Hélio Castroneves
| Hélio Castroneves | |
|---|---|
 Hélio Castroneves at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Carb Day for the 2009 Indianapolis 500. | |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Born |
May 10, 1975 Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil |
| IndyCar Series career | |
| Debut season | 2001 |
| Current team | Team Penske |
| Car no. | 3 |
| Starts | 218 |
| Wins | 23 |
| Poles | 34 |
| Fastest laps | 13 |
| Best finish | 2nd in 2002, 2008, 2013 & 2014 |
| CART/Champ Car World Series | |
| Years active | 1998–2001 |
| Teams |
Bettenhausen Racing Hogan Racing Team Penske |
| Starts | 79 |
| Wins | 6 |
| Poles | 7 |
| Best finish | 4th in 2001 |
| Previous series | |
| 1993–1994 1995 1996–1997 |
Formula 3 Sudamericana British Formula Three Championship Indy Lights |
| Awards | |
| 2001, 2002, 2009 2001 |
Indianapolis 500 Winner Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year |
Hélio Castroneves (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɛlju ˈkastɾu ˈnɛvis]; born Hélio Castro Neves; May 10, 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver competing in the 2014 North American IndyCar Series. In IndyCar competition, Castroneves has 22 wins and 33 poles, and has never placed lower than sixth in the standings in a complete season of racing until 2011, where he placed eleventh. Prior to IndyCar, Castroneves competed in the CART championship with a highest championship points finish of fourth.
Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, 2002 and 2009, making him one of only nine total drivers, and the only active driver, to have won at least three. He finished second to teammate and countryman Gil de Ferran in 2003. Castroneves has won four pole positions for the Indy 500, including back-to-back poles in 2009 and 2010 for the first time since Scott Brayton. He is also one of only five drivers, (Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, and Al Unser being the other four), and the only active driver to win the Indy 500 in back-to-back races.
Racing career
Born in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, South America, Castroneves started his career in karting, and later raced for the Paul Stewart Racing team, and finished third in the 1995 British Formula Three Championship.[1]
After being occasionally misidentified by U.S. media as "Hélio Neves" he at first changed the spelling to Hélio Castro-Neves and then to Hélio Castroneves. He has one sister, Katiucia. Castroneves was first recognized while driving for Steve Horne's Tasman Racing team in Indy Lights, interestingly as teammate to fellow Brazilian and future IndyCar champion Tony Kanaan.
After showing potential but lacking reliability while with the Bettenhausen and Hogan teams, Castroneves was signed by Penske Racing in CART in 2000 following the deaths of Greg Moore and Gonzalo Rodríguez during the last races of the 1999 season. Moore had signed on with Penske but never had the opportunity to race with the team. Castroneves immediately became a regular front-runner winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, the first of three wins where he again performed the crowd pleasing act of climbing the fence at the start finish line in celebration, something he would continue to do after winning races. He switched with the team to the rival IRL for 2002, and remained with Penske, teamed with Gil de Ferran, Sam Hornish Jr., and Ryan Briscoe during his tenure through the 2008 season. During the 2002 season, Castroneves tested with Formula One team Toyota Racing at Circuit Paul Ricard.[2] In January 2009, Team Penske temporarily replaced him with Will Power, citing the difficulties of remaining competitive while Castroneves prepared for trial on federal tax evasion charges (which stemmed in part from Greg Moore's death as Moore's contract was rewritten for Castroneves).[3] Castroneves missed the first race of the 2009 season while the trial was ongoing, but returned to racing at the Long Beach Grand Prix.
Racing fans have given Castroneves the nickname "Spider-Man" because of his victory celebration, in which he climbs the trackside debris fence.
