Hélio Castroneves, a four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, is attempting to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in February’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
The 49-year-old veteran of the NTT IndyCar Series will get behind the wheel of the No. 91 Wendy’s Chevrolet, a fourth entry for Trackhouse Racing, becoming the third driver to drive in the team’s PROJECT91 entry.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing,” said Castroneves. “This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down. I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car, (Trackhouse owner) Justin Marks and everyone that made this happen. I wish the race were tomorrow.”
Castroneves will serve as a teammate to Trackhouse’s three full-time drivers Ross Chastain (No. 1), Shane Van Gisbergen (No. 88), and Daniel Suarez (No. 99) in ‘The Great American Race’.
“I know how much of a challenge this is going to be, but I also know the type of people and team Trackhouse Racing will bring to the effort,” said Castroneves. “I can’t wait to get to the Trackhouse race shop in North Carolina to meet everyone and prepare for Daytona. There is so much I must learn and I’m ready to get started.”
Darian Grubb, a 24-time winning NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, will lead the No. 91 team at Daytona.
“Hélio is one of the greatest drivers of all time and exactly the type of driver we want to bring to NASCAR,” said Marks. “I think race fans around the world will be excited to see Hélio in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. It also exposes our sport to a global audience and allows them to see just how great of a series we have in NASCAR.”
A 25-time winner in IndyCar, Castroneves was in the running for a Daytona 500 seat in 2023, after winning a Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) event at Five Flags Speedway.
That seat was part of an agreement between Castroneves and SRX CEO Don Hawk, who said should the IndyCar veteran win an event, he would use his NASCAR connections to get him a ride at Daytona.
Getting behind the wheel of a part-time, unchartered entry, Castroneves is not guaranteed a spot in the 2025 Daytona 500 and thus will have to be one of four open entries to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series season-opener.
The journey to make the Daytona 500 for the Sao Paulo, Brazil native will begin with single-vehicle qualifying on Wednesday, February 12 and the BlueGreen Vacations Duels on Thursday, February 13.
Should Castroneves qualify for the 2025 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, the event will take place on Sunday, February 16th, with live coverage on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
