A broken finger. A smudged fax transmission. A transition to a new series, a new racetrack and new fame.
That’s part of the story of Helio Castroneves at Indianapolis Motor Speedway heading into – and winning – the 2001 Indianapolis 500.
HELIO CASTRONEVES – 20 YEARS
Kanaan and Castro Neves finished second and seventh, respectively, that first Indy Lights season in 1996, but they finished 1-2 the next year and pushed their combined total of series wins to eight.
Kanaan won the championship, so he got Tasman’s seat in CART, but Horne recommended Castro Neves to Tony Bettenhausen for his team, Bettenhausen Motorsports.
– Helio Castroneves
Born Helio Alves de Castro Neves, the man hunting a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 arrived in this country in November 1995 knowing only a few words in English. Complete sentences were even more difficult to come by. But when it came to expressing the pain of recently injured ribs, Castro Neves was crystal clear.
Castro Neves was in so much pain that he had to withdraw early from a nine-driver shootout for Tasman Motorsports’ two seats in Indy Lights. He feared it might cost him a job, but team owner Steve Horne was impressed with the two Brazilians – Castro Neves and Tony Kanaan – and hired them.
Kanaan remembers Horne’s ground rules.
“When we signed the contracts, he looked at both of us and said, 'One of you guys is going to make it to INDYCAR – only one,'” Kanaan told INDYCAR.com in 2017. “It’s a two-year deal. You’re going to learn the first year. If you don’t win the championship … you’ll go back home to Brazil to do whatever.”
It was the left index finger of Gil de Ferran, who had taken debris from Kenny Brack’s crash at Michigan International Speedway in the middle of the 2000 season. It was still a nuisance when Team Penske went for its first Indy Racing League test at IMS in October, and team officials decided to sit de Ferran, who also was nursing a five-point lead over Adrian Fernandez for the championship with the finale up next.
Castroneves drew the driving duties that day, which led the story of the fax faux.
As Castroneves tells it, the electronic transmission of setup specs was smeared on the edges, as often happened with the communication machines of the day. The lack of the final digit led to an incorrect wing angle.
Castroneves couldn’t get the car up to speed and confessed to being “intimidated” by the Speedway.
The U.S. media didn’t know what to do with the “Castro” part of the young driver’s name.
Some omitted it, which made him Helio Neves.
A compromise came in the form of a hyphen: Castro-Neves.
But that was short-lived, especially with team members suggesting he might be related to Fidel Castro, the former communist leader of Cuba.
Rebranded Castroneves, the driver’s stock soared.
He joined Hogan Racing for the 1999 CART season, winning a pole at the Milwaukee Mile and producing two other front-row starts. Clearly, he was fast.
With a connection to Philip Morris International, which owned Marlboro, Castroneves joined Team Penske for the 2000 season. The pairing was magical: 30 race wins and 50 poles while earning legendary status with his drives at Indy.
Castroneves is affable, sure. But one way to really get him talking is to ask about the importance of the advice he received as an Indianapolis 500 rookie. He makes it clear that the veterans delivered.
“I remember talking to Johnny Rutherford,” he said. “I was talking to A.J. (Foyt) – I couldn’t understand him very well, so I go to the next, Al Unser Jr., which we were competing against each other. He was giving me some advice.
“Al (Unser) Sr. gave me some great advice. Bobby Unser, I remember he was asking about his experience, but he was giving me the whole 9 yards.”
That got Castroneves laughing.
“But in the end, Rick Mears was the guy I connected with,” he said. “I remember well he was telling me great advice: 'Look, you don’t have to win the first lap because to finish first in this race you first have to finish.'”
Mears stressed patience, saying Castroneves didn’t need to lead the race until there were 50 laps to go. Castroneves, who had qualified 11th, stayed true to his fast ways. He got to the lead two laps early, on Lap 149, and led the rest of the way.
– Helio Castroneves
Castroneves became the eighth driver to win the “500” for Roger Penske. De Ferran, Sam Hornish Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud have since been added to the list, giving “The Captain” 18 career wins.
Castroneves said Penske’s drive is what sets him apart, and he illustrated that point with a story.
Team Penske was still a CART team in 2001 and on the second weekend of “500” qualifying competed in a race at the Motegi circuit in Japan. Castroneves remembers literally being pulled off the podium after a second-place finish, rushed to Penske’s private jet still in uniform and flying overnight to Indianapolis.
Penske was so determined to get his drivers to the final full day of practice at IMS that he drove the SUV through the crowd and straight to the Pagoda.
