IndyCar Stars Shine at Rolex, Castroneves and Pagenaud Win Overall

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is a time when drivers come from all across the world to compete in one of the most coveted endurance races in the world, but the NTT IndyCar Series can boast the cream of the crop as Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud helped Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist pilot Meyer Shank Racing to the overall win in the 60th running of the event this past weekend.

This marks the eighth time in the last 12 years that an IndyCar driver has been a part of the overall-winning team and second consecutive victory for Castroneves, who was a part of the Wayne Taylor Racing effort that won in 2021.

Castroneves battled back despite two flat tires before the halfway point in the race as well as a pit road speeding penalty to be right in contention for the win against his former team. After the final restart with 30 minutes to go, Castroneves pulled away from Ricky Taylor as the two made their way through slower traffic to win by a 3.028 second margin.

The 46-year-old Brazilian has found a second wind in his career as of late with Meyer Shank, winning his fourth Indy 500, Shank’s first, and now the team’s second ever Rolex 24 victory.

“Forty-six feeling like 22, brother,” Castroneves said post-race.

“When you have passion, when you love what you do, you just got to keep doing it. There’s no reason to keep listening to noises. As long as I keep it going, I have no issues. I’m motivated. I’m excited. I want to achieve my dreams and keep it going. Today, another one on my bucket list.”

Although some may have counted him out, team owner Michael Shank saw that age was but a number, and now the team has been propelled to the top of American motorsports.

“A lot of people talk about his age, but I kind of see through that,” Shank said.

“There were young guys out there that deserved something. But we felt for our business, at this time, we needed to make an impression at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That’s what we set about doing.”

And now their reach has gone far beyond the Brickyard to Daytona Beach, capturing victory at two of the most iconic venues in motorsports.

This also marks Pagenaud’s first win in the event, running three stints throughout Saturday evening, Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Pato O’Ward (right) embraces teammate Colton Herta (left) after the thrilling battle for the LMP2 class victory. (Photo Credit: Chris duMond / LAT Images / Courtesy of IMSA)

IndyCar shone bright not only in DPi but LMP2 as well, as the DragonSpeed USA team, comprised of young stars Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta, and IndyCar rookie Devlin DeFrancesco teamed up with veteran Eric Lux to win the category in spectacular fashion.

Herta hunted down the Tower Motorsport car driven by ex-Formula 2 driver Louis Deletraz throughout the final hour of the race, catching him with roughly ten minutes to go. Herta dove down the inside of Deletraz into the newly-renamed Le Mans Chicane, braking late and making the corner while Deletraz was forced into the grass. The Swiss driver thought the move wasn’t clean and confronted Herta after the race but the Andretti Autosport driver defended his dive.

“I thought it was clean. I was alongside of him,” Herta said post-race.

“Two inside of the Bus Stop (chicane) just don’t go, and I had the inside line. It’s unfortunate. I didn’t want the race to end for them that way. But these things happen, I guess.”

Deletraz’s run through the grass allowed the No. 29 Racing Team Nederland LMP2 car to finish second, a team consisting of Ed Carpenter Racing‘s Rinus Veekay.

Elsewhere on the grid, IndyCar drivers littered the DPi category, with five across four different teams.

Alexander Rossi was the highest finishing of the bunch, running up front throughout the night and placing second overall and in class with Wayne Taylor Racing.

Jimmie Johnson ran three stints with Ally Cadillac Racing, but struggled throughout the event. He was caught in a crash with the #15 GTD Pro Proton USA Mercedes driven by Patrick Assenheimer in turn two at around the halfway point of the race, and a solo spin at the 21-hour mark, hitting the curb in turn five. The team led some laps in the opening hours of the event, but the team came home with a fifth place in the DPi class and eleventh overall.

Right behind them finishing sixth in the DPi class was Chip Ganassi Racing‘s Marcus Ericsson, piloting the No. 02 DPi for Cadillac Racing. With about 12 and a half hours remaining, Ericsson made contact with the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac driven by Tristian Nunez in turn three just after getting into the car on cold tyres.

Ericsson’s CGR teammates Scott Dixon and Alex Palou also got bit by the daunting event, as their Cadillac Racing No. 01 car was sent to the garage with alternator issues around the halfway point. On the bright side, Dixon spent time in the lead and Palou set the fastest lap of the DPi class, showing speed in his first Rolex 24.

One IndyCar driver was in the GTD field, rookie Kyle Kirkwood, who finished fourth in the GTD Pro category and twenty-second overall with Vasser-Sullivan.

These drivers will now turn in the proverbial “keys” to their Rolex rides and prepare for the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season, which kicks off on 27 February for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.