Helio Castroneves is a Brazilian automobile race driver that has an estimated net worth of $30 million. Helio Castroneves started his career in karting and he became an associate of Paul Stewart Racing team. In 2000, he signed up for Penske Racing in CART. He won the 2001 Indianapolis 500 as well as the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Award. In 2009, he was briefly replaced by Will Power through the time of the national tax evasion case against him. He returned to the race track through the Long Beach Grand Prix. Castroneves became Indy’s 9th, three-time victor through the Indianapolis 500. He had a daughter together with his girlfriend, Adriana Henao.
CART/Champ Car World Series (Best finish: 4th in 2001), GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, IndyCar Grand Prix at The Glen, 3rd in IZOD IndyCar Series, Verizon P1 Award for the second consecutive race, Verizon IndyCar Series race at Barber Motorsports Park (2010), Verizon P1 Award in 2014
Nominations
Formula 3 Sudamericana (1993-1994), British Formula Three Championship (1995), Indy Lights (1996-1997)
TV Shows
“Dancing with the Stars” (2007)
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Fact
1
Helio Castroneves became the second IndyCar driver's image to be added to the famed ESPN Pardon the Interruption (PTI) set backdrop. The first was Danica Patrick.
2
On October 3, 2008, he pleaded not guilty in federal court in Miami, FL, on charges of income-tax evasion for allegedly failing to pay taxes on more than $5 million in earnings. His sister, Kati, who is his manager, was also charged.
3
Three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 (the first foreign driver to achieve such feat).
Split from his fiancée, Aliette Vazquez, after six years.
6
Racing fans gave Castroneves the nickname "Spider-Man" because of the form of victory celebration he pioneered. Helio was the first to climb the track-side debris fence as a form or celebration, a practice since adopted by several NASCAR drivers and current NASCAR and former INDY Car Series driver Tony Stewart.