INDIANAPOLIS (May 30, 2021)—For the first time in the 105-year history of the Indianapolis 500, a team comprised primarily of women has competed in the world’s largest sporting event. It was a dream brought to reality by long-time motorsport executive and team principal Beth Paretta who launched Paretta Autosport just four months ago with the idea of creating a more inclusive space for women in motorsports.

Veteran INDYCAR driver Simona De Silvestro made her sixth trip to the famed Brickyard behind the wheel of the No. 16 Paretta Autosport/Rocket Pro TPO Chevy, completing 170 of 200 laps before brake trouble on pit entry ended the day for the team.

L to R: Simona De Silvestro, Will Power and Sage Karam at driver introductions
With 135,000 fans in attendance for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, all eyes were on the Paretta Autosport pit crew as four women—Madison Conrad, Caitlyn Brown, Amanda Frayer, and Mallorie Muller went “over the wall,” a first for INDYCAR, while aero engineer Lauren Sullivan and junior data acquisition engineer Chelsea Pechenino monitored data and on track performance from the pit box. Sara Durant was the team’s tire specialist and Formula W racer Ayla Agren was the Turn 3 spotter. Additionally, all of Paretta’s front office personnel are women, totaling approximately 70% of the team’s staff.

Quotes below:
Simona De Silvestro, Driver, No. 16 Paretta Autosport Rocket Pro TPO entry
“It was really cool to see everyone at the track, so many fans. It was super special. We went out there and I think we were quite speedy, particularly at the end. Kudos to everyone who put so much work into it. Unfortunately, I ran out of brakes a little bit and I couldn’t really save it there at entry. Maybe I could have done something a little different, but it’s pretty disappointing to end the day like this. The whole month everyone did such a great job, and we’re proud of the effort. It was really good to be back in an IndyCar and I hope for more.

“Michael Nelson, Strategist, No. 16 Paretta Autosport Rocket Pro TPO entry
“What a big race today. That’s the most people I’ve been around in a long time, so it was exciting to see that, and go through all the great parts that make this such a big race. It was special to be here for this team and to work with Beth and Simona and all the people in this group. They’ve really come a long way since they all got together months ago, and it shaped up into a pretty good team today. We didn’t have the result we wanted. We were behind the eight ball a little bit from qualifying, but the car was a lot better today and we were able to move forward a bit and make some passes. We just didn’t get the opportunity strategy-wise with the way the race played out to try to work our way up to the front; but the car was good, and Simona did a great job. Everyone on the team did a great job, particularly because there’s a couple of people who’ve never pitted a car before. To be under the pressure they had today in one of the biggest races there is and to perform so well says a lot for the group. The sky is the limit with more experience.”

Beth Paretta, Team Owner/CEO, No. 16 Paretta Autosport Rocket Pro TPO entry
“The No. 16 Paretta Autosport Rocket Pro TPO Chevy was fast today, well balanced. Simona had a great start to the day and just locked them up there at the end. Some other drivers were caught out with the same issue, but this is racing. We had a terrific first outing. The women on the crew did a great job. The pit stops were pretty smooth. We need a little improvement in some places and there’s some work to do on our consistency, but great job overall. I want to thank everyone at Team Penske for the technical alliance. I can’t wait to be back on the track and with this team.”

Additional races are under consideration by Paretta Autosport, but no announcements have been made at this time.

The women of Paretta Autosport walk through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage
For more information, please visit www.parettaautosport.com or the team’s social media channels.

INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 30, 2021) – In a flair for the dramatic that matched his charismatic personality, Helio Castroneves joined the exclusive club of four-time Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winners with a stunning victory Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Castroneves joined A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) and Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) as four-time winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The Brazilian’s previous victories came in 2001, 2002 and 2009, all as a full-time driver with Team Penske, the winningest team in Indianapolis 500 history.

But this one was different. Castroneves drove the No. 06 AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing to the team’s first Indy win and first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory. Castroneves, 46, also became the fourth-oldest winner in “500” history in his first INDYCAR start of the season, as he is scheduled to run only a partial schedule this year.

“It’s not the end; it’s the beginning,” Castroneves said. “I don’t know if it’s a good comparison, but Tom Brady won a Super Bowl, Phil (Mickelson) won the PGA, and now here you go. The old guys still got it, kicking the young guys’ butts. We’re teaching them a lesson.

“What a great team effort. Everyone was in sync. We didn’t make any mistakes. No. 4 – what a moment. I’m just so honored to be a part of this amazing group with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears. This is absolutely a dream come true.”

