Helio Castroneves

Castroneves was born in São Paulo, Brazil on May 10, 1975, to automobile dealer Helio Castroneves Sr and former school teacher Sandra Gomez Castroneves (née Alves). He has an elder sister, Katicia, who is his business manager. In 1977, the family moved to Ribeirão Preto, an agricultural town about 150 mi (240 km) northwest of São Paulo, to allow his father to find business in the region's thriving ethanol processing industry. He was educated in the São Paulo school system. In 2000, he changed his surname from Castro-Neves to Castroneves to stop the media misidentifying him as "Helio Neves" or "Helio Castro". Castroneves has a daughter with his long-time partner Adriana Henao.

From early 1981 to 1986, Castroneves observed his father's minor stock car team race on weekends by being sneaked into a car's trunk in racing overalls and helmet, allowing him into a circuit. At age seven, he was given a child-sized motorized car for frequent driving on the streets of his gated community and asked his father about a go-kart. On his 11th birthday, Castroneves received his first go-kart from race car driver Alfredo Guaraná Menezes, and began driving at a karting track in São Paulo. His mother disliked racing, urging him to focus on schooling and enrolling him on less dangerous sports, such as association football, judo, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. Castroneves played those sports infrequently before telling his mother he wanted to focus on racing. He was inspired by Ayrton Senna, a three-time Formula One world champion.

His father enrolled him on the Karting State Championships in São Paulo in early 1987. Castroneves won his first trophy mid-year by bettering himself, as his father sold his Rio de Janeiro property to establish and finance a karting team around his son. At age 13, he was taken off full-time schooling to learn more about karting from his father and team members. Castroneves' mother disapproved because she believed he could opt to stop karting and was fearful of him not having a back-up career. Castroneves won the 1989 Brazilian National Go-Kart Championship at age 14. Around this time, he and his family began watching Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and Formula One racing on television. From October 1989 to March 1990, Castroneves did weightlifting and played tennis to improve his physique.

In 1990, he forfeited the Brazilian National Go-Kart Championship and flew to Italy to enter the Karting World Cup to acquaint himself with the more powerful and gripper European go-karts. A mix-up of his registration papers with the Confederação Brasileira de Automobilismo (English: Brazilian Autosport Confederation) and talks with the Commission Internationale de Karting in Switzerland prevented him from entering until a fellow karter sustained an arm injury. Castroneves finished the race 16th. He raced in the 1991 Karting World Cup in France without registration trouble, finishing 25th, and won more races in Brazil.

Aged 16 in late 1991, Castroneves progressed into car racing, competing in Formula Chevrolet Brazil, a series for finishing go-karters. His parents hired a trainer to help him lift weights for better car control and took him to a local recreational center. Negotiations to drive for the Arisco team fell through when it asked for $200,000 in sponsorship, causing his father to spend $250,000 on his own team. Driving a Copral-Berta-Chevrolet car, Castroneves was championship runner-up with one victory and 92 points in the eight-round season. He moved to the higher-tier Formula 3 Sudamericana in 1993 driving a Ralt RT34-Mugen Honda car with Copral and later the funded Amir Nasr Racing Team. Castroneves' five-year old car was worn, held together by duct tape, with no aerial to communicate to his team by radio. He was championship runner-up to Argentinean driver Fernando Croceri with four victories, eight podium finishes and 57 points.

Castroneves progressed to the Brazilian Formula Three Championship in 1994 with the Amir Nasr Racing Team, finishing second overall with three victories, four pole positions and 52 points from eight races. For 1995, Castroneves drove a Dallara F395-Mugen Honda car for Paul Stewart Racing in the British Formula Three Championship. His father obtained sponsorship from a Brazilian bank, and mid-way through 1995, sold his business assets, private company and Katicia's university apartment to help finance his son's career. Castroneves was third in the drivers' championship with 169 points, six podiums and a win at Donington Park. He finished third in the Masters of Formula 3 at Circuit Zandvoort and crashed out the Macau Grand Prix.