On May 24, 2009, Castroneves became Indy's 9th (and first foreign-born) three-time winner, by taking the checkered flag for the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500.[4][5]
Records
Castroneves currently holds IRL IndyCar Series records for most top-ten finishes (93); Poles (44); and most consecutive seasons with a race win (10). In 2009 he reset the all-time record for most wins (22) and starts (209) by a driver who has not won the National Championship, taking these records from Bill Holland at Indy and compatriot Raul Boesel at Richmond respectively.[6] His 23rd career win, at Barber Motorsports Park in 2010, broke a tie with his former manager Emerson Fittipaldi for most IndyCar wins by a Brazilian driver.
Other appearances
Aside from success in racing, Castroneves won the fifth season of the American reality TV show Dancing with the Stars with partner Julianne Hough. He has also appeared on truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... as a frequent commentator—mainly on episodes that feature the "World's Dumbest Drivers". He currently lives in Ft. Lauderdale.[7] Castroneves returned to Dancing with the Stars for its 15th season for a chance to win another mirrorball trophy.[8] This time he was be partnered with Chelsie Hightower.[9] They were voted off in the third week of the competition during a double elimination.
Personal life
Castroneves and his girlfriend, Adriana Henao, welcomed a daughter, Mikaella, on December 28, 2009[10] Castroneves lives in Fort Lauderdale.[11]
Legal issues
On October 2, 2008, Castroneves was charged with conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion by a grand jury for purportedly failing to report to the IRS about $5.5 million in income between 1999 and 2004, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. His business manager and sister Kati, and his lawyer Alan Miller were charged with assisting Castroneves in the supposed scheme. All three defendants surrendered to authorities in Florida on Friday, October 3, 2008. Castroneves pled not guilty to these charges on October 3, and was ordered released on $10 million bail.[12][13] Castroneves was replaced by Will Power during the duration of his tax evasion court case.[14] The IRS claimed that Castroneves owes $2.3 million in taxes.[15] A guilty verdict would have likely ended Castroneves' racing career.
This issue was related to the initial contract signed by Castroneves with Penske Racing after Greg Moore's death at the California Speedway during the Marlboro 500 on October 31, 1999. In the trial, it was reported that Castroneves' first contract with Penske (2000–04) was signed with Moore's contract with the names changed in ink to reflect the replacement driver. The deal was signed by Moore's agent, Alan Miller, who signed Castroneves' deal days after Moore's funeral as pressure from Penske sponsors forced a quick resolution to finding a replacement.
Central to the case was the ownership of a Panamanian company called Seven Promotions. Prosecutors called it a shell corporation set up primarily so Castroneves could dodge U.S. income taxes, but Castroneves' father testified he created Seven to boost his son's image in Brazil. The elder Castroneves said his son never owned it. Prosecutors called that a lie, showing jurors numerous documents in which Castroneves claimed Seven as his own. If it was, an Internal Revenue Service agent testified that Castroneves owed U.S. taxes on the full $5 million from Penske even though he had never actually received the money. Instead, the Penske payments were eventually invested in a deferred compensation deal with the Dutch firm Fintage Licensing B.V. Castroneves' attorney Roy Black told jurors in closing arguments that such deals are common—and perfectly legal—for athletes who have relatively short careers and face injury or worse at any moment.[16]
