In 2001, a Brazilian rookie named Helio Castroneves started his first Indianapolis 500. 25 years later, he can leave America's most iconic track having done something no other driver has in the race's 109 runnings.
Castroneves is one of four to have won the Indy 500 four times, including in that first go-round in 2001. A fifth would put him in a stratosphere all to himself. The 51-year-old star last etched his face on the Borg Warner Trophy in 2021, but remains a viable contender on the pavement even as he's wound down his IndyCar career. In the years since he's won multiple 24 Hours of Daytona crowns as well as two Petit Le Mans titles -- though both are team events.
If Castroneves can rise upafter qualifying in 14th position, he'll add another bullet point to his argument behind "greatest IndyCar driver of all time." Here's who he's looking to separate himself from, as well as the other drivers who can inch closer to open wheel immortality Sunday.
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Who are the drivers who've won four Indy 500s?
Castroneves won his Baby Borgs (the miniature version of the trophy given to race winners) in 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021. That put him in rarified air alongside:
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A.J. Foyt: 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977
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Al Unser Sr.: 1970, 1971, 1978, 1987
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Rick Mears: 1979, 1984, 1988, 1991
Which drivers can win a third Indy 500 in 2026?
Two drivers in this year's field have two wins to their name. Takuma Sato won in 2017 and 2020. Josef Newgarden won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.
This article originally appeared on For The Win:2026 Indy 500: How Helio Castroneves can do something no driver ever has
