“Bouncy, no bottoming”: Helio Castroneves shares honest feelings from his NASCAR car during Daytona 500 practice

Helio Castroneves is a well-known racer in the world of American motorsports. He recently tried his hands at a NASCAR machinery in the famous Daytona 500 practice, and, to say the least, his outing was not as smooth sailing as he may have expected.

Helio Castroneves is a legend of the highest class of open-wheel racing in America (315 races and counting). However, despite being 49, Castroneves still has the desire to take on new challenges, and in line with this, he drove the No.91 car for Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR.

His first impressions of driving a stock car at the Daytona 500 were as follows:

"I noticed as well, very bouncy, not bottoming, vibrations stay the same. Different from Telladega, Telladega the car was turning a little more. 1 and 2 seem to be okay, but 3 and 4 into the wind, it seems to me it pushes off, if we can fix that, it would be great," Castroneves said via Trackhouse team radio.

It has been announced that Helio Castroneves will be inducted into the 2025 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.

That comes in light of the contribution the 49-year-old has made toward American motorsports. His IndyCar career began in 2001 and is still going strong (part-time) alongside his other interests. In the 2024 IndyCar season, he amassed 26 points in the overall standings.

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Helio Castroneves shows off his stellar stock car for Trackhouse Racing

While Helio Castroneves didn't have the smoothest of outings in the Daytona 500 practice, he talked about his car on X. The 49-year-old is running a custom-designed car at the event.

He also came up with a caption for the 30-second video.

"Check out this fresh drip, teaming up with the freshest in the game!!"

Castroneves competes in the highest class of open-wheel racing in America for Meyer Shank Racing (part-time). Most of his career (top categories) has been devoted to IndyCar, where he has competed in 315 races. The former four-time Indianapolis 500 winner has amassed 25 wins, 84 podiums and 48 pole positions.

Moreover, Castroneves also has experience racing in categories like the Champ Car. In this racing category, he has registered six wins, 10 podiums and seven pole positions. His first win came at the 2000 Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit, while his last was at the 2001 Miller Lite 200 (Mid-Ohio).

His adventure into NASCAR is new, and he doesn't have any past experience in it. However, keeping in view the overall experience Castroneves has in other categories, it should help him quickly settle down in the sport.