page_title: Hélio Castroneves
section_title: 2009–2013
hierarchical_section_title: Hélio Castroneves / IndyCar Series / 2009–2013
caption_attribution_description: English: Helio Castroneves Team Penske - Chevrolet 2012 Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix
context_page_description: Hélio Alves de Castro Neves is a Brazilian race car driver for Team Penske in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He won the Indianapolis 500 three times: in 2001, 2002, and 2009, and was runner-up in the IndyCar Series drivers' championship in 2002, 2008, 2013, and 2014. Castroneves began competitive go-karting at age 10, before progressing to car racing, in the Formula Chevrolet Brazil, Formula 3 Sudamericana, the British Formula Three Championship, and Indy Lights. He entered Championship Auto Racing Teams in 1998 with Bettenhausen Racing and with Hogan Racing in 1999, achieving one second place each with both teams. Castroneves moved to Team Penske in place of Greg Moore for 2000 and 2001, winning three races in both years.
  He debuted in the Indy Racing League in 2001, winning the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves drove full time in the IRL from 2002, finishing runner-up to Sam Hornish Jr. and defeating Paul Tracy for a second Indianapolis 500 win. He finished third in 2003 and 2006 and was runner-up to Scott Dixon in 2008.
context_section_description: Castroneves signed a multi-year contract with Penske from the 2009 season; Will Power replaced him for the season-opening St. Petersburg race before returning at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Castroneves' season highlight was the Indianapolis 500, where he qualified fastest, and led twice for a total of 66 laps for his third victory there. In the Bombardier Learjet 550 at Texas two races later, Castroneves achieved his second victory of 2009. He took six more top-tens, including a second place in the Edmonton Indy, and pole position in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway. Castroneves was eliminated from championship contention at Chicago, and finished fourth overall with 433 points.
  For the 2010 season, he felt Penske had reached the potential of its ageing Dallara-Honda car, and feared other teams would exploit this to close the performance gap. Castroneves won the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama to extend his record of winning a race to ten straight seasons. After qualifying on pole position for the Indianapolis 500, a stall in a pit stop relegated him to ninth. Five races later, at the Honda Indy Edmonton, Castroneves was the first to finish, but was demoted to tenth after he was deemed to have blocked his teammate Power. He won two consecutive races, at Kentucky Speedway and Motegi, before ending the season with a fifth at Homestead-Miami. With 531 points, Castroneves finished fourth in the drivers' standings. 
  The beginning of the 2011 season saw him struggle in comparison with his previous years at Penske. Three collisions in the first four races meant Castroneves finished poorly in St. Petersburg, Long Beach and São Paulo; his best result in that period was a seventh at Birmingham, putting him 17th overall by the time of the Indianapolis 500 in May. Castroneves qualified 16th for the race; a flat tire and vibration left him one lap down in 17th. The rest of Castroneves' season included two second places at Edmonton and Sonoma, and three top-nines. He was 11th overall with 312 points, his lowest finish since he was sixth in both 2005 and 2007. The 2011 season was the first since 1999 in which Castroneves did not achieve a race win.
  He signed a contract extension with Penske prior to the 2012 season. At the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Castroneves passed J. R. Hildebrand with 26 laps to go to win. He took pole position for the following Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and finished third. In the Indianapolis 500, Castroneves qualified sixth, but finished tenth due to his car lacking downforce. He then took three sixth places at Milwaukee, Iowa and Toronto. and won the Edmonton Indy to draw within 23 points of championship leader Ryan Hunter-Reay. Castroneves ended the season with three more top-tens for fourth overall with 431 points.
  Castroneves resigned with Penske for the 2013 season; the team modified his car in the off-season. Two podiums in the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the following Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama gave him the points lead. Castroneves fell to third after finishing 13th in the São Paulo Indy 300, He qualified eighth for the Indianapolis 500; rev limiter issues left him in sixth. In the Firestone 550 at Texas, Castroneves led the final 132 laps to win, breaking a tie with Marco Andretti for the points lead. Castroneves took two more second places at Milkwakee and the second Toronto race and finished no lower than ninth in the next eight races. An opportunity for him to win the championship before the season was over came to nothing when gearbox problems in the Grand Prix of Houston double leader dropped 25 points behind Dixon. To win the championship in the season-ending MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships, Castroneves needed to finish nine positions higher than Dixon. A sixth place for Castroneves and a fifth for Dixon meant the former came second in points with 550.
caption: Castroneves competing in the 2012 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix
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