IndyCar title quest continues for Helio Castroneves

By Aug 28, 2014, 2:00 PM EDT
0 Comments

Helio Castroneves is once again in familiar territory, once again seeking a result that’s so far been unfamiliar to him.

The story doesn’t need to be explained anymore, at least at length: Castroneves, the man who’s won the Indianapolis 500 three times, beaten the IRS in court, and enjoys a proper degree of mainstream recognition (if more so because America loves televised ballroom dancing), is still searching for that series championship.

He’s had his chances. Several, in fact. And wouldn’t you know it, he’s getting another one on Saturday night at Auto Club Speedway (9 p.m. ET on NBCSN, NBC Sports Live Extra).

Despite being down 51 points going into the season-ending MAV TV 500, Castroneves can still swipe the title away from Team Penske teammate Will Power as this race, along with the other 500-mile races in IndyCar, features double points.

Like last year, though – when he entered ACS down 25 points to eventual champion Scott Dixon after a disastrous Houston doubleheader – Castroneves is not in control of his own destiny.

The last three races have made sure of that. A pre-race throttle issue relegated Castroneves to a 19th-place finish at Mid-Ohio and forced him to give up the points lead to Power.

That was followed by an 11th-place showing at Milwaukee. And then, last weekend at Sonoma, he finished 18th after being caught in a multi-car incident just two turns into the race.

If not for Power’s own mid-race spin, Castroneves’ bid for the championship may have withered like grapes on the vine in California’s wine country.

“I have to say that it’s been unusual,” he said on Wednesday. “The Mid‑Ohio race, obviously outside our control; the Milwaukee race, we’re still trying to understand why we didn’t have the performance the same as Will and Juan Pablo [Montoya]; and last weekend…Right at the start of the race, having [Sebastien] Bourdais throwing a strike right at the beginning.

“So that frustrates you, but you can’t just let those bits bite you. We’ve just got to move on, and we still have one more race, which is double points and 500 miles, so anything can happen. We’re looking for the best result.”

The best result has been what their boss, Roger Penske, has been searching for since 2006, when Sam Hornish Jr. brought him his last IndyCar Series championship.

Andretti Autosport (2007, 2012) and Chip Ganassi Racing (2008-2011, 2013) have since reigned at the top of North America’s premier open-wheel series.

But it would appear that on Saturday night,“The Captain” will finally claim the Astor Cup (yes, Simon Pagenaud of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports can also win the title, but only if he wins the MAV TV 500 and gets a lot of help).

The question is who’s going to give it to him: Castroneves or Power?

Castroneves obviously wants that honor. But, ever the good soldier, he understands the bigger picture.

From his perspective, Team Penske had three big goals this year: Winning the Indy 500 (natch), winning at Detroit (the race that Penske helped revive a few years ago), and winning the championship.

Castroneves was narrowly denied at Indy by Ryan Hunter-Reay. Then Power and Castroneves swept the two Detroit races. And now, it would seem that one of them is on the cusp of a title.

Two out of three certainly wouldn’t be bad in this case.

“We were able to accomplish Detroit; unfortunately, [we were] very close at the Indy 500, and the championship, we’re super close to making that happen, as well,” Castroneves said.

“…We’re so proud to be part of the organization, whether it’s myself or Will or Juan Pablo. We want to make sure we give this to Roger because he deserves it more than anybody.”

As for himself, Castroneves seems content to let the chips fall where they may. He’s long known that worrying about what he can’t control is folly.

Execution is what it’ll be about for him Saturday night, as he tries to finally end his career-long quest for a championship.

With throaty roar, NASCAR Next Gen Camaro is taking Le Mans by storm on global stage

Associated PressJun 8, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT
Le Mans 24 Hour Race - Car Parade
Chris Graythen/Getty Images
4 Comments

LE MANS, France — The V8 engine of the NASCAR Chevrolet Camaro has a distinct growl that cannot go unnoticed even among the most elite sports cars in the world at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

When the Hendrick Motorsports crew fired up the car inside Garage 56, NASCAR chairman Jim France broke into a huge grin and gave a thumbs up.

“The only guy who didn’t cover his ears,” laughed seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

GARAGE 56 SPECS: Full comparison of NASCAR Cup car to Le Mans car

BUTTON’S BIG MOVE: Hendrick drone tour was NASCAR entryway for F1 champion

France has been waiting since 1962 – the year his father, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., brought him to his first 24 Hours of Le Mans – to hear the roar of a stock car at the most prestigious endurance race in the world.