Castroneves, who started eighth, finished a stirring duel with 24-year-old Spaniard Alex Palou over the closing laps by passing Palou with a daring outside move in Turn 1 on Lap 199. He held off Palou’s No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to win by .4928 of a second.

The scintillating finish was the climax to the fastest Indianapolis 500 in history, with an average speed of 190.690 mph in a race slowed only twice by cautions for a total of 18 laps, both race-record lows.

2019 Indy winner Simon Pagenaud finished third in the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet, .5626 of a second behind Castroneves. Pato O’Ward was fourth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, while Ed Carpenter rounded out the top five in the No. 20 SONAX Chevrolet.

Just 1.2424 seconds separated the top five despite the last caution period of the 200-lap race ending on Lap 124.

Castroneves’ jubilant celebration thrilled the crowd of 135,000 fans under sun-splashed skies and temperatures in the high 60s. He climbed the frontstretch fence along with crew members and team co-owner Michael Shank. Many current and past drivers rushed to congratulate Castroneves on becoming a four-time winner, with 1969 Indy winner Mario Andretti kissing him on the head in beatification. Foyt also sent Castroneves a message of congratulations.

“This stage is absolutely incredible,” Castroneves said. “I love Indianapolis. The fans, they give me energy! I’m serious.”

Castroneves made his final pit stop on Lap 172, followed by Palou on Lap 173. Palou slotted in front of Castroneves when he exited the pits, and they formed a three-car train with O’Ward in the virtual lead of the race, as numerous cars in front of them needed to make one final stop before the race ended.

Pagenaud, Sage Karam, Tony Kanaan and Santino Ferrucci peeled off from the lead for their final stops by Lap 180, putting Felix Rosenqvist, JR Hildebrand and Takuma Sato in the top three, respectively, and about 12 seconds ahead of Palou, Castroneves and O’Ward.

Meanwhile, Castroneves and Palou diced for position behind that lead trio, knowing they had plenty of fuel to reach Lap 200 and cognizant they would become the lead pack due to pit stops needed by the fuel-thirsty cars of Rosenqvist, Hildebrand and Sato if a caution flag didn’t fly late in the race.

That caution never came. Rosenqvist pitted from the lead on Lap 192 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, and Sato was forced to dive in for a splash of fuel from the lead on Lap 193 in the No. 30 Panasonic/PeopleReady Honda.

Castroneves inherited the lead on Lap 194, but Palou blasted past Castroneves for the lead in Turn 1 on Lap 196, reminiscent of Rick Mears’ decisive move against Michael Andretti in 1991 that led to his fourth win.

But Castroneves collected himself and placed his car in Palou’s draft on the front straightaway as they rocketed past the flag stand to start Lap 199. Then Castroneves returned the favor to Palou, using an identical outside move in Turn 1 to seize the lead.

Lapped traffic ahead over the closing laps posed a possible problem for Castroneves, but he used the wisdom gained over 20 previous “500” starts to hold off Palou, who showed skills beyond his years in just his second start.

“I’m super proud of finishing second,” Palou said. “It hurts a lot, but it was a good battle with Helio, and it’s better when you lose against the best.”

A caution on Lap 33 turned the race on its head early. Stefan Wilson locked his brakes and spun entering pit road in the No. 25 LOHLA SPORT/Cusick Motorsports Honda, hitting the outside pit wall with the right side of his car.

NTT P1 Award winner Dixon was among a group of cars that had not pitted before the caution, but those cars started to run out of fuel because the pits were closed while the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team removed Wilson’s damaged car. Dixon was leading when he, 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi and five other drivers made emergency stops on Laps 36 or 37 for fuel. Dixon and Rossi’s cars would not refire, and they were a lap down when racing resumed on Lap 46.

Dixon raced back to the lead lap in the No. 9 PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda, but he ended up finishing 17th. 2016 Indy 500 winner Rossi finished 29th in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda, two laps down.

Palou took the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead in this double-points race, building a 248-212 lead over six-time and reigning series champion Dixon.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES races are the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit doubleheader, the headline races of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on June 12-13 on Belle Isle in Detroit.