“Literally right to the Pagoda,” Castroneves said. “We jumped the fence and went to the cars, which were warm and ready to go. We just jump in and I was like, ‘Oh, my god, I cannot see.’ The jet lag was crazy, but they absolutely wanted to do the last test before the race.”
Castroneves drove to Victory Lane in car No. 68 because all other traditional Penske numbers were unavailable. Tom Sneva used that number for Penske’s Norton Spirit in 1975-76.
Again, recalling the details of the 20th anniversary of Castroneves’ first Indy win requires a recalibration of the brain.
Castroneves didn’t win in his familiar No. 3, and the car didn’t carry primary sponsor decals because the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between major tobacco companies put limits on the advertising of cigarettes. In this case, Team Penske and Philip Morris opted to showcase Marlboro in CART rather its two Indy Racing League races (Phoenix and Indianapolis).
Cindric vividly remembers Penske himself removing the Marlboro logo off the team’s fuel tank on Wednesday night prior to the “500.”
So much was different about that Month of May, when the driver with a new name became a household name.
– Tim Cindric
– Helio Castroneves
HELIO CASTRONEVES – 20 YEARS
A broken finger. A smudged fax transmission. A transition to a new series, a new racetrack and new fame.
That’s part of the story of Helio Castroneves at Indianapolis Motor Speedway heading into -- and
winning -- the 2001 Indianapolis 500.
– Helio Castroneves
It takes a brain recalibration to remember the Brazilian driver introduced to the U.S. as Helio Castro Neves.
Born Helio Alves de Castro Neves, the man hunting a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 arrived in this country in November 1995 knowing only a few words in English. Complete sentences were even more difficult to come by. But when it came to expressing the pain of recently injured ribs, Castro Neves was crystal clear.
Castro Neves was in so much pain that he had to withdraw early from a nine-driver shootout for Tasman Motorsports’ two seats in Indy Lights. He feared it might cost him a job, but team owner Steve Horne was impressed with the two Brazilians – Castro Neves and Tony Kanaan – and hired them.
Kanaan remembers Horne’s ground rules.
“When we signed the contracts, he looked at both of us and said, ‘One of you guys is going to make it to INDYCAR – only one,” Kanaan told INDYCAR.com in 2017. “It’s a two-year deal. You’re going to learn the first year. If you don’t win the championship … you’ll go back home to Brazil to do whatever.”
Kanaan and Castroneves finished second and seventh, respectively, that first Indy Lights season in 1996, but they finished 1-2 the next year and pushed their combined total of series wins to eight. Kanaan won the championship, so he got Tasman’s seat in CART, but Horne recommended Castro Neves to Tony Bettenhausen for his team, Bettenhausen Motorsports.
The pair were on the rise.
The U.S. media didn’t know what to do with the “Castro” part of the young driver’s name. Some omitted it, which made him Helio Neves. A compromise came in the form of a hyphen: Castro-Neves.
But that was short-lived, especially with team members suggesting he might be related to Fidel, the former communist leader of Cuba.
Rebranded Castroneves, the driver’s stock soared. He joined Hogan Racing for the 1999 CART season, winning a pole at the Milwaukee Mile and producing two other front-row starts. Clearly,
he was fast.
With a connection to Philip Morris International, which owned Marlboro, Castroneves joined Team Penske for the 2000 season. The pairing was magical: 30 race wins and 50 poles while earning legendary status with his drives
at Indy.
Now, about that broken finger.
It was the left index finger of Gil de Ferran, who had taken debris from Kenny Brack’s crash at Michigan International Speedway in the middle of the 2000 season. It was still a nuisance when Team Penske went for its first Indy Racing League test at IMS in October, and team officials decided to sit de Ferran, who also was nursing a five-point lead over Adrian Fernandez for the championship with the finale up next.
Castroneves drew the driving duties that day, which led the story of the fax faux.
As Castroneves tells it, the electronic transmission of setup specs was smeared on the edges, as often happened with the communication machines of the day. The lack of the final digit led to an incorrect wing angle.
Castroneves couldn’t get the car up to speed and confessed to being “intimidated” by the Speedway.
“I couldn’t go more than 180 (mph),” he said. “I said, ‘Guys, this is going to be tough to get to 220 – I can’t (do it).”
For the record, key team members on site that day don’t recall an issue with a fax, but they acknowledged it was a rocky start for the driver soon to be making history. Castroneves not only won his rookie “500,” he won his second and nearly his third.
Castroneves is affable, sure. But one way to really get him talking is to ask about the importance of the advice he received as an Indianapolis 500 rookie. He makes it clear that the veterans delivered.
