By Gordon Kirby

Helio Castroneves scored a superb fourth Indy 500 victory in 2021, beating Alex Palou after an electrifying duel over the 500’s closing laps. In the end, Castroneves crossed the line half a second ahead of Palou. It was the fastest Indy 500 ever run, taking 2 hours 37 minutes 19.38 seconds for an average speed of 190.690 mph.

“For me,” Helio says, “it was just an incredible feeling to win number four. A lot of people had question marks. I get it, but I never stopped believing.”

Castroneves won his first three 500s with Team Penske in 2001, ’02 and ’09 but the 46-year-old Brazilian was cast aside by Penske at the end of 2020. He found a ride with Mike Shank and Jim Meyer’s emerging team, signing with Meyer Shank for six races, including the 500. Castroneves took the lead for a handful of laps just before the 200-mile mark and went on to lead 20 laps on the way to his fourth win. Helio took his place in the Indy 500’s pantheon with three other four-time winners—all of them fellow inductees.

“It was a great moment,” Helio grins. “It’s amazing to follow in this group with Al Unser, A.J. Foyt, and my hero Rick Mears. I’m super honored to be in this group, but more important is I love to be surrounded by great people. It was great to be with Penske, and now with my new friends Mike Shank and Jim Meyer, I’m really having a great time. They gave me a new opportunity with their amazing team and look at what they’re showing.”

Helio said he approached this year’s 500 very differently than in his early years at the Speedway.

“When I won my first 500, I did not know what to expect,” he recalls. “As a young guy, I just wanted to go for it. This time was completely different. It was about working on the car and understanding what I needed to win the race.”

Castroneves spent most of the past three years driving one of Team Penske’s Acura DPi cars in IMSA, winning the championship in 2020. He says his time in IMSA was valuable.

“When I moved to the sports car program, my knowledge of racing just expanded. When you start racing with three different types of classes in the same race with different speed, you start learning how important timing is. You learn how to calculate moving and passing without damaging the car. I have to say that experience was great.”

Castroneves, who has signed to drive full-time for Meyer Shank Racing in 2022 and already captured his second consecutive Rolex 24 at Daytona, is enthusiastic about his team owner.

“Mike is a guy who’s passionate about racing,” Helio remarks. “That’s what I love. I love it because I’m that type of guy. Sitting down to have a dinner, we’re going to be talking about racing and having a long night. But at the end of the day, when I put my helmet on and when he puts his headset on, he’s all business. He makes the right decisions. That’s what I’m impressed by. You don’t need to change who you are to be successful.”

Kirby is one of the world’s most accomplished racing writers. He’s covered more than 1,000 races and written 17 racing books. “Chris Pook’s History of the Long Beach GP” was published in 2020. “Boost! Roger Bailey’s Extraordinarily Diverse Motor Racing Career” will be published in May 2022.

MSHFA 1995 Inductee Roger Penske

(Brian Cleary/bcpix.com)