Results Sunday of the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (8) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 200, Running
2. (6) Alex Palou, Honda, 200, Running
3. (26) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 200, Running
4. (12) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 200, Running
5. (4) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 200, Running
6. (23) Santino Ferrucci, Honda, 200, Running
7. (31) Sage Karam, Chevrolet, 200, Running
8. (3) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 200, Running
9. (24) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 200, Running
10. (5) Tony Kanaan, Honda, 200, Running
11. (9) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 200, Running
12. (21) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 200, Running
13. (19) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 200, Running
14. (15) Takuma Sato, Honda, 200, Running
15. (22) JR Hildebrand, Chevrolet, 200, Running
16. (2) Colton Herta, Honda, 200, Running
17. (1) Scott Dixon, Honda, 200, Running
18. (20) Jack Harvey, Honda, 200, Running
19. (25) Marco Andretti, Honda, 200, Running
20. (17) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 200, Running
21. (16) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 200, Running
22. (7) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 200, Running
23. (30) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 199, Running
24. (29) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 199, Running
25. (13) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 199, Running
26. (27) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 199, Running
27. (14) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 199, Running
28. (11) Ed Jones, Honda, 199, Running
29. (10) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 198, Running
30. (32) Will Power, Chevrolet, 197, Running
31. (33) Simona De Silvestro, Chevrolet, 169, Contact
32. (18) Graham Rahal, Honda, 118, Contact
33. (28) Stefan Wilson, Honda, 32, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 190.690 mph
Time of Race: 2:37:19.3846
Margin of victory: 0.4928 of a second
Cautions: 2 for 18 laps
Lead changes: 35 among 13 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Herta, 1
VeeKay, 2-30
Herta, 31-32
Dixon, 33-35
Castroneves, 36-38
Herta, 39-48
VeeKay, 49
Daly, 50-70
Castroneves, 71-76
Palou, 77
O’Ward, 78
Rahal, 79-81
VeeKay, 82-83
Daly, 84-102
O’Ward, 103-113
Rahal, 114-118
Palou, 119-124
Castroneves, 125-126
O’Ward, 127-130
Palou, 131-147
Castroneves, 148-149
O’Ward, 150
Sato, 151-156
Rosenqvist, 157
Dixon, 158-161
Palou, 162-168
Castroneves, 169-171
Palou, 172
Pagenaud, 173-175
Karam, 176-177
Ferrucci, 178-179
Rosenqvist, 180-192
Sato, 193
Castroneves, 194-195
Palou, 196-198
Castroneves, 199-200

NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings: Palou 248, Dixon 212, O’Ward 211, Pagenaud 201, VeeKay 191, Newgarden 184, Herta 154, Rahal 148, McLaughlin 143, Ericsson 138.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
105TH INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRESENTED BY GAINBRIDGE
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
RACE RECAP
MAY 30

Team Chevy drivers grab three of top five spots in Indianapolis 500

• Simon Pagenaud, Pato O’Ward, Ed Carpenter lead the way
• Chevrolet claims six of the top nine in the fastest ‘500’ in history
• Sage Karam advances a field-high 24 positions to finish seventh
• Conor Daly leads field-high 40 laps; Team Chevy leads 108 of 200

INDIANAPOLIS (May 30, 2021) – Chevrolet drivers claimed three of the top five positions, led by third-place finisher Simon Pagenaud, in the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Pagenaud, the 2019 Indy 500 winner, advanced 23 positions relative to his starting spot in the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. He was joined in the top five by Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet and Ed Carpenter driving the No. 20 SONAX Chevrolet.

Sixteen drivers powered by the 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected Chevrolet V6 engine took the green flag and six combined to lead 108 of the 200 laps in the fastest Indy 500 in history at an average speed of 190.690 mph. The race was marred by two cautions.

Three drivers added top-nine finishes for the Bowtie Brigade.

Sage Karam was the biggest mover of the race, gaining 24 positions in the No. 24 DRR AES Indiana Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet to place seventh. Rinus VeeKay, 20, who a week earlier became the youngest front-row starter in race history, led 32 laps and finished eighth in the No. 21 Bitcoin Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya advanced 15 positions to finish ninth in the No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.

The six Chevrolet drivers combined to advance a total of 64 track positions. O’Ward, who started the month by recording his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory on the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval, moved to third in the championship standings with his finish in the double points race.

Also, two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden finished 12th, moving up nine positions in the No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet. Conor Daly, who led a field-high 40 laps in the No. 47 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, gained six positions to finish 13th, and JR Hildebrand picked up seven positions to place 15th in the No. 1 ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet.

Simona De Silvestro, No. 16 Rocket Pro TPO Paretta Autosport Chevrolet, methodically worked her way to the top-20 from her 33rd starting position, but a pit lane incident relegated her to the 31st finishing position. Nonetheless, the Beth Paretta Autosport female owned team can count its debut as a success.

