Don’t be surprised if Helio Castroneves utters “Well, howdy parciero” next month.
Parciero is Portuguese for “partner,” and the Brazilian native will feel a lot of love deep in the heart of Texas when he’s inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame at Texas Motor Speedway’s Grand Ballroom of The Speedway Club on Saturday, November 3.
The former IndyCar star, now competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship circuit, will be the 21st member to be inducted into the Hall.
Castroneves will be inducted along with former NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, marking the first dual induction into the Hall since 2008 when NASCAR great Bobby Labonte and Speedway Motorsports Inc. patriarch Bruton Smith were inducted together.
Extra!Extra! What a honor!!
— Helio Castroneves (@h3lio) October 11, 2018
Super galera eh noixx na fita!
@IndyCar @Team_Penske pic.twitter.com/1TeMaaFn6x
The induction will take place during the NASCAR AAA Texas 500 playoff tripleheader at the 1.5-mile track on the northern edge of Fort Worth.
Castroneves is the most dominant IndyCar driver in TMS history. He owns track records for most wins (4), top 10s (15), top fives (11) and laps led (506) over the course of his record 20 career starts. He also recorded one pole position.
Edwards is also a four-time winner at TMS in NASCAR Cup competition, including his last career Cup triumph in November 2016. He also earned two NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at TMS, as well.
NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs, as well as NASCAR Cup driver Kevin Harvick and NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Christopher Bell will also be honored during the induction luncheon:
* Gibbs will receive the Bruton Smith Legend Award for his leadership in his role as a championship-winning team owner.
* Harvick will be honored with the 2017 Racer of the Year award after a strong fourth-place finish in April (2017) and a drought-ending victory last fall.
* Bell, who won the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, will receive the Sportsmanship Award.