Bob Pockrass dismisses 'concern' in response to fan's inquiring mind about Helio Castroneves' NASCAR debut at Daytona

Veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass weighed in on concerns regarding Helio Castroneves' Daytona 500 attempt. Pockrass believes Castroneves would do just fine considering the IndyCar star has experience driving stock cars and on ovals.

Helio Castroneves is a Brazilian racecar driver known for his racing career in the IndyCar Series. The 49-year-old driver notably won the Indianapolis 500 four times (2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021).

In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Pockrass corrected a fan who claimed Castroneves never ran a stock car or drove on a superspeedway track.

"Castroneves has four IROC starts at Daytona and one at Talladega. Granted 20 years ago but he also is used to high speeds at Indy and has driven the Rolex 24 at Daytona as recently as 2023. I don't think there should be any concern," Pockrass wrote.

During his four-year stint in IROC in the early 2000s, Castroneves drove a Pontiac stock car against renowned NASCAR drivers such as Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. He also entered a superspeedway race at Talladega in 2003 although he finished dead last in P12.

Pockrass argued that the four-time Indy 500 winner's experience around ovals should make feel him comfortable in the upcoming race at Daytona International Speedway.

After all, Castroneves won the 24 Hours of Daytona with Meyer Shank Racing in 2023. He switched driving duties with Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, and Simon Pagenaud in the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 in IMSA's top Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class.

Helio Castroneves (leftmost) won the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona - Source: Imagn

The Brazilian driver is set to make his NASCAR debut in the "Great American Race" with Trackhouse Racing next month. He will attempt to qualify and make the 40-car field consisting of 36 chartered teams and four open teams.

The Bluegreen Vacations Duel (qualifying session) is scheduled for February 13, while the Daytona 500 is on February 16.

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Helio Castroneves opens up about what needs to be done to prepare for Daytona 500

Attempting to qualify for the Daytona 500 is a tall order, especially for first-timers like Helio Castroneves. As such, the Brazilian racecar driver wanted to prepare as soon as possible, saying he needed to meet the guys at the Trackhouse race shop in North Carolina.

In a statement, Castroneves shared:

“I know how much of a challenge this is going to be, but I also know the type of people and team Trackhouse Racing will bring to the effort."

He added:

“I can’t wait to get to the Trackhouse race shop in North Carolina to meet everyone and prepare for Daytona. There is so much I must learn and I’m ready to get started.”

Kimi Raikkonen debuted Project 91 at Watkins Glen in 2022 - Source: Imagn

Castroneves will drive Trackhouse Racing's Project 91 open car entry. Introduced in 2022, Project 91 is a program created to field renowned international racing drivers in NASCAR. So far, the program brought 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen and Supercars champ Shane van Gisbergen.

The upcoming Daytona 500 will be Project 91's fifth NASCAR race. The No. 91 team will be led by championship-winning crew chief, Darian Grubb.