Castroneves Gets What He Wanted With New IndyCar Deal

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – When Meyer Shank Racing co-owners Michael Shank and Jim Meyer asked Helio Castroneves what he wanted in a future deal, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winning driver asked for more than he expected to get.
 
That tactic paid off on Thursday as the driver got exactly what he wanted – a full-time return to the NTT IndyCar Series.
 
“We started discussing with Mike what I wanted in the future,” Castroneves told SPEED SPORT Thursday night. “I told him more than I wanted. I told him what I wanted. He understood and that we came to an agreement. I sat down with Jim and him and discussed it. They understood what I was asking was a lot, but that is what he asked me – what I want. That doesn’t mean I was going to get it.
 
“After that, we closed a deal, and it was fantastic. This was a month-and-a-half ago. It was hard to keep a secret, but we had to do it until the right time.”
 
The winner of this year’s 105th Indianapolis 500 along with team owners Shank and Meyer were able to keep Castroneves’ deal secret until it was announced Thursday. 
 
“We just have a lot of things going right now and we needed to get stuff out before we lost control of it,” Shank told SPEED SPORT Thursday night. “So, we did. We made it short, sweet and to the point.
 
“It’s all good right now.
 
“It’s a major part of what we’re doing by having the experience to get better. We’re trying different things and new things and ways of motivating people. We rely on experience and try to shake it up a little bit. We’re trying new ways to look at things based off of the old ways. A guy like Helio has all of that in his head. It just began to show a little bit at Indy working with Helio.
 
“It will be different when he goes to a road course, but he has a lot of knowledge, knows a lot of people and is willing to help the whole cause. I appreciate that.”
 
Castroneves will remain in the No. 06 Honda for the entire 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season in what is billing billed as a “Drive for Five” as he attempts to become the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 five times. Sponsors include AutoNation, SiriusXM and TransCard, a business-to-business company located in Chattanooga, Tenn.
 
TransCard will be the sponsor on Castroneves’ car for the Aug. 8 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville, Tenn.
 
“The company is incredible,” Castroneves said of TransCard. “It has a bright future as well and the sky is the limit with them.”
 
Castroneves’ return is not only focused on a fifth Indianapolis 500 victory, but he also wants to finally win the NTT IndyCar Series championship. It’s one goal that the popular driver from Brazil has never been able to reach.
 
“I want a championship and it’s something I did not have before,” Castroneves said. “I know it’s hard. We will work as hard as possible. With the current makeup of the team, our first race ever was the Indy 500. The sky is the limit and I believe we can make this happen in the future.”
 
Castroneves claimed his first major racing season championship when Acura Team Penske won the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi title in his final race in a 20-year-career at Team Penske. Since that time, Castroneves won the 105th Indianapolis 500 on May 30, the first of six IndyCar Series races he will participate in this season. He was also a full-time competitor in the six-race Camping World SRX Series, winning two heat races.
 
“I have to admit, going to the sports car program helped me craft my driving,” Castroneves said. “Going to SRX helped keep me sharp for racing. You have to drive everything you can to keep yourself up to date.
 
“Going back to Indianapolis, that is what we want to do. We want to drive for five with all of our major partners and we want to make that happen. We know we can. We did it. It’s a matter of putting it together now. The commitment and preparation, it can happen any time, all the time, as long as you have the desire.
 
“This group is not lacking in the desire to make this happen.”
 
Just one day before Castroneves’ new deal as announced, he was honored at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when all four drivers who have won the Indianapolis 500 four times were together as a group.
 
Castroneves joined A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears at the event, which included them posing for photos with the famed Borg-Warner Trophy at the “Yard of Bricks” on the frontstretch of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
“Every time you get close to those Gods of racing and the legends of Indianapolis, you get star struck,” Castroneves admitted. “Since 1997, A.J. Foyt has gone through this. Imagine, he’s probably done with this and wanted to go home now.
 
“To me, I want to experience every single minute with these guys and lean and understand more what it means. I’m still above Cloud Nine and Ten.
 
“Spending time with them was great, especially with Rick Mears, a guy I spent 20 years together. It was like seeing an old friend again. He was really happy what I achieved.
 
“To hear A.J., talk about the cars and the tires, it would be five, six or seven. We are hoping to be the ones that make that happen.”