Will Drive the No. 91 Wendy’s® Chevrolet with Darian Grubb as Crew Chief
CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – When you’ve won the Indianapolis 500 four times, the 24 Hours of Daytona three times and over 30 major open wheel races, you’ve realized most of your racing dreams.
But for Hélio Castroneves there’s one more entry he’s about to add to his hall of fame resume – NASCAR’s Daytona 500. He and Trackhouse Racing announced today the Sao Paulo, Brazil native will drive Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 entry in the 2025 Daytona 500 on Feb. 16.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing,” said Castroneves.
“This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down. I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car, (Trackhouse owner) Justin Marks and everyone that made this happen. I wish the race were tomorrow!”
Marks created PROJECT91 in 2022 intent on expanding the organization’s global reach by fielding a Cup Series entry for renowned international racing drivers. Castroneves will join Trackhouse fulltime Cup drivers Daniel Suárez, Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen.
The season-opening Daytona 500 will mark Castroneves’ first NASCAR Cup Series start and the fifth race for PROJECT91 after appearances by 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2022 as well as Van Gisbergen’s races at the Chicago Street Race and the Indianapolis Road Course in 2023.
Van Gisbergen became the first driver since 1963 to win in his Cup debut when he won at the Chicago Street Course. The victory launched his move to America and a full season in the Xfinity Series in 2024 and his move to fulltime Cup racing in 2025.
Castroneves said expecting a victory in his debut might be unrealistic but knows he will have the equipment to succeed.
“I know how much of a challenge this is going to be, but I also know the type of people and team Trackhouse Racing will bring to the effort,” said Castroneves. “I can’t wait to get to the Trackhouse race shop in North Carolina to meet everyone and prepare for Daytona. There is so much I must learn and I’m ready to get started.”
Darian Grubb, a 24-time winning crew chief who won a Cup Series title with Tony Stewart in 2011, will lead the No. 91 team in Daytona.
Marks said adding Castroneves to the PROJECT91 program is a “no-brainer.”
“Hélio is one of the greatest drivers of all time and exactly the type of driver we want to bring to NASCAR,” said Marks.
“I think race fans around the world will be excited to see Hélio in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. It also exposes our sport to a global audience and allows them to see just how great of a series we have in NASCAR.”
Marks created Trackhouse Entertainment Group in 2020 after a driving career in sports cars and NASCAR. With the goal of creating a racing brand that transcends the sport, Marks formed Trackhouse Racing that took to the track in 2021 with Suárez behind the wheel. In January 2021, the team announced a partnership with international superstar entertainer Pitbull who has been a frequent guest at NASCAR races and elevated Trackhouse’s presence through inclusion in several of his songs, music videos over the last two years and named his latest album “Trackhouse.”
Midway through the 2021 season, Trackhouse Racing purchased the NASCAR assets of Chip Ganassi Racing and began the 2022 season as its own two-car team with Suárez and Chastain as drivers and will expand to three fulltime Cup teams in 2025 adding van Gisbergen.
Castroneves is one of four drivers to have won the Indianapolis 500 four times (2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021) and was runner-up in the IndyCar Series drivers’ championship four times (2002, 2008, 2013, and 2014). He is a three-time winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, consecutively in 2021 with Wayne Taylor Racing and 2022 and 2023 with Meyer Shank, in addition to the overall 2020 IMSA championship with Team Penske.
Castroneves does have experience driving cars with a roof including 16 IROC races (2002-2005) and starts in the Supercars and Brazil stock car series.
Castroneves is well known for his work away from the track.
He and Julianne Hough won the 2007 “Dancing with the Stars” competition on ABC Television and returned in 2012 to compete again with partner Chelsie Hightower. Castroneves has been a guest on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” a correspondent on “Entertainment Tonight” and a judge at the 2011 Miss Universe competition.
One of the most popular drivers in IndyCar, his celebration of climbing the fencing beside the track after a victory, earned him the nickname “Spider-Man”. NASCAR drivers have gone on to climb the fence after victories in imitation of Castroneves.
He’d love nothing more than to climb the fence at Daytona in February.
About Wendy’s
Wendy’s was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the premise, “Quality is our Recipe®,” which remains the guidepost of the Wendy’s system. Wendy’s is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef, freshly prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty dessert. The Wendy’s Company (Nasdaq: WEN) is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive difference in the lives of others.
This is most visible through the Company’s support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and its signature Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program, which seeks to find a loving, forever home for every child waiting to be adopted from the North American foster care system.
Today, Wendy’s and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people across over 7,000 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the world’s most thriving and beloved restaurant brand.
For details on franchising, connect with us at www.wendys.com/franchising.
Visit www.wendys.com and wendys.com/blog
for more information and connect with us on X and Instagram using @wendys, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys.
About Trackhouse Racing:
After retiring from a driving career in NASCAR and sports cars, Justin Marks, 43, formed the Nashville, Tennessee-based Trackhouse Entertainment Group in 2020 to create a racing brand that transcends motorsports Trackhouse Racing took to the track in 2021 with driver Daniel Suárez and began a partnership with international superstar entertainer Pitbull who has elevated Trackhouse’s presence through inclusion in songs, music videos and named his 2023 album “Trackhouse.”
Midway through the 2021 season, the organization purchased the NASCAR assets of Chip Ganassi Racing and began the 2022 season as a two-car team operating out of its Concord, North Carolina race shop with Suárez and Ross Chastain as drivers. Chastain gave the organization its first victory at Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas in March while Suárez became the first Mexican driver to win a Cup race when he won at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June. In July 2023, New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen won the inaugural Chicago Street race in his first start driving for Trackhouse’s PROJECT91 program Marks created to offer NASCAR opportunities to international driving stars. Trackhouse owns eight Cup Series victories since its inception.
In 2024 Trackhouse Racing joined the MotoGP grid bringing an American team back to the pinnacle of motorcycle racing for the first time in over a decade and announced the Avenue Sports Fund had acquired a significant minority stake in Trackhouse Entertainment Group. Trackhouse Racing acquired a third charter and will run Van Gisbergen fulltime in 2025 joining Suárez and Chastain on the grid. The team also signed 18-year-old Connor Zilisch who will compete full-time in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports.
Source: Trackhouse Racing
