"I've run two races this year and won two races, I'd say that's pretty good," said Castroneves, who noted this might be the year for aging veterans. ![]() "I love Indianapolis! You guys don't understand it! The fans, you give me energy," Castroneves said.Ĭastroneves was also part of the winning Rolex 24 Daytona sports car team in January, taking the prestigious sports car event for the first time. and Rick Mears, his former mentor at Team Penske, as the only four-time winners of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Mears was the last driver to join the club in 1991. Maybe Castroneves would have a shot to win, but he'd also boost a team that needed some veteran leadership at one of the most challenging tracks in the world.Ĭastroneves had been trying since 2009 to join A.J. He hired Castroneves for the Indy 500 to complement the one-car Meyer Shank Racing team. Spiderman insisted he was not done racing yet and Michael Shank agreed. ![]() But he was eventually phased over to the sports car program, where he won the IMSA championship last season before Roger Penske shuttered the team and made the business decision to cut Castroneves loose. "You're a legend."Ĭastroneves became the fourth-oldest winner in Indianapolis 500 history, behind Al Unser (47, 1987), Bobby Unser (47, 1981) and Emerson Fittipaldi (46, 1993).Ĭastroneves spent more than two decades driving for Team Penske and won three Indy 500s with the team. "I was looking up and down `Who is the 06?"' Power told Castroneves in a victory hug. He pumped his arms in the air and waved to the ecstatic crowd, his explosion of emotional energy stopped every few feet by a flood of rivals who rushed onto the track to congratulate Castroneves.Īlmost every member of Team Penske rushed out to meet Castroneves, including former teammate Will Power, who saw the final scoring pylon and had no idea his longtime friend won. At 46 and one of the oldest drivers in the field, he sprinted along the frontstretch of the speedway for a victory lap without a car for the 135,000 fans in attendance.
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