In November 1995, a Philip Morris International executive asked Castroneves whether he wanted to enter a four-day Indy Lights (CART's developmental series) test session at Phoenix International Raceway's oval track against nine other drivers. Although he did not finish the test due to exhaustion, he signed to drive Tasman Motorsports' third car with partial funding from the team and the rest from a corporate sponsor after another year in F3 was financially unfeasible. Driving the No. 8 Lola T93/20-Buick car in the 1996 season, Castroneves won at Circuit Trois-Rivières and achieved seven top-tens for seventh overall with 84 points. A series of accidents and Castroneves' lack of English frustrated him, and he briefly spoke to a sports psychologist for help mid-season.

For the 1997 season, he remained at Tasman Motorsport, but was told his sponsor was leaving, forcing Katicia to promote him to several Brazilian companies. He and team owner Steve Horne agreed if he won five races, Horne would retain all prize monies until Castroneves paid him what he was owed, effectively driving for free. Driving the No. 29 Lola T97/20-Buick car, Castroneves was championship runner-up to teammate Tony Kanaan, winning three of the twelve races, six top tens, four pole positions, and 152 points. On June 11, 1997, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi became Castroneves' manager and sponsorship finder.

In January 1998, Bettenhausen Racing owner Tony Bettenhausen Jr. invited him to test for his CART team at Sebring International Raceway; Castroneves signed to drive its No. 16 Reynard 98i-Mercedes-Benz car in the 1998 season, and was assigned former Penske Racing employee Tom Brown as his race engineer. During practice for the season-opening Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead–Miami Speedway, Castroneves sustained a sore head in an accident but medical officials cleared him to race. Castroneves had his first career top-ten finish, a ninth at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, followed by a season-high second in the Miller 200 at Milwaukee Mile. He was 17th in the drivers' championship with 36 points, and was second to Kanaan in the Rookie of the Year standings.

In mid-1998 Chip Ganassi Racing wanted Castroneves to replace the Formula One-bound Alex Zanardi; Team Rahal were also interested in him. Fittipaldi blocked both deals because he felt Mercedes-Benz was CART's best engine. Bettenhausen Racing fired Castroneves in January 1999, and replaced him with the sponsored Shigeaki Hattori. Castroneves agreed with team owner Carl Hogan on January 26 to drive for Hogan Racing in 1999 in place of JJ Lehto on the condition he paid $3 million in sponsorship to the team. He drove the No. 9 Lola B99/00-Mercedes-Benz car, which was unreliable, and its engine inconsistent in producing power. Castroneves finished ninth in the Firestone Firehawk 500K at Twin Ring Motegi, which preceded a second place in the Motorola 300 at Gateway International Raceway. In the Miller Lite 225 at Milwaukee, Castroneves achieved his first CART pole position. The rest of the season saw him achieve four more top-tens and finishing 15th in the points standings with 48.

For the 2000 season, Penske stopped building cars, switched to a Reynard 2Ki, changed engine manufacturers from Mercedes-Benz to Honda, and tire supplier from Goodyear to Firestone in a bid to improve performance. Castroneves found the Honda engine's driveability different than Mercedes-Benz's, and was at first, not friends with his teammate de Ferran because they were competitors. He finished second at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, his only points finish in the first six races. He led the final 24 laps of the Grand Prix of Detroit in his first series victory after Juan Pablo Montoya retired with mechanical trouble. Castroneves won the Miller Lite 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and took five top-tens and a third victory in the Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca. He was seventh in the drivers' championship with 129 points, and was named the inaugural winner of the Greg Moore Legacy Award as "the driver who best typifies Moore's outstanding talent on the track as well as displaying a dynamic personality with the fans, media and the CART community."

After winning a race, Castroneves celebrated by stopping his car, and climbing the catchfence to send a message of delight in achieving success. He began the tradition with his first CART victory in Detroit in 2000 and repeated it each time he won a race. After this celebration, John Kernan, host of RPM 2Night, first gave Castroneves the nickname "Spider-Man", and has been mimicked by other drivers in the following years. His photogenic looks have been picked up the press, Including People, ESPN The Magazine, and Cosmopolitan. Castroneves has done business with oil companies Pennzoil, Shell, and electronics company SMS Audio. In December 2004, he had an audience with Pope John Paul II and spoke to a congress on how Catholicism impacted his life and racing career. Castroneves won the 2001 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and the 2004 Scott Brayton Award for "displaying the character that best exemplifies the racing spirit of the late Scott Brayton." He was inducted into the Indy Lights Hall of Fame in 2014 as a 1997 graduate, and the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame in November 2018.

