Brazilian Hélio Castroneves will not take part in the first championship race of 2023 in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Daytona 500. He confirmed this this Thursday during a press conference at Daytona International Speedway as he competes in the Rolex 24.
Hélio Castroneves wanted to participate in the Daytona 500, but The Great American Race will take place without him, since he was unable to find a steering wheel to take part in this event for the first time.
The four-time Indy 500 winner was in talks with boxer Floyd Mayweather’s team, meaning he would have gotten a steering wheel says open and should have qualified, either on time on Wednesday during qualifying by being one of the two pilots open the fastest either during the Duels on Thursday evening by finishing the first of the pilots open of his Duel.
“Unfortunately for me, no experience, no trials. Many things. I knew it would be difficult to embark on this project and find a place for myself. We had a possibility, we have to elaborate it a bit more to give me a bit more experience. There are plenty of things waiting for me, but for now I also want to focus on the IndyCar program and the Rolex 24s.confided Hélio Castroneves during the Media Day of the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Hélio Castroneves drives prototype number 60 of the Meyer Shank Racing team for the Rolex 24s.