INDIANAPOLIS — By winning the Indianapolis 500 for the fourth time, Helio Castroneves proved he remains a master of the moment at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
He also proved he is one of the most beloved drivers in the history of the Indianapolis 500; that his accomplishments and exploits transcend the cockpit of his race car; and that he has earned his status as one of racing’s all-time greats.
Nobody knows that better than the grand champion of the Indianapolis 500, the legendary A.J. Foyt, the first four-time Indy 500 winner.
“He (Castroneves) deserved it, he worked hard to get it and he finally got it,” Foyt said. “It wasn’t given to him and when someone works as hard as he did, I’m glad it happened for him.”
When Foyt arrived at the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie in 1958, it was a place reserved for the mightiest of men — those who weren’t afraid to risk their lives by driving a race car in one of the most dangerous propositions of its time. Foyt understood the dangers and didn’t flinch, driving to victory in the Indianapolis 500 in 1961, ’64 and ’67.
Foyt became the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times when he drove to victory in 1977. Ten years later, Al Unser became the second driver to win four Indy 500s in 1987.
Four years after that, Rick Mears became the third four-time Indianapolis 500 winner in 1991.
In 2001, a diminutive driver from Brazil entered the picture, a man who cried in victory lane and was the antithesis of the rock-solid toughness that Foyt displayed.
Castroneves was the size of a jockey and had the personality of a standup comedian. But the kid knew how to drive a race car at the Indianapolis 500. He is the only driver to win the Indy 500 in his first two tries.
In 2009, Castroneves won his third Indy 500 and it appeared to be only a matter of time before the Team Penske driver would join Foyt, Unser and Mears as four-time Indy 500 winners.
But despite second-place finishes in 2014 and ’17, Castroneves continued to chase a fourth Indy victory. His last full season with Team Penske’s IndyCar Series team was in 2017.
Instead, he raced three seasons in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship while also running the Indianapolis 500.
Although he won the IMSA title last year, his long career with Team Penske was over.
Castroneves joined Meyer Shank Racing as a part-time driver. It would be Castroneves’ first Indy 500 driving for someone other than Team Penske, but it was a team that had never won an IndyCar Series race.
On the 30th anniversary of Mears’ fourth Indy 500 win, Castroneves finally achieved his elusive fourth Indianapolis 500 victory in one of the most magical moments in the history of the famed race.
Castroneves was back and so were the fans, as a crowd of at least 135,000 spectators got a chance to return to the race they love so much after being denied the opportunity when the COVID-19 pandemic forced IMS officials to run the 2020 Indy 500 without fans.
Although the crowd was limited to 40 percent of the approximately 300,000 spectators who generally attend the race, the feeling of anticipation and love for the race was in the air.
When the green flag waved, much of the focus was on pole winner Scott Dixon to see if he could finally get his second Indianapolis 500 win. Dixon is the greatest driver of his era with six NTT IndyCar Series championships and 51 wins entering the Memorial Day Classic, but his only Indy 500 win came in 2008.