Helio Castroneves' Indy 500 entry, make it a full-time IndyCar entry like it had been before Castroneves stopped competing full-time three years prior, and put Scott McLaughlin behind the wheel, the then-three-time Indy 500 winner's future was uncertain.
The Brazilian had made 20 Indy 500 starts with Team Penske, but he hadn't won since 2009, and his final three results included a DNF, 18th, and 11th. His last competitive run came in 2017, which was also his final season as a full-time Team Penske IndyCar driver.
You probably would have had more fans put their hands up when asked if they thought Castroneves' time was up, versus if they had been asked if they thought Castroneves was going to join the four-time Indy 500 winners' club, which included only A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears. Mears was the most recent addition, back in 1991.
But Castroneves found a new home for 2021, something he admitted was not a sure thing.
"I've thought that I wouldn't be racing here – I always thought that I would," Castroneves admitted to Beyond the Flag in the build-up to Sunday's 109th running of the Indy 500.
He ended up with Meyer Shank Racing, and his first start with the team came in the 2021 Indy 500.
Lo and behold, he won the race, joining the four-time winners' club in his 12th attempt as a three-time winner, just months after his future in the sport was in doubt following his Penske departure.
He has since become a co-owner of the team, and he is set to make his fifth Indy 500 start with them this coming Sunday afternoon.
"With MSR, it was a perfect fit for me," Castroneves said. "Mike [Shank] is incredible and now I have an opportunity to become co-owner of the team, and that's what that [2021] win sort of generated, so many other things. So I’m super excited; great group of people working with it, and there is so much to grow, and that's what I enjoy most."
Castroneves did run two full seasons for Meyer Shank Racing in 2022 and 2023, and his best finish during that stretch was a seventh place finish in the Indy 500 in 2022.
But even though six of his eight most recent Indy 500 starts, if you include this weekend's, have been considered "one-offs", Castroneves has never actually only done a single IndyCar race in a season during his entire career. He has always run at least two.
This year, however, he is truly sticking to the Indy 500 only.
"There is nothing ahead of us as long as our drivers are still pretty healthy; knock on wood," he said. "But let's keep it that way. We have no plans in coming back for another race. I don't want it, don't get me wrong; I want to make sure that they are still in the race."
Meyer Shank Racing, which shifted their technical partner from Andretti Global to Chip Ganassi Racing over the offseason, have two full-time drivers: Felix Rosenqvist and newcomer Marcus Armstrong.
Rosenqvist is set to lead the team in fifth place to start Sunday's 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Castroneves is set to start in 22nd, while Armstrong is set to begin in 30th.
A full starting lineup can be found here.
However, Castroneves does plan to continue competing in the Indy 500, whether he wins this year or not.
"I'm still coming back!" he confirmed.
Fox is set to provide live coverage of the 109th running of the Indy 500 from the Speedway, Indiana oval beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET this Sunday, May 25. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action from the "Racing Capital of the World"!