NASCAR president makes feelings crystal clear on 4-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves’ Daytona 500 run despite criticism from rivals

Helio Castroneves has been dominating the web-verse with his ongoing 2025 outing at the iconic Daytona 500. The four-time Indy 500 winner has showcased his excitement at the event many times already and amid this, NASCAR President Steve Phelps, has given his take on it.

At the ongoing Daytona 500 event, Helio Castroneves is making his first-ever outing in NASCAR. He's taken up the wheel of Trackhouse Racing's No. 91 car and Steve Phelps is quite 'excited.'

In line with this, the NASCAR President recently said:

"I’m excited that he’s here. Kudos to Justin Marks who continues to push the envelope to bring drivers who have not traditionally been in NASCAR like SVG, to have him full-time in the Cup Series is exciting. Having Helio Castroneves here with all the success he has had in IndyCar, he’s a name. He’s a hell of a race car driver." Phelps said via Forbes.

Helio Castroneves is a legend of IndyCar having competed in over 300 races. His last outing in the sport came at the 2024 XPEL Grand Prix.

Steve Phelps takes his 'hat-off' to Helio Castroneves

While Steve Phelps has showcased his excitement with Helio Castroneves participating in the Daytona 500, he has also applauded the latter. As mentioned earlier, the 49-year-old is in his first-ever NASCAR outing at the ongoing Daytona race weekend.

"He fulfilled all of the requirements to race here and that was important. My hat is off to both Castroneves as well as Justin Marks. It’s a good thing for our sport," Phelps said.

Phelps also praised FOX's attempts at promoting the 2025 Daytona 500 event. In line with this, he added:

“I think it’s huge. I think FOX’s during the NFL Playoffs overall was great. It’s the single most-watched event in the country year after year after year. When FOX has it and they are promoting the Daytona 500, that’s huge for us. It gets you off to a good start. All of our most ardent fans knows when it is, but it helps with the casual fans. The Daytona 500 has more casual viewers than any race that we have and that’s a good thing." Phelps added.

Steve Phelps is a happy man with Helio Castroneves' appearance and FOX's telecast. However, from the point of view of the latter, the ongoing Daytona 500 is a big deal, especially considering it's his maiden stock car outing.

Several eyes have been on Castroneves since the start of the race weekend and the same will be the case in the upcoming race. The Brazilian racing driver is slated to start the 2025 Daytona 500 from the 41st place on the grid. He will kick things off behind Legacy Motors' Jimmie Johnson (42nd).