Former race car driver Danica Patrick led the 33-car field to the green flag in the 2021 mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray hardtop convertible. The race marked the 32nd time for Chevrolet to pace dating to 1948, and the 18th time since 1978 for America’s favorite sports car.

Helio Castroneves drove his Meyer Shank Racing Honda to victory to become the fourth four-time winner of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” joining A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES season continues June 12 and 13 with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader on the Belle Isle street circuit. The event was not contested in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. NBC will telecast both 70-lap races on the 2.35-mile, 13-turn course. Team Penkse’s Josef Newgarden won the first race of the 2019 twinbill powered by Chevrolet on his way to the driver championship.

TEAM CHEVY FINISHERS with starting position in parentheses:

3. Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske (26)
4. Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP (12)
5. Ed Carpenter, No. 20 SONAX Ed Carpenter Racing (4)
6. Sage Karam, No. 24 DRR-AES Indiana Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (31)
7. Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Bitcoin Ed Carpenter Racing (3)
8. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP (24)
9. Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske (21)
10. Conor Daly, No. 47 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing (19)
11. JR Hildebrand, No. 1 ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing (22)
12. Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske (17)
13. Dalton Kellett, No. 4 KITS.com/K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing (30)
14. Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin (29)
15. Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing (27)
16. Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP (14)
17. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske (32)
18. Simona De Silvestro, No. 16 Rocket Pro/Paretta Autosport (33)

DRIVER QUOTES:
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 3rd:
“The team did an amazing job in the pits. The car was phenomenal all day. Man, we started up front. We were right there at the end. I just want to congratulate him (Helio Castroneves, race winner). What he’s doing is awesome. And he is old. That gives me another 10 years.

“I think we had the race car to get it done today. Certainly Chevy, amazing job with the engine power, and handling was phenomenal. I was pedal to the metal. I could see Helio was playing a very smart game; obviously he knows how to win this race. I thought I might have had a shot in Turn Four, but he was too fast. But we did a great job today, I think we had the best car out there: one more lap and we may have had a shot at Helio. But what really cost us was that early yellow – we hadn’t pitted so we had to come in for an emergency stop to put fuel in the car and that put is at the back of the field. We only had 156 laps to get to the front, but we did it. The championship points are great, but it’s the one place in the world that you want to win, second and third don’t matter. Congratulations to Helio, obviously he’s writing a huge page in history here, it’s great to have a driver of our generation get into this club. It’s great to see him win at 46, I have 10 more years to reach him! He is such a great friend and was a great teammate, one of the best I’ve had. I have a responsibility to be even better on track now, so my son (Marley) is proud of me.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW ,MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Finished 4th:
“Man, I’m a little bit bummed. I didn’t have enough for them at the end. I was trying really hard on that last lap. If I was going too keep it flat, it was going to be that lap to try and get a run and try and get them anywhere I could. But I had a huge moment and had to get out of it and Simon got by us. But we should be proud of what we accomplished here. We were in the fight all day. We just weren’t as fast as Helio (Castroneves) and Alex (Palou). Congratulations to Helio on his 4th (Indianapolis 500 win. Alex drove a great race as well. We should be very proud of this, but at Indy winning is the only thing that matters. We can’t be so happy. We have to be bummed because we didn’t win.
“I really think we did a perfect race, I don’t think we could have done anything better. We just needed to be faster in the end. The balance of the car was phenomenal the entire race, the whole month really. Everyone on the team has worked so hard and I would have loved to get this one for them but we didn’t have the speed. When they let me loose, I knew they were going to let the guys in front of me loose, and I didn’t have enough to catch them. I took a risk to try and make a mega run on the leaders and ended up losing the position to Pagenaud, so that was disappointing. We need to work harder and come back stronger next year, because the only thing that matters at Indy is winning. We did a great job, the pit stops were good, the strategy was perfect, so we just need to do this again, just a little bit faster.”

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 5th
“At the end of the day I’m happy with it. I stalled it on my first pit stop and dug ourselves a huge hole. And then really, just on strategy, tried to make some passes but the team, pit stops, and strategy, they did a great job getting us back in the fight. We were in the lead pack at the end, which is where you want to be. But we struggled for speed. The car handled pretty well, but I just struggled for speed. Just couldn’t quite have enough to keep attacking those guys once we got toward the front. So, given how far we got shuffled back, to get back up to P5 is not bad.”