In 2001, he drove the No. 3 Reynard 01i-Honda, and journalist David Phillips considered him a championship contender. Castroneves changed his strategy on a race-by-race basis, and was supported by de Ferran and his teammate's pit crew. At the season's second race, the Grand Prix of Long Beach, he qualified in the pole position and led all 82 laps for his fourth career win. Castroneves started from pole position in the Firestone Firehawk 500 at Motegi, leading more laps than any other driver to finish second, and led every lap of the Grand Prix of Detroit for his second victory of 2001. He achieved a third win at the Miller Lite 200 to go one point behind championship leader Kenny Bräck, and overtook the latter after finishing seventh in the Motorola 220. Castroneves lost the points lead after coming 18th in Indy Vancouver, but claimed three top sixes in the final six races to finish fourth in the drivers' standings with 141 points.

He debuted in the Indy Racing League (IRL) in 2001, driving Penske's No. 68 Dallara IR-01-Oldsmobile car, at the season-opening Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 at Phoenix to understand the series before the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves started 17th but retired with engine failure after ⁄4 race distance. He qualified 11th for his first Indianapolis 500 and led the final 52 laps to win the race at his first attempt.

Castroneves was invited to compete in the International Race of Champions in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. Driving a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, his best in the series was eighth with two podium finishes in 2002. In the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series, Castroneves joined James Rosenberg Racing in its No. 47 Ford FG Falcon as Tim Slade's international co-driver for the Gold Coast 600 double header. He visited the team's factory for a seat fitting as preparation. Castroneves and Slade finished outside the top ten in both races. The following year, he again joined Slade at James Rosenberg at the Gold Coast 600 race of the 2011 International V8 Supercars Championship. The duo finished the first race 12th and 10th in the second.

Before the 2003 season, Penske allowed Castroneves to test for the Toyota Formula One team at Circuit Paul Ricard in France before a possible contract renewal. He impressed Toyota with his performance, but was told CART champion Cristiano da Matta signed as a race driver for 2003. Castroneves told Penske he would stay with the team, citing his fair and loyal treatment towards him. The beginning of the season saw Castroneves earn two top threes in Homestead-Miami and Phoenix. At the Indianapolis 500, he qualified on pole position; in the race, he led 58 laps and finished second. Castroneves took two straight second places at Richmond International Raceway and Kansas Speedway and won at Gateway International Raceway and Nazareth Speedway to take the points lead. A gearbox failure at Chicagoland Speedway leaving him 20th and a sixth in California meant he entered the season-ending Chevy 500 at Texas as one of five championship contenders and equal on points with Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon. A minor collision with Tony Kanaan took Castroneves out of title contention. He was third in points with 484 scored.

For the 2004 season, Hornish joined Castroneves at Penske after De Ferran retired from IndyCar; at first, the two did not speak to each other often because of their differing personalities. He led most of the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 before Hornish passed him on the final lap to win. Castroneves qualified eighth for his fourth Indianapolis 500. A lack of horsepower against the Honda-powered cars caused him to finish the rain-shortened race ninth. Two races later, Castroneves' first pole position of the season came in the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond, where he finished third. He took eight more top tens, four pole positions, and overtook Andretti Green Racing's Dan Wheldon to lead the final 21 laps of the season-ending race at Texas for his only win of 2004. Castroneves' finished fourth in the drivers' championship with 440 points.