The trial ended on April 10, 2009, with closing arguments and the jury deliberated until April 17, when it acquitted Castroneves of all six counts of tax evasion but hung on a count of conspiracy. On May 22, 2009, prosecutors dropped the remaining conspiracy charge.[17]
Motorsports career results
American open–wheel racing results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
Indy Lights
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Tasman Motorsports | MIA DNS |
LBH 4 |
NAZ 17 |
MIS 5 |
MIL 11 |
DET 17 |
POR 8 |
CLE 3 |
TOR 23 |
TRO 1 |
VAN 10 |
LS 2 |
7th | 84 | |
| 1997 | Tasman Motorsports | MIA 14 |
LBH 1 |
NAZ 4 |
SAV 1 |
STL 3 |
MIL 12 |
DET 2 |
POR 2 |
TOR 1 |
TRO 20 |
VAN 19 |
LS 3 |
FON 5 |
2nd | 152 |
CART results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Bettenhausen Racing | MIA 24 |
MOT 11 |
LBH 9 |
NAZ 23 |
RIO 23 |
GAT 7 |
MIL 2 |
DET 12 |
POR 13 |
CLE 27 |
TOR 10 |
MCH 12 |
MDO 17 |
ROA 26 |
VAN 24 |
LAG 23 |
HOU 24 |
SRF 21 |
FON 10 |
17th | 36 | |
| 1999 | Hogan Racing | MIA 17 |
MOT 9 |
LBH 19 |
NAZ 21 |
RIO 25 |
GAT 2 |
MIL 26 |
POR 26 |
CLE 26 |
ROA 16 |
TOR 27 |
MCH 25 |
DET 7 |
MDO 7 |
CHI 5 |
VAN 8 |
LAG 26 |
HOU 26 |
SRF 21 |
FON 20 |
15th | 48 |
| 2000 | Team Penske | MIA 25 |
LBH 2 |
RIO 24 |
MOT 13 |
NAZ 16 |
MIL 16 |
DET 1 |
POR 7 |
CLE 21 |
TOR 16 |
MCH 5 |
CHI 21 |
MDO 1 |
ROA 9 |
VAN 20 |
LAG 1 |
GAT 9 |
HOU 5 |
SRF 6 |
FON 9 |
7th | 129 |
| 2001 | Team Penske | MTY 8 |
LBH 1 |
NAZ 11 |
MOT 2 |
MIL 26 |
DET 1 |
POR 17 |
CLE 12 |
TOR 19 |
MCH 8 |
CHI 7 |
MDO 1 |
ROA 7 |
VAN 18 |
LAU 12 |
ROC 4 |
HOU 5 |
LAG 6 |
SRF 20 |
FON 22 |
4th | 141 |
IndyCar Series
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
- * Season still in progress
- 1 Non-points paying, exhibition race
- 2 The Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.
| Years | Teams | Races | Poles | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Indianapolis 500 Wins |
Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | 217 | 34 | 23 | 104 | 159 | 3 (2001, 2002, 2009) | 0 |
Indianapolis 500
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Dallara | Oldsmobile | 11 | 1 | Team Penske |
| 2002 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 13 | 1 | Team Penske |
| 2003 | Dallara | Toyota | 1 | 2 | Team Penske |
| 2004 | Dallara | Toyota | 8 | 9 | Team Penske |
| 2005 | Dallara | Toyota | 5 | 9 | Team Penske |
| 2006 | Dallara | Honda | 2 | 25 | Team Penske |
| 2007 | Dallara | Honda | 1 | 3 | Team Penske |
| 2008 | Dallara | Honda | 4 | 4 | Team Penske |
| 2009 | Dallara | Honda | 1 | 1 | Team Penske |
| 2010 | Dallara | Honda | 1 | 9 | Team Penske |
| 2011 | Dallara | Honda | 16 | 17 | Team Penske |
| 2012 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 6 | 10 | Team Penske |
| 2013 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 8 | 6 | Team Penske |
| 2014 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 4 | 2 | Team Penske |
Castroneves' finishes for 2001 to 2003 is currently the best 3 race finishing streak in Indianapolis history. It is equal to the streak posted by Al Unser from 1970 through 1972.