SAGE KARAM, NO. 24 DRR-AES INDIANA DREYER & REINBOLD RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 7th
“The car was pretty good from the beginning. I knew I just had to stay focused. This race is 500 miles. It’s grueling. For me, it’s more mentally challenging than it is physically. Today was the most physically demanding 500 I’ve ever done. Even though it was cool out, these cars are very difficult to drive in traffic and you’ve really got to wheel them to be quick. And the DRR team did a great job. They were flawless all day on pit road. I just had to keep it on the dance floor. I made some passes out there. I got passed a few times. But I think this is the most patient I ever was behind the wheel of a race car. I just let the race come to me, I think, was the main thing this time. Whereas before, I would go out searching for it. I just let it come to me this time and I’m just so happy. I needed this. The team needed this. We’ve been struggling the last two years. And for this, a one-off team, one car, one race, to come and take it to the big dogs, we’ve just got to qualify better and we’re going to be right in the mix.”

CONOR DALY, NO. 47 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – Finished 13th
“We got a really lucky yellow obviously, at the beginning. It worked out perfectly. And I think we got to run really where this car deserved. It was a great race car. Such a great race car. And then when Graham (Rahal) crashed, I thought we had avoided everything and I was like all right, this is great. And literally out of nowhere, it was like a tire just fell from the sky. And we have that little visor strip with the aero screen. It’s like you can’t necessarily see all the way up in the sky, but you don’t think you really need to see that high. And like right at the last second, it was just like boom. Thankfully it didn’t hit the suspension, right? But our car was ruined from then on. It would have taken too much time to change the wing, so Conor Daly luck strikes again sadly, but it was so fun today, it really was, for a long time.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PENNZOIL YELLOW SUBMARINE TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET—Finished 20th
ROOKIE OF THE RACE
“One mistake, it just eats you. You can’t make mistakes here, it needs to be a perfect day. That’s why experience is so important in this sport. It’s a place that really bits you, especially when you don’t see it coming. I didn’t quite pump my brake pedal up and had a stone cold set of rotors coming into pit lane. I’m thankful that no one was hurt, as I came in there pretty hot. I’m happy to get rookie of the year, that was the main goal, but I would have liked to have finished higher up, in that front group. I feel as though I could have been a factor, so it’s a bit of a bittersweet. But for my first Indy 500, to see Helio get his fourth, is tremendous. It was amazing to hear the crowd as I was getting out of the car! After 2020, how dull it was (without the fans), it was a great 2021.”

Simon Pagenaud post race press conference transcript:

