By Kaleb Vestal

Four-time Indy 500 winner Hélio Castroneves will be tackling something new come February. Castroneves will be driving a stock car around the famous two-and-a-half-mile superspeedway in Daytona Beach, competing in his first Daytona 500 for Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91, in his nearly 40-year racing career. 

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing,” Castroneves stated. 

“This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down. I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car, (Trackhouse owner) Justin Marks, and everyone that made this happen. I wish the race were tomorrow!”

The Brazilian had competed in just three races in IndyCar for the 2024 season, including the Indianapolis 500 last May. Although Castroneves will carry rookie stripes by the time the green flag waves on Feb. 16th, he does have some stock car experience in the former SRX series and the International Race of Champions (IROC).

“I know how much of a challenge this is going to be, but I also know the type of people and team Trackhouse Racing will bring to the effort,” said Castroneves. “I can’t wait to get to the Trackhouse race shop in North Carolina to meet everyone and prepare for Daytona. There is so much I must learn and I’m ready to get started.”

Castroneves will have former Daytona 500 Crew Chief Darian Grubb on top of the pit box for the No. 91 Wendy’s Chevrolet for Speedweeks at Daytona. 

Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks said adding Castroneves to the PROJECT91 program is a “no-brainer.”

“Hélio is one of the greatest drivers of all time and exactly the type of driver we want to bring to NASCAR,” said Marks. I think race fans around the world will be excited to see Hélio in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. It also exposes our sport to a global audience and allows them to see just how great of a series we have in NASCAR.”

Castroneves will have Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen, and Daniel Suárez as teammates to help the No. 91 make it into Daytona’s 40-car field.