“I remember talking to Johnny Rutherford,” he said. “I was talking to A.J. (Foyt) – I couldn’t understand him very well, so I go to the next, Al Unser Jr., which we were competing against each other. He was giving me some advice.
“Al (Unser) Sr. gave me some great advice. Bobby Unser, I remember he was asking about his experience, but he was giving me the whole 9 yards.”
That got Castroneves laughing.
“But in the end, Rick Mears was the guy I connected with,” he said. “I remember well he was telling me great advice: ‘Look, you don’t have to win the first lap because to finish first in this race you first have to finish.”
Mears stressed patience, saying Castroneves didn’t need to lead the race until there were 50 laps to go. Castroneves, who had qualified 11th, stayed true to his fast ways. He got to the lead two laps early, on Lap 149, and led the rest of the way.
– Helio Castroneves
Castroneves became the eighth driver to win the “500” for Roger Penske. De Ferran, Sam Hornish Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud have since been added to the list, giving “The Captain” 18 career wins.
Castroneves said Penske’s drive is what sets him apart, and he illustrated that point with a story.
– Tim Cindric
Team Penske was still a CART team
in 2001, and on the second weekend
of “500” qualifying competed in a
race at the Motegi circuit in Japan.
Castroneves remembers literally
being pulled off the podium after
a second-place finish, rushed to
Penske’s private jet still in
uniform and flying overnight
to Indianapolis.
Penske was so determined to get his drivers to the final full day of practice at IMS that he drove the SUV through the crowd and straight to pagoda.
“Literally right to the pagoda,” Castroneves said. “We jumped the fence and went to the cars, which were warm and ready to go. We just jump in and I was like, ‘Oh, my god, I cannot see.’ The jetlag was crazy, but they absolutely wanted to do the last test before the race.”
Castroneves drove to Victory Lane in car No. 68 because all other traditional Penske numbers were unavailable. Tom Sneva used that number for Penske’s Norton Spirit in 1975-76.
Again, recalling the details of the 20th anniversary of Castroneves’ first Indy win requires a recalibration of the brain.
Castroneves didn’t win in his familiar No. 3, and the car didn’t carry primary sponsor decals because the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between major tobacco companies put limits on the advertising of cigarettes. In this case, Team Penske and Philip Morris opted to showcase Marlboro in CART rather its two Indy Racing League races (Phoenix and Indianapolis).
Cindric vividly remembers Penske himself removing the Marlboro logo off the team’s fuel tank on Wednesday night prior to the “500.”
So much was different about that Month of May, when the driver with a new name became a household name.
– Helio Castroneves
HELIO CASTRONEVES – 20 YEARS
A broken finger. A smudged fax transmission. A transition to a new series, a new racetrack and new fame.
That’s part of the story of Helio Castroneves at Indianapolis Motor Speedway heading into -- and winning -- the 2001 Indianapolis 500.
– Helio Castroneves
It takes a brain recalibration to remember the Brazilian driver introduced to the U.S. as Helio Castro Neves.
Born Helio Alves de Castro Neves, the man hunting a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 arrived in this country in November 1995 knowing only a few words in English. Complete sentences were even more difficult to come by. But when it came to expressing the pain of recently injured ribs, Castro Neves was crystal clear.
Castro Neves was in so much pain that he had to withdraw early from a nine-driver shootout for Tasman Motorsports’ two seats in Indy Lights. He feared it might cost him a job, but team owner Steve Horne was impressed with the two Brazilians – Castro Neves and Tony Kanaan – and hired them.
Kanaan remembers Horne’s ground rules.
“When we signed the contracts, he looked at both of us and said, ‘One of you guys is going to make it to INDYCAR – only one,” Kanaan told INDYCAR.com in 2017. “It’s a two-year deal. You’re going to learn the first year. If you don’t win the championship … you’ll go back home to Brazil to do whatever.”
Kanaan and Castroneves finished second and seventh, respectively, that first Indy Lights season in 1996, but they finished 1-2 the next year and pushed their combined total of series wins to eight. Kanaan won the championship, so he got Tasman’s seat in CART, but Horne recommended Castro Neves to Tony Bettenhausen for his team, Bettenhausen Motorsports.
The pair were on the rise.
The U.S. media didn’t know what to do with the “Castro” part of the young driver’s name. Some omitted it, which made him Helio Neves. A compromise came in the form of a hyphen: Castro-Neves.
But that was short-lived, especially with team members suggesting he might be related to Fidel, the former communist leader of Cuba.
Rebranded Castroneves, the driver’s stock soared. He joined Hogan Racing for the 1999 CART season, winning a pole at the Milwaukee Mile and producing two other front-row starts. Clearly, he was fast.
