Hélio Castroneves

Racing career

Born in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, South America, Castroneves started his career in karting, and later raced for the Paul Stewart Racing team, and finished third in the 1995 British Formula 3 Championship.

After being occasionally misidentified by US media as "Hélio Neves" he at first changed the spelling to Hélio Castro-Neves and then to Hélio Castroneves. He has one sister, Katiucia. Castroneves was first recognised while driving for Steve Horne's Tasman Racing team in Indy Lights, interestingly as teammate to fellow Brazilian and future IndyCar champion Tony Kanaan.

After showing potential but lacking reliability while with the Bettenhausen and Hogan teams, Castroneves was signed by Penske Racing in CART in 2000 following the deaths of Greg Moore and Gonzalo Rodríguez during the last races of the 1999 season. Moore had signed on with Penske but never had the opportunity to race with the team. Castroneves immediately became a regular front-runner winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, the first of three wins where he again performed the crowd pleasing act of climbing the fence at the start finish line in celebration, something he would continue to do after winning races. He switched with the team to the rival IRL for 2002, and remained with Penske, teamed with Gil de Ferran, Sam Hornish Jr., and Ryan Briscoe during his tenure through the 2008 season. During the 2002 season, Castroneves tested with Formula One team Toyota Racing at Circuit Paul Ricard. In January 2009, Team Penske temporarily replaced him with Will Power, citing the difficulties of remaining competitive while Castroneves prepared for trial on federal tax evasion charges (which stemmed in part from Greg Moore's death as Moore's contract was rewritten for Castroneves). Castroneves missed the first race of the 2009 season while the trial was ongoing, but returned to racing at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Racing fans have given Castroneves the nickname "Spider-Man" because of his victory celebration, in which he climbs the trackside debris fence.

On 24 May 2009, Castroneves became Indy's 9th (and first foreign-born) three-time winner, by taking the checkered flag for the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500.

Records

Castroneves currently holds IRL IndyCar Series records for most top-ten finishes (167); Poles (38); and most consecutive seasons with a race win (10; 2001–2010). In 2009 he reset the all-time record for most wins (22) and starts (209) by a driver who has not won the National Championship, taking these records from Bill Holland at Indianapolis and compatriot Raul Boesel at Richmond respectively. His 23rd career win, at Barber Motorsports Park in 2010, broke a tie with his former manager Emerson Fittipaldi for most IndyCar wins by a Brazilian driver. At the 2016 season, he broke the record for consecutive starts, with 318.

Other appearances

Aside from success in racing, Castroneves won the fifth season of the American reality TV show Dancing with the Stars with partner Julianne Hough. He has also appeared on truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... as a frequent commentator—mainly on episodes that feature the "World's Dumbest Drivers". He currently lives in Ft. Lauderdale. Castroneves returned to Dancing with the Stars for its 15th season for a chance to win another mirrorball trophy. This time he was partnered with Chelsie Hightower. They were voted off in the third week of the competition during a double elimination.

Personal life

Castroneves has one daughter with his wife, Adriana Henao. The girl was born on December 28, 2009, and is named Mikaella. Castroneves lives in Fort Lauderdale.

Legal issues

On 2 October 2008, Castroneves was charged with conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion by a grand jury for purportedly failing to report to the IRS about $5.5 million in income between 1999 and 2004, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. His business manager and sister Kati, and his lawyer Alan Miller were charged with assisting Castroneves in the supposed scheme. All three defendants surrendered to authorities in Florida on Friday, 3 October 2008. Castroneves pleaded not guilty to these charges on 3 October, and was ordered released on $10 million bail. Castroneves was replaced by Will Power during the duration of his tax evasion court case. The IRS claimed that Castroneves owes $2.3 million in taxes. A guilty verdict would have likely ended Castroneves' racing career.

This issue was related to the initial contract signed by Castroneves with Penske Racing after Greg Moore's death at the California Speedway during the Marlboro 500 on 31 October 1999. In the trial, it was reported that Castroneves' first contract with Penske (2000–04) was signed with Moore's contract with the names changed in ink to reflect the replacement driver. The deal was signed by Moore's agent, Alan Miller, who signed Castroneves' deal days after Moore's funeral as pressure from Penske sponsors forced a quick resolution to finding a replacement.

Central to the case was the ownership of a Panamanian company called Seven Promotions. Prosecutors called it a shell corporation set up primarily so Castroneves could dodge US income taxes, but Castroneves' father testified he created Seven to boost his son's image in Brazil. The elder Castroneves said his son never owned it. Prosecutors called that a lie, showing jurors numerous documents in which Castroneves claimed Seven as his own. If it was, an Internal Revenue Service agent testified that Castroneves owed US taxes on the full $5 million from Penske even though he had never actually received the money. Instead, the Penske payments were eventually invested in a deferred compensation deal with the Dutch firm Fintage Licensing B.V. Castroneves' attorney Roy Black told jurors in closing arguments that such deals are common—and perfectly legal—for athletes who have relatively short careers and face injury or worse at any moment.

The trial ended on 10 April 2009, with closing arguments and the jury deliberated until 17 April, when it acquitted Castroneves of all six counts of tax evasion but hung on a count of conspiracy. On 22 May 2009, prosecutors dropped the remaining conspiracy charge.

American open–wheel racing results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

CART results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

IndyCar Series

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

* Season still in progress.

Indianapolis 500

Castroneves' finishes for 2001 to 2003 is currently the best 3 race finishing streak in Indianapolis history. It is equal to the streak posted by Al Unser from 1970 through 1972.

V8 Supercar results

+ Not Eligible for points

Complete Stock Car Brasil results

† Ineligible for championship points.