Helio Castroneves has been inducted into the Team Penske Hall of Fame after 21 years of service to one of the most prestigious teams in Motorsports.
Tim Cindric, President of Team Penske, traveled to Florida to surprise the Brazilian with the honor, and was joined by hundreds of other team associates online who joined in to congratulate and thank him for his time with the team.
Castroneves becomes only the ninth member of the Team Penske Hall of Fame, joining other legendary names such as three-time IndyCar champion Rick Mears, all-around talented racer Mark Donohue, and Roger Penske himself.
“What an incredible surprise,” said Castroneves. “I was hoping to visit the Team Penske shop in North Carolina to see everyone after the season, but we couldn’t do it with all of the COVID-19 restrictions. It was so great to connect with everyone virtually.
“I have so many friends and people that are really like family to me after 21 years together. That was awesome, but for TC [Tim Cindric] to then announce that I was being inducted into the Team Penske Hall of Fame, wow. What an amazing honour.
“I want to thank Roger [Penske], TC and everyone at Team Penske that I’ve worked with over the years. It has been an incredible ride and this is such a special tribute.”
The Brazilian joined the team’s CART series operations for the 2000 season as a replacement for Greg Moore, who had signed a deal with Penske before his fatal accident at California Speedway at the end of 1999.
After two solid years in CART claiming six victories, Castroneves moved across to IndyCar in a part-time season for 2001 and would claim his first of three Indianapolis 500 victories.
Further Indy 500 victories would come in 2002 and 2009, but the championship would always elude him. He finished runner-up on four occasions, with his closest run at the title coming in 2008, when he narrowly lost out to now six-time champion Scott Dixon by just 17 points.
Castroneves pioneered a unique way to celebrate victories by climbing the catch fencing and celebrating with the fans around the circuit, earning him the nickname ‘Spiderman’.
In 2018, he made a full-time switch to the IMSA WeatherTech Series with Penske in the DPi class Acura ARX-05. Good results were tough to come by in the early stages, but came more often during his time with the team.
In 2020, Castroneves claimed the IMSA championship with team-mate Ricky Taylor – his first in professional racing.
Across his 21 years with Penske driving in CART, IndyCar, and IMSA, he has amassed an incredible 34 wins, 60 pole-positions, and 107 podiums.
During the induction ceremony, Tim Cindric was appreciative of his the veteran’s time with the team, saying, “What can I say, Helio and I came to Team Penske at the end of 1999 and our relationship goes beyond racing.
“We have had a lot of fun together over the years and it is hard to imagine this team without him.
“He really defines what it is to be a ‘team player.’ Even though he will be competing against us next year, he can always count on us to be there for him.”
For 2021, the 45-year old will part ways with Team Penske, returning to IndyCar on a part-time basis driving for Meyer Shank Racing alongside Jack Harvey.
He will also continue to be a part of the Daytona 24hr line-up, driving for Wayne Taylor Racing.
