Helio Castroneves chasing record-breaking Indy 500 victory at age 50

Sport

Helio Castroneves chasing record-breaking Indy 500 victory at age 50

2025-05-15 05:48 Last Updated At：05:51

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Helio Castroneves, at age 50, is still chasing history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A win in this year's Indianapolis 500 would give him five in his brilliant IndyCar career and break a tie with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears for most wins in a race that will be run May 25 for the 109th time.

He's been unsuccessful in his last three tries to win a fifth but hopes this year, his 25th Indy 500, will be the one where he breaks history. Not even his age has discouraged the Brazilian.

“I feel I have a brand new engine,” Castroneves said. “I feel that I’m like ready to go. They say life starts at 50, so I’m ready to start again.”

Castroneves won his fourth Indy 500 driving for Meyer Shank Racing, where he's now part of team management and will drive for them again this year. If he wins, he doesn't plan to walk away from “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

“I’m going to come back and try for six,” Castroneves said. “I want a statue.”

For the record, MSR has not confirmed any races for Castroneves beyond this year's Indy 500. But, the team values his contributions on and off the track, particularly his 500 victory in 2021.

Castroneves had spent 20 years driving for Team Penske, where he won the Indy 500 in 2001, 2002 and 2009. After a move to Penske's sports car program, Castroneves landed a partial ride back in IndyCar with Meyer Shank Racing, and the 500 win grew into two full seasons.

The team fields two full-time cars now for Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong, with Castroneves as a third entry at Indianapolis.

“Basically winning that fourth, putting the team on the map and they know that they can do it again, whether it’s me or my two other teammates. They know they can do it,” Castroneves said. “And that’s probably why we keep on pushing. We feel that we’re going to another level as a team.”

Rosenqvist is currently eighth in the IndyCar standings, while Armstrong is 14th. Qualifying has been dramatically improved this year, and the team created a technical alliance with Chip Ganassi Racing that has provided tremendous benefit to MSR. The drivers all debrief together — although Ganassi driver Scott Dixon noted Wednesday that Castroneves, who has a super-sized personality, is atypically quiet in the meetings.

Ganassi drivers have five Indy 500 wins, although Dixon is the only active driver with a victory in the big race. But Alex Palou, his teammate, has opened this season with four wins in five races including last Saturday on the road course at Indy. Palou has won the last two IndyCar titles and three of the last four, and Ganassi has 16 total IndyCar championships.

That alliance has been a massive boost for MSR.

“We have a different partnership now, which really, really helps,” Castroneves said. “I’m noticing the difference and I’m happy we were able to do that. They don’t win races or championships because they’re lucky.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

The Golden Globes are tonight. Here's what to look for and how to watch and stream the show

The Golden Globes bill themselves as Hollywood’s booziest bash. This year, is anyone ready to party?

Political tension and industrywide uncertainty are the prevailing moods heading into Sunday night's 83rd Golden Globes. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros.

A celebratory mood might be even more elusive given that the wide majority of the performers and filmmakers congregating at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, oppose the policies of President Donald Trump. Likely to be on the minds of many attendees: the recent U.S. involvement in Venezuela and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But through their ups and downs, the Globes have always tried to put pomp over politics. Host Nikki Glaser has vowed as much.

“You’d be surprised that half the room had no clue why I was saying ‘Venezuela,’” Glaser told The Associated Press earlier in the week, referring to her comedy-club warm-ups. “People aren’t getting the news like we all are.”

Glaser, a comic known for her roast appearances, has promised to go after A-listers in her second time hosting.

“We’re going to hit Leo,” Glaser said. “The icebergs are coming.”

Here’s what to look for at this year’s Globes:

The Golden Globes kick off at 8 p.m. EST on CBS while streaming live for Paramount+ premium subscribers. E!’s red carpet coverage begins at 6 p.m. EST.

The Associated Press will be have a livestream show beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern with a mix of stars' arrivals, fashion shots and celebrity interviews. It will be available on YouTube and APNews.

The overwhelming Oscar favorite “One Battle After Another” comes in with a leading nine nominations. It’s competing in the Globes’ musical or comedy category, which means the drama side might be more competitive. There, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” are all in the mix.

But thus far, “One Battle After Another” has cleaned up just about everywhere. Much of Paul Thomas Anderson’s cast is nominated, including DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti and Benicio Del Toro.

If it and “Sinners” take home the two biggest prizes, it will be a banner night for Warner Bros. even as its future hangs in the balance. The studio has agreed to be acquired by Netflix is a deal worth $82.7 billion. Movie theaters have warned such a result would be “a direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theaters around the world.”

The merger awaits regulatory approval, while Paramount Skydance is still trying to convince Warner shareholders to accept its rival offer.

After an audacious promotional tour for “Marty Supreme,” Timothée Chalamet is poised to win his first Globe in five nominations. In best actor, comedy or musical, he’ll have to beat DiCaprio, a three-time Globe winner, and Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”).

In best actress, comedy or musical, Rose Byrne is the favorite for her performance in the not especially funny A24 indie “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” One prominent nominee in the category, Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked: For Good”), won’t be attending due to her schedule in the West End production “Dracula.”

Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”) is the clear front-runner in best actress, drama. In the star-studded best actor, drama, category, the Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent”) may win over Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”) and Joel Edgerton (“Train Dreams”).

In the supporting categories, Teyana Taylor and Stellan Skarsgård come in the favorites.

The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals.

But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can really boost an Oscar campaign. Last year, that seemed to be the case for Demi Moore, who won for “The Substance” and gave the night's most emotional speech. Mikey Madison (“Anora”), however, scored the upset win at the Oscars.

A few potentially good moments this year went instead in a Golden Eve ceremony earlier this week. There, the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett honorees, Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker, accepted their awards.

One to watch, if he wins, will be the Iranian director Jafar Panahi. His revenge drama “It Was Just an Accident” is up for four awards. Panahi has spent most of his career making films clandestinely, without approval of authorities, and was until recently banned from leaving the country. Last month, he was sentenced to a year in prison, which would be only his latest stint behind bars if Panahi returns home to serve it. This week, protests over Iran’s ailing economy have spread throughout the country in a new test to Iran's leaders.

For the first time, the Globes are trotting out a new podcast category. The nominees are: “Armchair Expert,” “Call Her Daddy,” “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” “SmartLess” and “Up First.”

In TV, HBO Max’s “The White Lotus” — another potential big winner for Warner Bros. — leads with six nominations. Netflix’s “Adolescence” comes in with five nods.

But the most closely watched nominee might be “The Studio.” The first season of Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire memorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: “I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.”) “The Studio” is up for three awards, giving three chances for life to imitate art.

For more coverage of this year’s Golden Globe Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/golden-globe-awards