Touring/Sports Cars
Complete American Le Mans Series results
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | DHL Team Penske | LMP2 | Porsche RS Spyder Evo | Porsche MR6 3.4L V8 | M | SEB 5/3 |
STP | LNB | TEX | UTA | LIM | MID | AME | MOS | DET | PET | MON | 23rd | 19 |
| 2008 | DHL Team Penske | LMP2 | Porsche RS Spyder Evo | Porsche MR6 3.4L V8 | M | SEB | STP | LNB | UTA | LIM | MID | AME | MOS | DET | PET 4/1 |
MON 6/4 |
19th | 45 |
V8 Supercar results
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | Final Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Wilson Security Racing | YMC R1 |
YMC R2 |
BHR R3 |
BHR R4 |
ADE R5 |
ADE R6 |
HAM R7 |
HAM R8 |
QLD R9 |
QLD R10 |
WIN R11 |
WIN R12 |
HDV R13 |
HDV R14 |
TOW R15 |
TOW R16 |
PHI R17 |
BAT R18 |
SUR R19 18 |
SUR R20 19 |
SYM R21 |
SYM R22 |
SAN R23 |
SAN R24 |
SYD R25 |
SYD R26 |
NC | 0 + | ||
| 2011 | Lucky 7 Racing | YMC R1 |
YMC R2 |
ADE R3 |
ADE R4 |
HAM R5 |
HAM R6 |
PER R7 |
PER R8 |
PER R9 |
WIN R10 |
WIN R11 |
HDV R12 |
HDV R13 |
TOW R14 |
TOW R15 |
QLD R16 |
QLD R17 |
QLD R18 |
PHI R19 |
BAT R20 |
SUR R21 12 |
SUR R22 10 |
SYM R23 |
SYM R24 |
SAN R25 |
SAN R26 |
SYD R27 |
SYD R28 |
63rd | 147 |
+ Not Eligible for points
Complete Stock Car Brasil results
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Shell Racing | Peugeot 408 | Peugeot 5.7 L V8 | INT | CTB | VEL | RBP | LON | RIO | SAL | CAS | TAR | CTB | BSB | INT 14 |
NC† | 0† |
| 2013 | Shell Racing | Peugeot 408 | Peugeot 5.7 L V8 | INT | CUR | TAR | SAL | BRA | CAS | RBP DNS |
BRA | VEL | CUR | GOI | INT | NC† | 0† |
† Ineligible for championship points.
References
- ↑ "Cart's European refugees". BBC News. 2001-09-20.
- ↑ "Castroneves impresses in F1 test". BBC Sport. 2002-09-21. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
- ↑ Power replaced Castroneves at Penske during tax evasion case USAToday.com, January 13, 2009
- ↑ Graves, Gary (2009-05-25). "Castroneves ascends to new heights at Indy". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ↑ "Castroneves claims third Indy 500". BBC Sport. 2009-05-24. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
- ↑ Helio Castroneves – champcarstats.com
- ↑ "Official Web Page". Retrieved 2011-06-03.
- ↑ Dancing with the Stars All-Star Cast Revealed
- ↑ Dancing with the Stars: Pairs Revealed for All-Stars Season
- ↑ Ritti, Missy (2009-12-29). Dancing Star Helio Castroneves Welcomes a Daughter. People, 29 December 2009. Retrieved from http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20333469,00.html.
- ↑ "PICTURE GALLERY: At Home with Helio Castroneves". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Castroneves indicted on tax evasion – Yahoo News Story".
- ↑
- ↑ Power replaced Castroneves at Penske during tax evasion case. Retrieved on 2009-01-13.
- ↑ Castroneves owes $2.3 million in taxes Retrieved on 2009-03-27.
- ↑
- ↑
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hélio Castroneves. |
- Official website
- Hélio Castroneves driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- IndyCar Driver Page
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Juan Pablo Montoya |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 2001–2002 |
Succeeded by Gil de Ferran |
| Preceded by Scott Dixon |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 2009 |
Succeeded by Dario Franchitti |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by Juan Pablo Montoya |
Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year 2001 |
Succeeded by Alex Barron Tomas Scheckter |
| Preceded by Buddy Lazier |
Scott Brayton Award 2004 |
Succeeded by Kenny Bräck |
| Preceded by Apolo Anton Ohno & Julianne Hough |
Dancing with the Stars (US) winner Season 5 (Fall 2007 with Julianne Hough) |
Succeeded by Kristi Yamaguchi & Mark Ballas |
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