Penske's performance in 2004 saw Castroneves being viewed as an outsider for the 2005 title. He began the season with a fifth place in the Toyota Indy 300 and a second at the following XM Satellite Radio 200. Starting the Indianapolis 500 from fifth position, Castroneves finished the race four places lower in ninth. At Richmond for the SunTrust Indy Challenge two races later, he qualified second and led a race-high 112 laps to win. The relationship between Castroneves and his teammate Hornish cooled after failed overtakes causing both drivers to collide. He qualified on the pole position at Pikes Peak International Raceway and Watkins Glen International and took six top-tens in the final ten races, finishing with 440 points for sixth in the drivers' championship.

The beginning of the 2011 season saw him struggle in comparison with his previous years at Penske. Three collisions in the first four races meant Castroneves finished poorly in St. Petersburg, Long Beach and São Paulo; his best result in that period was a seventh at Birmingham, putting him 17th overall by the time of the Indianapolis 500 in May. Castroneves qualified 16th for the race; a flat tire and vibration left him one lap down in 17th. The rest of Castroneves' season included two second places at Edmonton and Sonoma, and three top-nines. He was 11th overall with 312 points, his lowest finish since he was sixth in both 2005 and 2007. The 2011 season was the first since 1999 in which Castroneves did not achieve a race win.

Before the 2006 season, Penske changed engine manufacturers from the under-powered Toyota to the more powerful Honda in its Dallara IR-05 car after Toyota withdrew from IndyCar. Castroneves started fifth and led 40 laps for his first series road course win in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He took a second successive victory at Motegi, leading 184 laps from pole position to lead Wheldon by 42 championship points entering the Indianapolis 500. After qualifying second, handling difficulties caused him to strike the turn four concrete barrier, leaving him 25th after 109 laps. Castroneves won the Bombardier LearJet 500 after strategic errors by his teammate Hornish and Chip Ganassi Racing before tire problems at Kansas and a sixth place at Kansas lost him the points lead to Hornish. A victory at Michigan International Speedway gave Castroneves a one-point lead over Hornish going into the final race in Chicago. A fourth place put him third in points with 473.

Castroneves made his endurance racing debut in the 2006 Mil Milhas Brasil, winning after 374 laps in a shared GTP1-class Aston Martin DBR9 with Nelson Piquet, Nelson Piquet Jr., and Christophe Bouchut. He entered at the 2007 24 Hours of Daytona (part of the Rolex Sports Car Series), sharing Michael Shank Racing's No. 60 Riley Daytona Prototype (DP) car with Hornish, Oswaldo Negri Jr. and Mark Patterson and finishing ninth. Two months later, Castroneves drove the No. 7 Penske Porsche RS Spyder Evo car with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) category of the 12 Hours of Sebring (part of the American Le Mans Series), finishing third in class and fifth overall. He returned to the Rolex Sports Car Series to share the No. 9 Penske-Taylor Racing Riley DP car with Ryan Briscoe and Kurt Busch in the 2008 24 Hours of Daytona. finishing 13th after starting third. For the 2008 Petit Le Mans and the following 2008 Monterey Sports Car Championships Castroneves shared Penske's No. 5 Porsche RS Spyder Evo car with Briscoe, winning the LMP2 category at Petit Le Mans.

For the 2007 season, Castroneves believed the competition would be stronger than in 2006. The relationship between him and Hornish became cordial and the two shared information. He began the year with four top-nines, leading 95 laps from pole position to win the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He took his third career Indianapolis 500 pole position; pre-race electrical and fueling problems meant Castroneves finished the rain-shortened race third. At the ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225 at Milwaukee a week later, he took his third pole position of 2007, but a rear wing mounting failure on lap 201 caused him to crash while leading. Castroneves took six top-nines, and three more pole positions in the final ten races for sixth place in the drivers' championship with 446 points.

Castroneves was encouraged by Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno to participate on dance program Dancing with the Stars in 2007. He was accepted onto its fifth season by the casting director and producers, who watched a video of him and his teammate's Hornish driving styles in different locations. He was paired with professional dancer Julianne Hough, with whom he built a rapport due to their similar personalities. He prepared by watching episodes of the fourth season and instruction videos. The couple lasted until the finals, which they won with a higher percentage of the public vote than singer Mel B. When he won Dancing with the Stars Castroneves appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in February 2008. From 2007 to 2010, he was a correspondent on Dancing with the Stars for Entertainment Tonight.

