is locked into, no matter the way it goes in pole and his Thursday night time Duel race.
And guess what: Lots of people aren’t proud of permitting an automated entry, for any Cup Collection race, to a “world-class” driver. In spite of everything, Jimmie Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR champ and two-time Daytona 500 winner, but he’s now a part-time driver and never assured a beginning spot.
“I perceive. You realize, I am not making the foundations,” mentioned throughout Wednesday’s NASCAR Media Day at Daytona. “I did not know that, really, these guidelines exist.”
Helio Castroneves can really race his means into Daytona 500
Castroneves is making this one-off run for Trackhouse Racing in its occasional “Challenge 91” effort — the No. 91 Chevrolet, which this week appears very sharp in its Wendy’s sponsorship outfit.
He could make the five hundred with out the newly shaped rule if he’s one among two quickest non-charter drivers throughout pole qualifying or the very best ending non-charter in his Thursday qualifying race.
But when not …
“Once we accepted this chance, we accepted to go and race,” he mentioned. “No matter occurs within the Duel … if I’ve to take it, I will take it.”
Helio Castroneves: ‘I would like observe’
He guarantees to withstand the chance take it simple Thursday and easily flip laps, understanding he’s locked in to Sunday’s lineup.
“I would like observe. I have to run,” he mentioned by fun. “I haven’t got any expertise in any respect. In the present day is my second time within the automobile, so I feel each time, each second that I leap within the automobile, I’ll study one thing.”
That features Saturday, when he’s entered within the 200-mile ARCA collection race.
“It is a totally different beast,” he mentioned of the NASCAR equipment. “It is a tremendous automobile. It is fully totally different — totally different guidelines, you already know? And I feel the competitors can also be totally different than what I am used to. So each time I am in a automobile, I am gonna study.”