THE MODERATOR: We’ve been joined by our third-place finisher, driver of the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. Welcome, Simon. We all saw you coming there at the end. What was it like in those last closing laps? Did you think you were going to be able to catch Alex and Helio?
SIMON PAGENAUD: I was hoping. I was really hoping. The big thing for us is obviously we got caught up in the first yellow. We hadn’t pitted, so we had to take an emergency pit stop after lap 44. From there we got sent back to the back of the field because of the emergency pit stop. We had 156 laps to come back to the front.
What a shame. I really think we had the race car to get it done today. Certainly Chevy amazing job with the engine power and the race was amazing. Handling was phenomenal all day. We managed to really adjust the car through the beginning of the race. At the end I was pedal to the metal. I didn’t care. Just wanted to get to these guys and have some fun with them. I could see Helio was playing a very smart game. Obviously he knows how to win the race. Alex was trying his best to hold him off. Helio was just biding his time.
Because of that the draft was difficult in fourth place. It was difficult to get through Pato. We did on the last lap. I thought I may have had a shot in turn four, but Helio was too fast.
Congrats to him. He’s writing a huge page of the 500 mile history here. Finally a guy of our generation is going in the ‘four’ club. That’s very special. He’s a great friend. He just gave me 10 more years in my career to go catch him. Thank you, Helio (smiling).
Q. When you were looking from the outside wanting to get into the INDYCAR SERIES, you said, I think I need to change my name. I said, To what? You said, Simon Indy. I can do this. You’ve won the 500, the championship. What does it feel like to be able to know coming in that you could do it and then to do it?
SIMON PAGENAUD: It’s amazing. This place, I have so much respect for this place. I love the tension through the race and how much you have to let the animal inside of you come out in the last 20 laps. It’s a feel I’ve never had on any other racetracks. That fight at the end. Being in it, even though I was third, I could smell the blood.
I’ll tell you what, it’s the best feeling in racing. Obviously I want to win. It hurts to be third. Maybe one more lap I would have had a shot at Helio, who knows. But it’s only 500 miles. We should have done it earlier. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.
I’m proud. I’m proud of my team, proud of myself. I’m proud for John Menard, as well. A great showing at the 500. Like you said, it’s amazing to have won, come back, every year you know we are threats. That’s what it’s all about for me. It’s about always scratching at victory.
This place is just amazing. There’s nothing else like it.
Q. There’s so much talk about the young guys today. I’m going to include you in the old guys. Five of the top 10, 37 and older. The winner 46 years old. This is a huge thing for older drivers. Talk about the big strike for the old guys.
SIMON PAGENAUD: It’s great. Helio just extended my lifetime here. I love it because I’m 37 this month, but I feel like I’m in better shape than I was when I was 22. Obviously I chose 22 for a reason here (smiling).
This place is all about experience. I mean, what Helio did at the end, I want to rewatch it. There was something going on. I don’t know if you guys picked on it, but from lap 185 until he chose to go to the front, he was just playing. He was learning. There was a lot of that between me and Rossi in 2019. But I think he just took it to a whole ‘nother level. That was really cool to watch from behind, every though I was trying to join. I was trying to learn as I was coming through. Because I was like if I have a chance, I need to know what he’s going to do.
To me, Helio was going to be the guy at the end. He was just biding his time. It showed the smartness, what goes behind the helmet in a race car. I think the final was just amazing. I’m very glad for the fans because they showed up en masse. It just shows that this is about experience and knowledge. I’m glad that’s the case because obviously I want to keep racing for many, many more years.
Q. Can you share what you said to Helio when you hugged him?
SIMON PAGENAUD: I mean, he’s a great friend. He’s such a great person, one of the best teammate I’ve ever had. I told him before the race, I did say, If I don’t win, I want you to win your fourth. There’s a reason for that. I think it’s great for our generation that we have a guy going into the four club. I call it the four club. I don’t know if that’s the right way to call it.
Obviously Mario, A.J. and obviously Mears, it’s fantastic that they’ve done four. We need somebody else to join them. We need to keep breaking records. That’s what sport is about. Helio has joined them now. There’s hope for the future. I think he just gave us hope.
THE MODERATOR: Helio is now the fourth oldest winner in Indianapolis 500 history, behind Al Unser, Bobby Unser and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Q. Your setup for the start was good or you adjust the car and go faster?
SIMON PAGENAUD: We started with too little downforce. I was struggling on the first stint to get passes done. The chassis was fantastic, but we just needed more downforce to be more aggressive.
I was waiting for the pit stop to make adjustment. We made a rear wing adjustment, a front wing adjustment at the same time and the car came together. Then we kept adjusting through the race. At the end there it was loose. That’s what I needed to be good in traffic.
It was definitely difficult for me when I had clean air. My car was very loose. That was the only way I could go through traffic.
I think it really the fact that I started at the back really helped me at the end to go through the pack, get to the front. I could see I was more ready than the others at positions the car, knowing what to do with it. Had been aggressive for 200 laps.
Great job. The whole 22 team did fantastic today.
Q. What makes a guy like Helio good at a place like this?
SIMON PAGENAUD: I think it’s a feel. It’s a great question. He’s got a feel for this place. Also I feel like the more you love the place, the more the place loves you back. There’s something really strange about it.
All Helio thinks about is the 500. Everybody talks about his line being different than anybody else. I don’t quite understand why he’s running that line, to be honest with you. I’ve always tried to understood. No matter what year it is, what package it is, it works. He just knows what he needs. He knows what he needs from the race car. He knows when he’s going to be in the fight for the win. He keeps it to himself. He use it as energy.
To me he’s been a mentor. I love the way he goes about racing, how he prepares. Also he just lives life. He just was lives life and loves it. He’s a positive person. He always believe.
Q. In debriefs he can’t explain to you why he runs the line that you guys don’t like?
SIMON PAGENAUD: We’ve never really talked about that. I just try to do what he does. But I’m not as comfortable doing it. He can’t run my line. I think it’s a style. At the end of the day I think it’s a style that he has that works for him. My style is different and it works for me obviously. I’m just super happy for him.
Q. There’s only four four-time winners. You’ve been part of a race where one guy joined the club. When you look back on that, obviously you wanted to win the race, but what will you think of? You were part of the day history was made.
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yes, like I said, it’s great to be in that generation of a driver joining that club. All I can think about right now is I want to catch Helio so bad. I’m thinking about all the years I should have won the race, ’15, ’18, but this one.