In late 2008, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) jury charged Castroneves with conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion for failing to report $5.5 million of income from 1999 to 2004. The issue came about when Miller signed Castroneves' first contract with Penske following Moore's death due to pressure from sponsors to take Moore's seat. Miller negotiated the contract with Penske and removed all mentions of Moore with Castroneves' name. Castroneves, who had been investigated by the IRS since 2004 when it issued 150 subpoenas to businesses and individuals who did business with him, pleaded not guilty to the charges on October 3, and was ordered released on a $10 million bail. The IRS said he owed them $2.3 million in taxes.

Castroneves was one of IndyCar's most popular drivers; Dave Caldwell of The New York Times noted Castroneves' personality transcended IndyCar through his achievements and media attention outside it. J.J. O'Malley of Auto Racing Digest wrote that Castroneves received some coverage for "his charisma and personality", adding, "The driver seems to permanently wear a smile, and he's not afraid to show his emotions." After 2007, he became more recognized for winning Dancing with the Stars than his sporting achievements. A merchandise sales tallying company attributed Castroneves' popularity outside racing for increasing IndyCar attendances by 68 percent in 2008. Of his IndyCar Series legacy, NBC Sports' Tony DiZinno said, "With four championship runner-ups in 2002, 2008, 2013 and 2014, Castroneves is your equivalent Dan Marino, Buffalo Bills or Mark Martin of IndyCar. He’ll forever be acknowledged as one of the best, but perhaps known more as the driver who never quite won a title".

The trial ended with closing arguments on 10 April 2009. The jury deliberated until 17 April, when it acquitted Castroneves of the six counts of tax evasion but hung on the conspiracy charge. On 22 May, prosecutors dropped the remaining conspiracy charge.

For the 2010 season, he felt Penske had reached the potential of its ageing Dallara-Honda car, and feared other teams would exploit this to close the performance gap. Castroneves won the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama to extend his record of winning a race to ten straight seasons. After qualifying on pole position for the Indianapolis 500, a stall in a pit stop relegated him to ninth. Five races later, at the Honda Indy Edmonton, Castroneves was the first to finish, but was demoted to tenth after he was deemed to have blocked his teammate Power. He won two consecutive races, at Kentucky Speedway and Motegi, before ending the season with a fifth at Homestead-Miami. With 531 points, Castroneves finished fourth in the drivers' standings.

In 2010, he collaborated with writer Marissa Matteo on his autobiography, Victory Road: The Ride of My Life. Castroneves was inspired to write the book to convey his negative emotions in his tax evasion trial and how he dealt with them. He was selected to be a judge on Miss Universe 2011, a beauty pageant held that September in São Paulo. In 2012 Castroneves appeared on Dancing with the Stars 15th season and was partnered with Chelsie Hightower. The couple were eliminated in the competition's third week. Castroneves appeared on December 17, 2012 edition of The Jeff Probst Show, and took part on an episode of the third season of Celebrity Wife Swap in 2014. In 2016, he was chosen to take part on American Ninja Warrior, and teamed up with IndyCar drivers Conor Daly, James Hinchcliffe, Kanaan and Power on Celebrity Family Feud that same year.

In late 2012, Castroneves joined Shell Racing in the season-ending Stock Car Brasil race, the Stock Car Corrida do Milhão, after a sponsor invited him to enter with Roger Penske's support. He finished the race 14th in a Peugeot 408. Castroneves was signed as a guest driver for Shell Racing in the seventh round of the 2013 Stock Car Brasil at Ribeirão Preto Street Circuit; doctors ordered his withdrawal due to sustaining bruised ribs, neck sprain and a deep shin cut in a practice accident. In the 2017 off-season, he paired with Gabriel Glusman at the Latin America team in the 2017 Race of Champions Nations Cup, being eliminated at the group stages. He returned with the same team for the 2018 Race of Champions Nations Cup, this time with Montoya, finishing runner-up to Team Germany's Bernhard and René Rast. At the 2019 Race of Champions, Castroneves joined Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi at Team Brazil, being knocked out of the semi-finals of the Nations Cup by Team Germany's Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. He is due to compete in the Superstar Racing Experience in 2021.

