ARCA: Helio Castroneves Salvages Top-Five Finish in Daytona 500 Tune Up
Four-time Indianapolis 500 race winner, Helio Castroneves is on the brink of his first career start in NASCAR's biggest race, the Daytona 500. Ahead of his first start in the Great American Race on Sunday, Castroneves had a chance to get further acclimated to drafting behind the wheel of a stock car as he competed in Saturday afternoon's ARCA Menards Series event at Daytona International Speedway.
Despite an up-and-down race, where he was involved in seemingly every crash on the day, the 49-year-old racer found himself in the lead pack, where he was battling for the race win with his Pinnacle Racing Group teammate Brenden "Butterbean" Queen in the closing laps.
Castroneves' inexperience in stock car superspeedway racing showed as he lost his momentum over the last couple of laps in the race, but he was able to hang on to record a solid fifth-place finish. In the end, Castroneves was able to bank the experience of losing in a late-race battle for the win, and the legendary racer was happy he ran the ARCA event on Saturday.
"Toward the end in second place, I knew it was three or two laps to go, I wanted to do the move [for the lead] on the backstretch because I knew the win was [possible], but the spotters kept helping us and telling me to, 'Stay behind, stay behind,' and it was too late, and we lost the push," Castroneves explained. "But man, for me, that race was a great way to learn, a great way to understand. I'm so glad I did that. It changed my perspective."
Castroneves said the ARCA race was so beneficial to his learning process for Sunday's Daytona 500 that he wishes he would have been able to compete in the race prior to Thursday's Duel Qualifier.
To put an exclamation point on the way his day went, Castroneves was involved in one last crash on Saturday, which occurred after the checkered flag when AJ Moyer, who was running behind him in the pack, didn't seem to realize the race was over, and he spun Castroneves going into Turn 1.
"Unfortunately, at the end [of the race], I think the guy behind me didn't know the race was over, so he kept pushing me. That's why I ended up in the wreck," Castroneves said.
Castroneves admitted that it was hard to stick with it and get in a rhythm early after being caught up in several of the incidents, but he credits the Pinnacle Racing Group team for thrashing to keep him on the lead lap with a good car, which allowed him to gain valuable experience for Sunday's Daytona 500.
"In the beginning of the race, man, every yellow it seemed I got caught with it. It was very, very difficult to try to avoid," Castroneves said. "Whether I was on the high lane or the bottom lane, I was having some issues. The boys did an amazing job fixing the car. The car was really good, and again, it was really important for me to finish the race so that I can continue this process, which takes time. But I'll continue this process in the Daytona 500 tomorrow."
What were the biggest things that Castroneves learned in Saturday's ARCA race? To trust in his spotter, and to save fuel.
"You only see a bumper, just a big bumper, and it's understanding what the spotter is telling you so that you can push or not. Saving fuel was [also] something I learned today, even if it was a different car with less power. But yeah, I think I'll be a little more calm tomorrow understanding what I need to do," Castroneves stated.
Castroneves will now head to final practice for the Daytona 500, which will be a pivotal session for him as he was unable to compete in Friday's practice session as his No. 91 car was being worked on after a crash in Thursday's Duel.
The Brazilian says he'll be double-checking that his cool suit is working as the Daytona 500 is more than double the distance of the ARCA race he competed in on Saturday, and he'll look to get reacclimated to the NASCAR Next Gen car. If all goes to plan, he'll also get familiar with working together in the draft with other drivers.
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.