Four is not too far away. If I have 10 more years, maybe it’s possible. But records are meant to be broken. I hope he comes back, try to go for five. I hope I can challenge him in the end. I just want to challenge him in the end because he’s the guy to beat now.
Q. So much talk about the young guys, and an old guy won. This place is different. Maybe young guys aren’t supposed to do well here. Young guys did run well today. Did that surprise you at all?
SIMON PAGENAUD: No, not at all. There’s a bit of bravery. The young guys, you could see a lot of them like Rinus, Alex, a lot of these guys what they did in qualifying shows a lot of bravery.
I think Pato is the same kind of guy. They’ve really pushed the envelope and they’re pushing us, the older generation, to push the limit also further. It’s great. It’s really fun.
You can see they’re very comfortable in an uncomfortable situation, which is new. I’ve never seen that before, that mindset. Also the cars are so close. All the teams, as you saw, it’s so competitive. If you do a good job, you really have a shot. That’s what happened today.
Q. What influence does having the fans back have on the drivers, if any?
SIMON PAGENAUD: It has a huge influence. I found so much resources that I didn’t know I had just because of the fans, the energy that you feel in the grandstand. It’s just so different here. You could see the grandstand were packed. You could see people clapping on the warmup lap. You want to do something special. It makes you feel relevant in your sport. It makes you feel like our sport is on the rise. This is the greatest race in the world.
There was a ton of energy today. After the year we had last year, 2020, this just put a smile on your face.
Q. I see on the stat sheet here you had 26 on-track passes, which is the most of anyone else. Obviously your car was working pretty well. Do you feel the new aero package that was brought this year did what was promised?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, absolutely. I thought it was great racing. I thought I could pass people. I thought it was a matter of having the right adjustment done during the pit stops. It was a matter of being aggressive also.
I took a lot of risks today, more risks than I usually take, because it’s such an incredible race. I could smell the blood. Just wanted to get to the front.
I knew the more cars I was going to pass, the better it was going to be. Certainly at the end you saw how fast the Menard car was. Yeah, just came up a little short. It hurts a little bit, I got to say.
Q. Other than not having to do that emergency pit stop at the start, is there anything else you could have done differently?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yes. No, I would have had a problem with Montoya if I did. Montoya was really tough on me today. Made me lose quite a bit of time.
I mistimed a run on Herta. That wasn’t it. I don’t remember who it was. I mistimed a run on Hinchcliffe, I think. Montoya got me and set me back a little bit because I couldn’t pass him afterwards.
Yeah, he was playing hard to get.
Q. Back to what you were speaking about with Helio playing games. What exactly were you seeing? Was he seeing how his car handled with different lines on the racetrack?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Alex was showing his game too early. No disrespect to him at all. He did amazing job, great race. Obviously he’s young, learning the draft and all that. It’s not easy on an oval of this size.
I could see what Alex was doing. He was trying to find ways to keep Helio behind, but there were too many laps to go. Helio was just waiting in the back, keeping Pato behind, judging the timing. He knew exactly where he could get him, when he could get him. All of a sudden you saw him, he jumped at his throat like a tiger. That’s when the attack started. I believe it was 193, lap 193. I knew it was coming.
I was waiting for Helio to do that because he disrupted the rhythm of the pack in front of me. That’s what helped me get Pato and maybe I could have gotten Palou quicker. It was very interesting to watch. Certainly there’s a lot to learn from that battle.
Q. You were talking about Helio, what he kind of brings to the table. Are you a bit disappointed that he’d not been kept on at Penske and wasn’t part of your team? Did you feel anything missing from him not being a part of the team this year?
SIMON PAGENAUD: He’s a fantastic teammate to have. He’s certainly added a lot of value to the Meyer Shank operation. Jack being a fantastic driver will benefit from having Helio by his side. I benefitting a ton from Helio running here, also from Montoya.
Obviously it’s not my decision as to what teammate I’m going to have or what the future of the roster looks like at my team. I enjoyed working with him. I enjoy working with Scott. Scott obviously is learning, but he’s also doing a great job. There’s obviously no preference there. It’s not my choice. I enjoy working with my teammate. I think we’re doing a great job, as you saw. Great race cars. It is what it is at this point.
Q. How are you feeling going into the second part of the season? You made no secret of the fact last year wasn’t what you wanted, wasn’t the target for the standard you hold yourself to. You’re fourth in the championship. Is that giving you confidence going into the second part of the season?
SIMON PAGENAUD: It’s a silver lining. I’m not going to be honest, it hurts. All I’m thinking about is the 500-mile race I just lost. Like I said, no disrespect to Helio. I’m super happy for him and he deserved it, but I do believe I had the chance.
I need to just – how do you say – mourn my loss tonight and get back into the championship rhythm. It’s obviously great to be fourth, I think that’s what I heard. That’s definitely going to help me going forward.
We’ve got some great things for Detroit coming up. We know we have a strong car, street course. Excited about that. But Indy to me is the one off. I don’t really put it in the championship.
Q. Today we saw a lot of drivers having problem on the pit entrance with the braking. How tough was that today?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yes, it’s not easy. That’s one thing from outside, it doesn’t look like it’s difficult. Coming out of turn four at 220 miles per hour, then you have to slow down to 60 miles an hour in a hurry with a car that has very little downforce. The brakes obviously are cold. It’s very treacherous.
Let me tell you, that first pit box that I had was probably the hardest for me to come into pit lane in my career here in Indy. Very treacherous day.
Obviously it’s part of the racing. It’s where you have to take some risks, to jump people, during the pit sequence. Sometimes it goes wrong.
Like I said, the cars are not easy to drive. We’re all on the limit at all times. Sometimes things go wrong.
Q. How much momentum does that give you going into the rest of the season starting with Detroit in two weeks?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, I’m excited about the championship. Like I just said, I need to digest tonight. I need to digest this amazing race. I need to digest what just happened.
Yeah, I’m hurting. I’m hurting in my heart. I drove my heart out and my soul out of this race car. My team did such a great job. I need a little bit of time to digest, switch my mind over to Detroit next week. At the moment my mind is solely on Indy. I want to come back and win this again.
But for sure it’s going to give us a boost in the championship. It’s always a good thing.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks very much, Simon. Congratulations.
SIMON PAGENAUD: Thank you.

