Hélio Castroneves To Attempt 2025 Daytona 500 In NASCAR Chevy

Four-time Indy 500 champion Hélio Castroneves will step behind the wheel of a NASCAR Chevy stock car in February, where he’ll attempt to qualify for the 2025 Daytona 500.

Announced on January 6^th, 2025, Castroneves’s Daytona 500 endeavors will be supported by Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 initiative. Should Castroneves qualify for the Daytona 500 next month, it will mark his first-ever start in the Cup Series, fulfilling a lifelong goal, but it’s far from his first start at Daytona International Speedway. He’s a three-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner, conquering the infield road course in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing,” said Castroneves in a team release. “This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down. I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car, (Trackhouse owner) Justin Marks and everyone that made this happen. I wish the race were tomorrow!”

Because the No. 91 Chevy is not a chartered entry, Castroneves must attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 in a time trial qualifying session on February 12^th. The Daytona 500 itself is scheduled for February 16^th. Wendy’s will sponsor his efforts, and crew chief Darian Grubb will sit atop the pit box.

“Hélio is one of the greatest drivers of all time and exactly the type of driver we want to bring to NASCAR,” Marks said. “I think race fans around the world will be excited to see Hélio in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. It also exposes our sport to a global audience and allows them to see just how great of a series we have in NASCAR.”

As a reminder, Trackhouse Racing occasionally fields the No. 91 NASCAR Chevy race car in the Cup Series for international motorsports talent. The program has been in operation since 2022, attracting the likes of Formula One’s Kimi Räikkönen and Supercars’ Shane van Gisbergen. In fact, because of his success in the Project 91 entry, van Gisbergen transitioned from Supercars in Australia to the Xfinity Series fulltime in 2024 before stepping up to the Cup Series in 2025.

When the No. 91 NASCAR Chevy hits the track, while it looks like a Camaro body, The Bow Tie has removed all Camaro branding from its Cup Series entries.