For the 2015 season, his Penske car was fitted with Chevrolet's updated aerodynamic package. Castroneves achieved consecutive second places in the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana and the Grand Prix of Long Beach and two pole positions. During practice for the Indianapolis 500, he lost control of his car in the first turn, and struck the barrier, flipping his car over 180 degrees and landing upside down. He started fifth and ran consistently within the top five before finishing seventh. The rest of the season saw Castroneves achieve consecutive third places in the Firestone 600 and the Honda Indy Toronto and a second place in the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 along with two more pole positions for fourth overall with 453 points.

In 2016, Roger Penske asked Castroneves if he wanted a full time sports car career. Although Castroneves wanted to remain in IndyCar, he solicited advice from Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears because he had doubts about staying at Penske. Mears told Castroneves to remain at Penske because of Roger Penske's personality. Talks with several teams came close to employment but Castroneves decided to remain with Penske out of loyalty. To prepare for the 2018 WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in a Acura ARX-05 car in the Daytona Prototype International (DPi) category, he drove the final race of the 2017 season, the Petit Le Mans. Teamed with Montoya and Simon Pagenaud, he qualified the No. 6 Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 car on pole position, finishing the race third after a collision with Matteo Cressoni's Ferrari.

He formally joined Penske's 2018 IMSA program in October 2017. Castroneves was joined by Ricky Taylor for the entire season, and by Graham Rahal for the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. He used his teammates Dane Cameron and Montoya as a reference, and was in constant contact with his race engineer and Taylor. Their car started second for the Daytona race, and finished ninth, after Castroneves and Action Express Racing's Felipe Nasr collided in the 16th hour. After starting third at Sebring, he retired after six hours with a loss of oil pressure. In the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio he and Taylor started from pole position, leading for 87 laps for his first series victory. The final six races saw him achieve four top tens and finished second in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Detroit. Castroneves was seventh in the Prototype drivers' standings with 243 points and was third in the North American Endurance Cup.

Post-season, he stepped down from IndyCar full-time to move to Penske's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program. Castroneves was entered into both the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 as part of his 2018 campaign; he prepared for the races by sharing notes with his teammates and familiarizing himself with the car. Castroneves' team employed a strategy allowing him to finish sixth in the IndyCar Grand Prix. At the Indianapolis 500, he started from eighth place, before losing control of his car in turn four and crashing on the 146th lap for a 27th-place finish. In the 2019 season, he again entered both the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves finished the IndyCar Grand Prix two laps behind the leaders in 21st. He started 12th in the Indianapolis 500, finishing the race 18th following a pit lane collision with the rear of James Davison's car earning him a drive-through penalty. He began the 2020 Indianapolis 500 from 27th and finished the race in 11th.

For the 2019 season, he remained at Penske in the new DPi class. He again partnered Taylor in the No. 7 car, joined by Rossi at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring and Rahal in the season-ending Petit Le Mans. Castroneves and his co-drivers finished the rain-shortened Daytona season-opener third from starting second. A fourth place at Sebring and a second in the following BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach moved him and Taylor to a season-high second in the DPi standings. The rest of the season saw Castroneves and Taylor achieve two third places in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic and the Petit Le Mans and a second place in the Monterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. With 284 points, he finished third in the DPi standings and was joint fifth with Oliver Jarvis and Tristan Nunez of Mazda Team Joest in the North American Endurance Cup.

Castroneves remained at Penske's IMSA program in 2020. He was again teamed with Taylor in the No. 7 vehicle, with Rossi joining them for the endurance races. Castroneves' team was comprised in the fourth hour of the season-opening 24 Hours of Daytona following a collision with Harry Tincknell restricting them to finishing 22 laps down in eighth. He won consecutive races in the rain-affected Road Race Showcase at Road America from pole position, the Grand Prix of Road Atlanta, and the Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. Castroneves and Taylor won the championship at the season-ending 12 Hours of Sebring, his first in auto racing, by one point over Briscoe and Renger van der Zande.