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Indianapolis, Ind. (30 May 2021) – Meyer Shank Racing driver Helio Castroneves won his fourth Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. The popular Brazilian racer started the race from eighth on the grid and moved up to take the lead on lap 37.

Saving fuel early in his run, Castroneves raced in the top seven through the majority of the race, racing to the lead on lap 72 under green flag conditions. Holding the lead once again on a lap 126 restart, Castroneves pitted from the lead for the final time on lap 172, with the Meyer Shank Racing squad delivering a final well-executed pit stop on the day to position him for a fight to the finish.

The race set a record as the fastest Indianapolis 500 in history, with Castroneves fighting for the lead with Alex Palou through a frantic final 20 lap segment. Taking the point for the final time on lap 198, Castroneves held firm at the front to take an amazing fourth victory in the race to the roaring approval of 135,000 enthusiastic race fans as he returned to climb the fence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway once again.

“I love Indianapolis!” enthused Castroneves. “This is incredible. I had to put my elbows up to fight there at the end. Meyer Shank Racing gave me everything I needed to go fight for the win. Thank you so much to Jim (Meyer) and Mike (Shank) for giving me this chance, and to AutoNation and SiriusXM for supporting us. It was so great to be powered by Honda today. We had such an amazing car and the team did an unbelievable job. I can’t believe it!”

The victory marks an incredible new highlight for the team, which is based in Columbus and earned success in sports car racing with victories in some of the sports biggest events including the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Petit Le Mans before expanding to compete in IndyCar with a one-off Indianapolis 500 outing in 2017.

With Jim Meyer joining Shank in an ownership role in 2017, the team grew the program in partnership with AutoNation and SiriusXM to contest partial IndyCar seasons in 2018 and 2019 before making its first full-season campaign with Jack Harvey in 2020. Castroneves joined the team ahead of the 2021 season for a 6-race campaign starting with the Indianapolis 500.

“I don’t even know where to start,” said team co-owner Mike Shank. “Helio drove an incredible race-his experience in this race was there for all to see. I’m so proud to have the partnerships that we’ve built to get to this point. That starts with Jim (Meyer), who has made such an impact on this organization since coming on board and goes to AutoNation and SiriusXM, and of course Honda and the folks at HPD have been just amazing. This is going to take a long time to soak in, but right now I just am a little at a loss for words to be standing here right now after winning the Indianapolis 500!”

The sister No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda-powered entry of Jack Harvey finished a disappointed 18th. After starting from 24th on the grid, Harvey raced his way to the top ten but lost ground during a lap 142 pit stop before fighting back to finish 18th.

“First off, congratulations to Helio, what a legend,” said Harvey. “And also to Mike Shank, and Jim Meyer, they have built a very strong team and that showed today with this big result. Unfortunately my race didn’t go as well as he had hoped and we don’t have the result we were looking for. So it was a disappointing day for us, but overall I’m so proud of this team and thrilled for AutoNation, SiriusXM, and everyone involved.”