Helio Castroneves needs a win in Sunday's Indianapolis 500 to become the fourth man to win the race four times.
Indianapolis Some would say the difference between Affirmed and Alydar in the chase for the 1978 Triple Crown was jockey Steve Cauthen.
Sticking with that theory, consider Helio Castroneves the difference between the Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi race teams for Sunday's 94th Indianapolis 500.
Drivers for those teams are considered the only realistic threats to win Sunday's race at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Each team has three drivers in the field, with Townsend Bell, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon racing for Ganassi and Will Power, Ryan Briscoe and Castroneves drivingfor Penske.
Those six drivers have combined to win the Indy 500 five times, three by Castroneves, an overwhelming favorite to become the fourth man to win the race four times.
A Castroneves victory would give Shaker Heights native Roger Penske, 73, his 16th Indianapolis 500 win. That is far and away the most any team owner has won at The Brickyard.
Penske won his first Indy in 1972, just three years after his first appearance as a team owner.
Castroneves, who won in 2001, 2002 and 2009,is trying to tie Indy legends Al Unser, Rick Mears and A.J. Foyt with four wins at The Brickyard. At 35 and racing for Penske, Castroneves conceivably could pass those three in victories by the end of his career.
Some might think Castroneves would feel a bit of pressure. But one of the keys to the success of Penske's team is that it seems to thrive on pressure. It's a teamwide attitude, from those who call the race to the drivers to the pit crews.
"It has to do with executing, and the people have to be able to thrive on pressure," Penske Team President Tim Cindric said. "I know we got a guy in the seat that you can put in any position, any situation."
That would be Castroneves, who has the patience on the track to wait when others might charge, the focus to go when others might hold back, and the trust in others to help him maximize his talent. In the 2009 race Castroneves jumped from out of contention into a chase for the checkered flag when his crew got him in and out of pit stops faster than the cars he was chasing.
"When I needed those guys most, boom, they're right there," he said. "I know we have the guys to make it happen again."
So Castroneves seems to have a solid shot at notching win No. 4. He will start on the pole after qualifying at 227.970 mph, next to his teammate, Power (227.578 mph) with Franchitti (226.990 mph) on the outside of the first row in the 33-car field.
"Helio seems to be kind of on his own planet," said suburban Columbus driver Graham Rahal, who will start seventh on the inside of the third row.
"I don't really know why. It's strange. He's so much quicker than his teammates, even, that it's a little bit strange. He seems to go 222 (at race pace) on his own. I don't see anybody else that's able to do that."
Friday's last day of practice solidified everyone's initial thoughts. Castroneves seemingly did not push himself, other than to test his machine in traffic, where he weaved in and out like a boxer in training. Castroneves still posted the fifth-fastest speed of the day at 224.753 mph. The top two practice speeds were posted by the Ganassi teammates, Franchitti and Dixon, at 225.574 mph and 225.159 mph. Power was next at 224.993 mph followed by Top 5 interloper Bruno Junqueira at 224.898 mph.
But that was practice. With it all on the line, Castroneves is expected to be out front, and zooming. He has the best team and the best crew and clearly the best car. In other words, he will be very hard to chase down.
"A good car in clean air is always going to be good," Cindric said. "Once you get a fast car out front, it's hard to catch him, for sure."