Helio Castroneves

Helio Castroneves is a member of the illustrious four-time Indianapolis 500 winners club with wins in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021.

The Brazilian began his open-wheel racing career in 1996, first competing in the Indy Lights Series. He moved to CART in 1999, then took his first series victory with Team Penske at the 2000 Detroit Grand Prix. It was after that win that Castroneves debuted his now-famous fence climb, which has earned him the nickname of “Spiderman”.

Castroneves etched his name in history after winning the 2001 Indianapolis 500 as a rookie with Team Penske, where he led the final 52 laps. After taking his celebratory sip of milk, he poured the milk over his head in Victory Circle and inadvertently started a new way to honor the tradition of “Winners Drink Milk”. He then won his second-ever “500” the next year, one of six drivers who have won back-to-back. He came close to victory again in 2003, finishing just 0.299 seconds behind teammate Gil de Ferran.

In 2009, he won for the third time in nine years in what was possibly his most meaningful victory. He won the pole position, the pit-stop competition, and then the race after pulling away from Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick on a restart with 17 laps remaining. He almost took the victory again in 2014, finishing second to Ryan Hunter-Reay by just 0.060 seconds. But his record-tying fourth win finally arrived in 2021 with a new team – Meyer Shank Racing.

Castroneves finished his full-time IndyCar career with an impressive 31 race wins, 50 poles (four of which were for the Indianapolis 500), and 142 Top 5 finishes. He now serves in an ownership role with Meyer Shank Racing.