Helio Castroneves Confirms Indy 500 Return With Some Serious History On The Line
Castroneves has a shot at becoming the all-time leader in Indy 500 wins
Four drivers — AJ Foyt, Al Unser Jr., Rick Mears, and Helio Castroneves — share the record for the most career Indianapolis 500 wins, but only one still has the chance to go into the top spot by himself in 2026.
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Castroneves announced the news on X and revealed that once again, he'll be hopping in the No. 06 Cleveland-Cliffs Honda for Meyer Shank Racing for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
"I have some amazing news right now," he began. "The ‘Drive for 5’ is still alive."
This will be Castroneves' 26th Indy 500 start, which puts him behind only AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, and Al Unser Sr. According to IndyCar, he has also recorded 17 top-10 finishes and has raked in a record-setting $15,911,549 in prize money in the Indy 500.
The Brazilian — who turns 51 just a couple of weeks before the race — won at Indy in 2001, 2002, and 2009 with Team Penske, and then did it again in 2021 with MSR.
These days, Castroneves also serves as a part-owner of the MSR.
It's always exciting to see a legend like Castroneves back in a car, especially for the Indy 500, and I think he and his MSR teammates will be a few cars to watch for in May.
The team's two full-time drivers, Marcus Armstrong and Felix Rosenqvist, are currently running P9 and P14 in the standings. While this past weekend in Arlington wasn't the team's best, they've performed well this season, especially in qualifying.
In addition to Castroneves' one-off appearance at Indy, other special entries for the race include Ryan Hunter-Reay, who will drive a fourth car for Arrow McLaren, and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, which will field a pair of cars driven by Connor Daly and Fox IndyCar reporter Jack Harvey.