Helio Castroneves' Indy 500-winning car about to be retired by Meyer Shank Racing

Helio Castroneves has revealed that Meyer Shank Racing could be retiring the No. 6 Chevrolet that he won the 2021 Indy 500 with. That victory was the Brazilian driver's fourth at the Greatest Spectacle of Racing, tying him at the top with AJ Foyt, Rick Mears, and Al Unser

For the 109th running of the Indy 500 in May, Castroneves will compete in a brand new No. 6 MSR car. After day one of the open testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 49-year-old powerhouse spoke about why the team opted for a new car for this year's 500.

"If I'm not mistaken, you better ask Mike (Shank, co-owner of MSR), but I think we're about to retire that car that we won the Indy 500 (with), they did many other ones, and it's about to move on and get something new, and this is the opportunity to do now," he said via Cup Scene on YouTube. [3:53 onwards].

After his record-equaling fourth Indy 500 win in 2021, Castroneves used the same dark pink and black paint-schemed car for two more attempts in 2022 and 2023. For the 108th running of the prestigious IndyCar race last year, he used a new chassis for his No. 6 Chevy, which also donned a new white and blue livery to commemorate his partnership with the Cleveland-Cliffs steel company.

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Helio Castroneves shares his feelings about IndyCar's new and heavier hybrid-powered cars

Helio Castroneves at the 2025 INDYCAR Open Testing - Indianapolis - Source: Getty

Helio Castroneves had a productive two days at the Indy 500 open test last week. The Brazilian, who owns a minority stake in Meyer Shank Racing, spoke about how the heavier cars felt with the new hybrid power units at the IMS after emerging as the seventh-fastest driver on day one with a speed of 224.447 mph.

"We had some moments out there," he said via Cup Scene on YouTube. "I'm not sure if it was the weight or not. Watching the St. Pete race and some of the racing comments, what they did on the road course, maybe that's what I was feeling. But (we) quickly made some adjustments on the car. We've just got to continue doing changes and improving what we feel is best. But yeah, the only thing now is finding when to deploy and when to recharge and things like that." [2:36]

Castroneves also discussed the hybrid assist, which gives drivers additional horsepower during the race to perform overtakes or simply close the gap to a rival.

"I felt a difference, no question. I think it's when I tested here a long time ago, October, it was .7 miles an hour, so it's not like 10 miles an hour, but it is something. It definitely can move you a lot of rows if you need it, he added."

Helio Castroneves will eye a record fifth Indy 500 win on May 25 this year and overcome the deteriorating results since his 2021 win.