Castroneves moves to Penske’s IMSA program; will race Indy 500

By Marshall Pruett | October 4, 2017 7:07 PM ET

Helio Castroneves’ tenure as a full-time IndyCar driver with Team Penske has come to an end.

First mentioned by RACER in July, the three-time Indy 500 winner will move across to Penske’s new IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship program where he’ll join Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron starting in 2018.

The 42-year-old Brazilian isn’t completely done with open-wheel racing, however. He’ll have another chance to join the exclusive four-time winner’s club in May as part of a one-off Indy 500 entry for the defending series champions.

“Helio has been a valuable member of Team Penske for almost 20 years and we are looking forward to sharing more success together,” said Roger Penske. “Competitors like Helio, Rick Mears and Mark Donohue are what have made Team Penske what it is today. This represents a new challenge for him and I know he is excited about the opportunity. Having established winning drivers like Helio and Juan, teaming up with young and talented racers that know the series like Dane Cameron, will help give our new sports car program a solid foundation as we head into the 2018 season.”

Castroneves is expected to partner with young American sports car star Ricky Taylor in the second Acura Team Penske ARX-05 Daytona Prototype international.

“I’ve been fortunate to achieve a lot of my personal goals with Team Penske over the years,” Castroneves said. “Helping Roger, the team and everyone with Acura start this program and build it from the ground up will be another big challenge and a great opportunity in my career. I am proud of everything we have accomplished together in IndyCar and now I am focused on helping to develop the ARX-05 to try and win the 24 Hours of Daytona and the IMSA championship in 2018 with Acura.

“I’m also excited to get a chance to race again for Team Penske at the Indianapolis 500. That race is near and dear to my heart and trying to become the fourth four-time winner is something I really want to accomplish in my career. We’ve come so close the last few years and with this team, I know we will have a great opportunity to try and make some history.”

IMSA, IndyCar, WeatherTech Sportscar Championship