Helio Castroneves managed to keep his No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 ahead of the pack during the final 30 minutes to capture the 60th-anniversary edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway alongside co-drivers Oliver Jarvis, Simon Pagenaud, and Tom Blomqvist.
Castroneves was ecstatic after the thrilling win, saying, "It sounds cliche, but it's all about believing. I believe in them; they believe in me. This is exactly what is happening with this group here. With Simon, with Tom, and with Oliver - we all believed that we could do it."
It was Castroneves' second straight win at the Rolex 24. Last year, he finished in the first place as part of Wayne Taylor Racing, climbing a fence to celebrate the win in Victory Lane. Castroneves had to dig deep for his title defense this time around, fighting off the No. 10 WTR Acura and driver Ricky Taylor to win the race.
As expected, Castroneves made his patented celebratory move of climbing the fence at the start-finish line, a move he made famous during his four victories at the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves made sure he did not get all the plaudits, saying that it took a total team effort to win Daytona. He said, "That was absolutely incredible. I'm so happy for the entire group. Everyone did their job. At the end, I said, 'Put me in, Coach.' It was great."
It was a disappointing defeat for Wayne Taylor Racing, whose bid to win the race for a record fourth consecutive time was thwarted by its former driver. Wayne Taylor was gracious in defeat, though, as he was among the first to congratulate Castroneves as Meyer Shank Racing's celebration went into full swing.
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Castroneves' win at the Rolex 24 continued the 46-year-old's late-career resurgence. After capturing the Rolex 24 with Wayne Taylor Racing last year, Castroneves took home the Indy 500 with Meyer Shank Racing. That tied him with Al Unser, Rick Mears, and A.J. Foyt for most Indy 500 victories in a career.
Castroneves said that what he is doing at this late stage of his career is priceless. Castroneves added that in his case, he is very passionate about his craft and that he is still learning every day and improving his driving skills. According to Castroneves, that is what makes him a better driver.
Taylor came up short in the Rolex 24, finishing 3.028 seconds behind Castroneves for WTR teammates Will Stevens, Alexander Rossi, and Filipe Albuquerque. It was a great day for Acura, which recorded a 1-2 finish in the race. That result seemed highly unlikely just 18 hours before, with both Acura cars falling off the lead lap and trailing the five Cadillacs in the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class.
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