What began as a fuzzy dream now lays like a mangled mess of a race car. Helio Castroneves, the much-trumpeted special entry for this year’s Daytona 500, desired to enter a league of legends. He wished to join IndyCar legends A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to win both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. But let alone putting up a decent finish, Castroneves underwent a disastrous weekend.

Right from the Duels qualifying through the ARCA Menards start and until the Great American Race – Helio Castroneves did not get peace. His No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet was battered by the end. So the Brazilian speedster looked exhausted after the ordeal and even modified his wishes.

Is Helio Castroneves pressured into changing his ambition?

Helio Castroneves is a stellar name in IndyCar – he holds four Indianapolis 500 victories. So roping in this motorsports genius into NASCAR looked like a good idea, although the 41st rule stirred up some controversy. In spite of being assured of a Daytona 500 spot, Castroneves could not make the best of it. Wheeling a No. 91 car that Trackhouse people spent overnight to repair, Castroneves ran into trouble on lap 72. The restart by Ross Chastain led to a seven-car wreck that took out several cars. Castroneves’ car turned into a mangled mess of metal yet again and was sent back to the garage.

At the end of that ordeal, Helio Castroneves looked visibly exhausted. He described the melee in the post-race interview: “Everybody started stopping and Truex came really hard and hit me. But I don’t think that was the issue…I think somebody from the bottom hit me from the side. And I broke the axle of the car. So disappointed of course, because I was learning so much. It’s incredible when you have more laps.” Coming from the open-wheel racing world of IndyCar to the stock car racing hub of NASCAR is no mean joke. Castroneves therefore gave his verdict: “This is such a different show.”

Helio Castroneves however, planned for his Daytona entry with a lot of effort, enrolling in ARCA and practicing with Trackhouse Racing. The races may not have been too good, but Castroneves gleaned some positives: “I now understand the airflow, the guys, what they’re doing, saving fuel. There were some sketchy moments. But what a shame…I got what we wanted here but there’s still more to learn…I’ve started getting a little more comfortable with the whole process.” But the only downside is that Castroneves no longer wishes to join A J Foyt or Mario Andretti’s fold. When asked about his future plans, Castroneves gave a discouraging comment: “I’d love to, especially on a road course.” He added, “Now let’s go for Indy 500!”

Helio Castroneves was not the only champion racer to encounter problems in their Daytona effort. A NASCAR Cup champion also damaged his car.

Going home from Daytona again

Martin Truex Jr. has won three crown jewel races during his 34-win Cup Series career. However, the former Joe Gibbs Racing driver has not yet clinched the giant of them all – the Daytona 500. So even after Truex retired from his two-decade-long stint, the 2017 Cup Series champion came back to make another attempt to win the Great American Race. He even got in by posting the fastest qualifying speed along with 7-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. Both veterans faced massive hurdles in their path. As NASCAR had given the Open Exemption Provisional seat to Helio Castroneves, that meant that Truex and Johnson had to qualify on their own.

Despite overcoming this immense obstacle, the former Toyota driver did not achieve his long-standing wish. Martin Truex Jr. made his 21st Daytona 500 start, extending his NASCAR skid. But he was knocked out in the crash which Joey Logano kicked off when he failed to get going on the restart. After a winless 2024 run, Truex was visibly sad about his failed 2025 effort as well. “It’s always disappointing when you don’t finish no matter the situation. It’s probably our only shot this year. It was fun while it lasted, but it was unfortunately wrong place, wrong time there.”

Apparently, more than one world-renowned motorsports athlete ran into trouble during the Daytona 500. Let us see if Helio Castroneves signs up soon for another NASCAR race.