STEAM CORNERS, Ohio – For the first time since July 30, 2017, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will be racing an Indy car in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.
Castroneves is a two-time Mid-Ohio IndyCar winner with victories back in the CART days of 2000 and 2001. In both of those victories for Team Penske, Castroneves won from second place and defeated the pole winner in both contests.
He led 55 laps in his 2000 win over teammate Gil de Ferran and 44 laps when he also defeated de Ferran the next year.
Team Penske left CART at the end of the 2001 season to join the Indy Racing League full-time. Mid-Ohio became part of that series schedule in 2007 and since 2008, Champ Car and the IRL have become today’s NTT IndyCar Series.
Castroneves enjoyed success in his return to Mid-Ohio by winning the pole in both 2007 and 2008. He finished third in ’97 and second in ’08.
In the current NTT IndyCar Series era at Mid-Ohio, Castroneves is winless in 11 starts, all with Team Penske. Beginning in 2012, Castroneves was driving a Chevrolet, but this year he returns to Honda power in his first full-season with Ohio’s own Meyer-Shank Racing from nearby Pataskala, Ohio.
Castroneves drove a partial season for Meyer-Shank last season and delivered a stunning victory in the 105th Indianapolis 500 in 2021 becoming the fourth four-time Indy 500 winner.
In this year’s Indianapolis 500, Castroneves started 27th and finished seventh.
“It’s not only about starting in the back, but all month also we were fighting for at least 2 miles per hour, and I was in the back fighting through the field,” Castroneves explained. “When the yellows started happening, that is when I started to make my way back through the field.
“We passed 18 cars with me on the track and in the pits, so it showed we had a great car.”
Sometimes, a race driver’s best races are the ones where they don’t win. He believes that was the case in this year’s Indy 500.
“I believe it was one of the best races for me at Indianapolis without winning the race and making any mistakes,” Castroneves said. “In the end, we finished behind Conor Daly and the track was starting to come to me, which was great.
“The start was tough. The momentum was no right and there was a lot of buffeting in the air. My car was really good, and I didn’t want to make unnecessary risks.
“It was great to be back in front of 300,000 fans.”
Castroneves has competed on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course in IMSA Sports Car Racing from 2018 to 2021, but this is his first IndyCar race during that span.
“It’s great to be back with an Ohio-based team,” Castroneves said. “After quite a few years, coming back to Mid-Ohio in an Indy car is going to be interesting. I’m glad we raced the last three years in a sports car. We won there, which was phenomenal, and we are looking forward to going back again.
“We won’t have much time for practice, but I know my way around, I trust the team and we will have a stellar car.”
If Castroneves is able to drive team owners Michael Shank’s and Jim Meyer’s car to victory, it will be his first Mid-Ohio win in 21 years.
His interest in Mid-Ohio, however, began much before he drove to his first victory there in 2000.
“I’ll be honest with you, when I was in Brazil in 1994 and 1993, I used to watch Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan and Rick Mears going to Mid-Ohio, the up-and-down elevation,” Castroneves explained. “Once I started driving that track, I couldn’t believe I was there.
“Winning was amazing. I really like that place, respect that place and enjoy being there, too.”
Castroneves finds it unique that the race starts at one flagstand and ends at a different flagstand. He believes it allows for a safer start and a competitive race.
Castroneves’s team owner is a native of Ohio and became immersed in racing from races at Mid-Ohio.
“It’s great to bring Helio back to Mid-Ohio,” Shank said. “It’s good for business. It’s good for competition and it’s good everything in my life, to be honest. We have not done anything real substantial yet at Mid-Ohio in an Indy car and we are focusing on doing that this year.
“We look forward to getting there with both Helio and Simon Pagenaud in IndyCar. I love going back to my home track.”
Shank believes the connecting threat between Honda, his team and Mid-Ohio is loyalty, friendliness, and family.
“We just happen to be lucky to be 45 minutes away from Marysville and working on our programs,” Shank said. “We do lots of work up there with them and for them on both the Acura and IndyCar program.
“We always love seeing Honda employees come out.”
Because he drives for the popular owner from Ohio, the popular driver from Brazil is starting to feel like a transplanted Buckeye with team.
“With Bobby Rahal and Graham Rahal, I guess there is a new Sheriff in town with Meyer-Shank Racing,” Castroneves said. “Mike is an incredible guy. A true American story. He did everything he wants to do in racing and now has a successful race team.
“Kudos to him, his wife and me and we keep it going. Hopefully, myself and Simon Pagenaud will represent them well in Ohio and bring home a podium or a win.”
The unique parts of Mid-Ohio are the “Keyhole” and the “Carousel.” It’s two areas that make the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course a challenge.
“The Carousel is always tricky,” Castroneves explained. “There is a bump on the exit where you have to be ready to go. The Keyhole, people don’t realize, it’s uphill, then suddenly goes downhill.
“It’s a lot of fun.”
Castroneves returns as a Honda driver and feels a certain responsibility and obligation to perform in front of the sponsor, its employees and the many Honda fans that come to the race.
“We are in their backyard, and we are going to try to do the best we can for a Honda victory,” Castroneves said. “I hope it will be ‘Welcome Home, Helio’ and we will succeed.”