A path finally opened when NASCAR developed its Next Gen car, which debuted last year. France worked out a deal to enter a car in a specialized “Innovative Car” class designed to showcase technology and development. The effort would be part of NASCAR’s 75th celebration and it comes as Le Mans marks its 100th.

Once he had the approval, France persuaded Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear – NASCAR’s winningest team, manufacturer and tire supplier – to build a car capable of running the twice-around-the-clock race.

The race doesn’t start until Saturday, but NASCAR’s arrival has already been wildly embraced and France could not be more thrilled.

“Dad’s vision, to be able to follow it, it took awhile to follow it up, and my goal was to outdo what he accomplished,” France told The Associated Press. “I just hope we don’t fall on our ass.”

The car is in a class of its own and not racing anyone else in the 62-car field. But the lineup of 2010 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller, 2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button and Johnson has been fast enough; Rockenfeller put down a qualifying lap that was faster than every car in the GTE AM class by a full three seconds.

The Hendrick Motorsports crew won its class in the pit stop competition and finished fifth overall as the only team using a manual jack against teams exclusively using air jacks. Rick Hendrick said he could not be prouder of the showing his organization has made even before race day.

“When we said we’re gonna do it, I said, ‘Look, we can’t do this half-assed. I want to be as sharp as anybody out there,” Hendrick told AP. “I don’t want to be any less than any other team here. And just to see the reaction from the crowd, people are so excited about this car. My granddaughter has been sending me all these TikTok things that fans are making about NASCAR being at Le Mans.”

This isn’t NASCAR’s first attempt to run Le Mans. The late France Sr. brokered a deal in 1976, as America celebrated its bicentennial, to bring two cars to compete in the Grand International class and NASCAR selected the teams. Herschel McGriff and his son, Doug, drove a Wedge-powered, Olympia Beer-sponsored Dodge Charger, and Junie Donlavey piloted a Ford Torino shared by Richard Brooks and Dick Hutcherson.

Neither car came close to finishing the race. McGriff, now 95 and inducted into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame in January, is in Le Mans as France’s guest, clad head-to-toe in the noticeable Garage 56 uniforms.

“I threw a lot of hints that I would like to come. And I’ve been treated as royalty,” McGriff said. “This is unbelievable to me. I recognize nothing but I’m anxious to see everything. I’ve been watching and seeing pictures and I can certainly see the fans love their NASCAR.”

The goal is to finish the full race Sunday and, just maybe, beat cars from other classes. Should they pull off the feat, the driver trio wants its own podium celebration.

“I think people will talk about this car for a long, long time,” said Rockenfeller, who along with sports car driver Jordan Taylor did much of the development alongside crew chief Chad Knaus and Greg Ives, a former crew chief who stepped into a projects role at Hendrick this year.

“When we started with the Cup car, we felt already there was so much potential,” Rockenfeller said. “And then we tweaked it. And we go faster, and faster, at Le Mans on the SIM. But you never know until you hit the real track, and to be actually faster than the SIM. Everybody in the paddock, all the drivers, they come up and they are, ‘Wow, this is so cool,’ and they were impressed by the pit stops. We’ve overachieved, almost, and now of course the goal is to run for 24 hours.”

The car completed a full 24-hour test at Sebring, Florida, earlier this year, Knaus said, and is capable of finishing the race. Button believes NASCAR will leave a lasting impression no matter what happens.

“If you haven’t seen this car live yet, it’s an absolute beast,” Button said. “When you see and hear it go by, it just puts a massive smile on your face.”

For Hendrick, the effort is the first in his newfound embrace of racing outside NASCAR, the stock car series founded long ago in the American South. Aside from the Le Mans project, he will own the Indy car that Kyle Larson drives for Arrow McLaren in next year’s Indianapolis 500 and it will be sponsored by his automotive company.

“If you’d have told me I’d be racing at Le Mans and Indianapolis within the same year, I’d never have believed you,” Hendrick told AP. “But we’re doing both and we’re going to do it right.”

Le Mans 24 Hour Race - Car Parade
Fans gather around the NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that is the Garage 56 entry for the 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe (Chris Graythen/Getty Images).

General Motors is celebrating the achievement with a 2024 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Garage 56 Edition and only 56 will be available to collectors later this year.

“Even though Chevrolet has been racing since its inception in 1911, we’ve never done anything quite like Garage 56,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “A NASCAR stock car running at Le Mans is something fans doubted they would see again.”

The race hasn’t even started yet, but Hendrick has enjoyed it so much that he doesn’t want the project to end.

“It’s like a shame to go through all this and do all this, and then Sunday it’s done,” Hendrick said. “It’s just really special to be here.”