DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves has ruled out running next month’s NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500.
Castroneves has been chasing a seat since winning one of Tony Stewart’s summer all-star races last season to win a bet with the SRX head that promised Castroneves help finding a NASCAR ride.
He’d tried to put a deal together with Trackhouse Racing, which said last week that it ultimately decided it did not want to run three cars.
Castroneves then tried to talk to Floyd Mayweather’s team, but said he couldn’t get a deal done with The Money Team Racing in time for next month’s Daytona 500. TMT last year raced itself into the Daytona 500 with driver Kaz Grala in the first NASCAR race for Mayweather’s team.
“Unfortunately, for me, lack of experience, no testing, a lot of things. I believe it will be a little bit tough throwing myself in on such short notice,” Castroneves said according to AP.
“To go to a place where you’ve got to race yourself into (the race), as of right now, it’s not going to happen. We need to have an opportunity, and we’ve just got to … give me a little more experience.”
Castroneves said that he’s considering attending the Daytona 500 as a spectator.
Castroneves then added that he may still attend the 65th running of the Daytona 500 next month as a spectator, and did not rule out attempting it in the future.
In the more immediate future, Castroneves will be aiming for a third consecutive overall victory in the 24-hour endurance race at Daytona. His co-driver Tom Blomqvist put the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura on pole for this year’s event.
“But we did have an opportunity. We just got to elaborate a little bit more to give me a little more experience on that. So there is more things to come ahead of us, but as of right now, I want to focus on the IndyCar program as well and (the Rolex 24 at Daytona).”
Castroneves, who has a residence in Key Biscayne, said he still might attend the Daytona 500
“I might just come and see and watch it and continue to take a look and see what’s going to be in the future,” he said.
Castroneves has been angling for a NASCAR ride for years, dating to when he drove for Team Penske from 2000-20.
After winning the Rolex 24 last year, he said he had been lobbying Ray Evernham and Tony Stewart for help with getting in a Cup car.
