Helio Castroneves entered the 2021 Indy 500 having run 20 consecutive Indy 500s for Team Penske, winning three. But at 46 years old, and with a new team, he wasn't considered one of the favorites in what was going to be his 12th attempt at winning the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" for a record-tying fourth time.
Castroneves proved that day that age is indeed just a number, holding off a then-upstart Alex Palou to put his name alongside the likes of A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears.
The popular Brazilian, known as Indianapolis Motor Speedway's own "Spiderman" for his tradition of climbing the catch fence on the front straightaway after an Indy 500 win, just turned 50 years old two weeks ago. A record-breaking fifth Indy 500 win would also make him the oldest ever winner of the race.
He admitted to Beyond the Flag that this year, it's not just the "Drive for Five"; it's the "Drive for 5-0".
"Both!" he exclaimed.
And if he gets his fifth, he doesn't plan on stopping here.
"I'm still coming back!" he confirmed.
Even as a four-time winner, Castroneves admits that he probably spends more time thinking about some of the losses, which include three runner-up finishes, than he does the wins.
"Unfortunately those are the ones that, you let it go, but they will always be in your mind," he admitted.
But one of those close calls came in 2014, when Castroneves was beaten to the line by Ryan Hunter-Reay following a multi-lap duel to the finish. It was and still is the second closest finish in the Indy 500.
Seven years later, when Castroneves finally captured that fourth win, he had an interesting "flashback" view to that exact scenario.
Hunter-Reay was still in the No. 28 DHL Honda for Andretti Autosport, but this time, it was Scott McLaughlin in the iconic Team Penske "Yellow Submarine" No. 3 Chevrolet.
As Castroneves came to the line ahead of Palou to win, just ahead of him were the lapped cars of Hunter-Reay and McLaughlin, with Hunter-Reay to McLaughlin's outside.
It looked almost exactly like the heartbreak that Castroneves experienced seven years earlier, when Hunter-Reay made the move to his outside on the front straightaway with just over one lap to go, and the ghost of that heartbreak was finally laid to rest at the most fitting time.
"That's a great point; never thought about that point of view," he admitted. "But yeah, no, while I was racing, I didn't think about anything, but now that you mentioned it, it’s funny; it's ironic, but it's funny."
Now that he had finally captured that elusive fourth bottle of milk, he had no problem admitting the irony.
Of course, Castroneves has also been on the good side of some of the race's most hotly contested finishes. He admitted that Paul Tracy still gives him a hard time about the 2002 finish, which is still viewed by many in a controversial light.
"Absolutely, and I think we're going to still be a lot older than that, and he's still gonna give me some hard time for that!" Castroneves joked.
Castroneves was the driving force behind track president Doug Boles putting together a photo opportunity for the four four-time winners in the months after his record-tying win four years ago.
Just months before Unser passed away, Foyt, Unser, Mears, and Castroneves gathered at the Speedway.
"I was one of them, talking to Doug Boles and saying ‘look, we got to take a picture as soon as possible,’ I wanted to make that," he said. "I was so happy that we were able, and Doug Boles, were able to arrange that because, wow, that moment, I'll never forget."
Castroneves qualified 22nd for this year's Indy 500, and while, on paper, the cars are very similar to what they were in 2021, when he won from eighth, the added weight of the hybrid has thrown a bit of a curveball to the drivers and teams, specifically the one-off participants like Castroneves.
"Yeah, technically it should be similar, but it's not, and because of the 120-pound addition on the rear of the car, it does make it a little bit more complicated to find this special balance," Castroneves explained. "You can actually run comfortable, but it won't be as easy to follow, and then you can actually make it a little more comfortable to follow, but it won't be as easy to lead.
"So there are a lot of scenarios that you got to go back and forth, and you have some very fast cars, too."
Though the cars were different in 2017, Castroneves overcame a Chevrolet deficit to Honda, a 19th place starting position, and damage from Scott Dixon's horrific crash to battle it out with Takuma Sato in the closing laps before ultimately securing second place for the third time in his career.
"I appreciate you bringing that up because I didn't know where I started that one, and we were in deficit, by the way," he pointed out. "I remember Honda was super, super strong that year, and we just kept pushing. I don't think the starting position here matters because it's such a long race.
"We just got to make sure that – this is a team sport; it's not only about what's in my hands – it's important for us to make fewer mistakes everywhere, my end and the team’s perspective as well, so that we can put ourselves in a good position to be better in the end."
Even in his 25th career Indy 500 start, however, Castroneves admits that the overall feeling is the same as it was 24 years ago.
"The feeling is the same still, very much butterfly in the stomach, and I’m ready to go – with a little more experience, so that’s good."
Prior to former teammate Josef Newgarden winning his second straight Indy 500 last year, Castroneves was the most recent driver who won the race in back-to-back years, doing so in his first two starts in 2001 and 2002. He did not start in the top 10 in either year.
He knows that Newgarden, still one of the favorites, is facing a much bigger challenge from 32nd on the grid after his pre-race penalty.
"A lot more challenging, I guess," Castroneves said of Newgarden's quest for history. "Starting from the back is the biggest challenge. He does have a very fast car, by the way, and if he is patient a little bit, he’ll be in the front with no problem, but yeah, there are a lot more other competitors as well who could stop him.
"I'll be one of them, trying to make sure that he's not going to go forward."
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