With a connection to Philip Morris International, which owned Marlboro, Castroneves joined Team Penske for the 2000 season. The pairing was magical: 30 race wins and 50 poles while earning legendary status with his drives at Indy.
Now, about that broken finger.
It was the left index finger of Gil de Ferran, who had taken debris from Kenny Brack’s crash at Michigan International Speedway in the middle of the 2000 season. It was still a nuisance when Team Penske went for its first Indy Racing League test at IMS in October, and team officials decided to sit de Ferran, who also was nursing a five-point lead over Adrian Fernandez for the championship with the finale up next.
Castroneves drew the driving duties that day, which led the story of the fax faux.
As Castroneves tells it, the electronic transmission of setup specs was smeared on the edges, as often happened with the communication machines of the day. The lack of the final digit led to an incorrect wing angle.
Castroneves couldn’t get the car up to speed and confessed to being “intimidated” by the Speedway.
“I couldn’t go more than 180 (mph),” he said. “I said, ‘Guys, this is going to be tough to get to 220 – I can’t (do it).”
For the record, key team members on site that day don’t recall an issue with a fax, but they acknowledged it was a rocky start for the driver soon to be making history. Castroneves not only won his rookie “500,” he won his second and nearly his third.
Castroneves is affable, sure. But one way to really get him talking is to ask about the importance of the advice he received as an Indianapolis 500 rookie. He makes it clear that the veterans delivered.
“I remember talking to Johnny Rutherford,” he said. “I was talking to A.J. (Foyt) – I couldn’t understand him very well, so I go to the next, Al Unser Jr., which we were competing against each other. He was giving me some advice.
“Al (Unser) Sr. gave me some great advice. Bobby Unser, I remember he was asking about his experience, but he was giving me the whole 9 yards.”
– Helio Castroneves
That got Castroneves laughing.
“But in the end, Rick Mears was the guy I connected with,” he said. “I remember well he was telling me great advice: ‘Look, you don’t have to win the first lap because to finish first in this race you first have to finish.”
Mears stressed patience, saying Castroneves didn’t need to lead the race until there were 50 laps to go. Castroneves, who had qualified 11th, stayed true to his fast ways. He got to the lead two laps early, on Lap 149, and led the rest of the way.
Castroneves became the eighth driver to win the “500” for Roger Penske. De Ferran, Sam Hornish Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud have since been added to the list, giving “The Captain” 18 career wins.
Castroneves said Penske’s drive is what sets him apart, and he illustrated that point with a story.
Team Penske was still a CART team
in 2001, and on the second weekend
of “500” qualifying competed in a
race at the Motegi circuit in Japan.
Castroneves remembers literally
being pulled off the podium after
a second-place finish, rushed to
Penske’s private jet still in
uniform and flying overnight
to Indianapolis.
Penske was so determined to get his drivers to the final full day of practice at IMS that he drove the SUV through the crowd and straight to pagoda.
“Literally right to the pagoda,” Castroneves said. “We jumped the fence and went to the cars, which were warm and ready to go. We just jump in and I was like, ‘Oh, my god, I cannot see.’ The jetlag was crazy, but they absolutely wanted to do the last test before the race.”
– Tim Cindric
Castroneves drove to Victory Lane in car No. 68 because all other traditional Penske numbers were unavailable. Tom Sneva used that number for Penske’s Norton Spirit in 1975-76.
Again, recalling the details of the 20th anniversary of Castroneves’ first Indy win requires a recalibration of the brain.
Castroneves didn’t win in his familiar No. 3, and the car didn’t carry primary sponsor decals because the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between major tobacco companies put limits on the advertising of cigarettes. In this case, Team Penske and Philip Morris opted to showcase Marlboro in CART rather its two Indy Racing League races (Phoenix and Indianapolis).
Cindric vividly remembers Penske himself removing the Marlboro logo off the team’s fuel tank on Wednesday night prior to the “500.”
So much was different about that Month of May, when the driver with a new name became a household name.
– Helio Castroneves
It takes a brain recalibration to remember the Brazilian driver introduced to the U.S. as Helio Castro Neves.
Now, about that broken finger.
“I couldn’t go more than 180 (mph),” he said. “I said, 'Guys, this is going to be tough to get to 220 – I can’t (do it).'”
For the record, key team members on site that day don’t recall an issue with a fax, but they acknowledged it was a rocky start for the driver soon to be making history. Castroneves not only won his rookie “500,” he won his second and nearly his third.
WHERE TRADITION NEVER STOPS
WHERE TRADITION NEVER STOPS
The pair were on the rise.