The two-time and four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 both believe the track has its own say in who wins the Indianapolis 500. There is a saying that, in the Indianapolis 500, the speedway picks the winner. Which sounds a bit silly considering the talent of the drivers, the effort of the mechanics and engineers on every team, and the weeks of preparation that go into the world's largest single-day sporting event.
But there is an almost supernatural feeling to the way the races play out. And both four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves and two-time winner Takuma Sato agree. “I do believe the track picks who is the winner,” said Castroneves in a media roundtable ahead of the 2026 running of the 500. “I always said that, and I continue saying that, because I've been the witness of both scenarios, have a best car, didn't win, have not a good car, end up winning.”
Sato, speaking in a separate roundtable, expressed similar beliefs. “End of the day, you still need the luck,” says the Japanese driver. He continues, “You still need to be competitive, it’s not like out of the blue. I don’t think IMS, she won’t pick that way but in a way yes, something you just need some luck.”
View Price on AmazonBoth drivers agree that there's something special with the speedway. “This place is magical, and you see that come alive on Sunday,” says Castroneves. Sato, for his part, says there’s nothing like it. “It’s always nice to walk in through Gasoline Alley to get into the pit lane, and you can hear the people’s noise, over 300,000 people, and that is a mega feeling,” he said. “There’s nothing like it. I’ve been to the Japanese Grand Prix, went to the Nüburgring, and I went to Spa Francorchamps, and I was in Monte Carlo in Formula One, knowing how special each race is, but Indy 500, there’s nothing like it.”
Which is not to say either driver is caught up in the pageantry. Both are eager to get their faces added to the Borg-Warner trophy one more time. Sato, who has a knack for quietly making his way to the front in recent years, notes how difficult it can be to move through the field. “Across the paddock or team, our speed differential is very small now,” he says.
As for finding an advantage that will help improve from his 12th-place starting position, heat and weather offer the best opportunity. When the weather is warmer, he explains the tires are more likely to wear, and managing that falloff can make a critical difference. “Hopefully we have a warm Sunday, so that you can have much more variety of where you put the peak stint by stint, 30 laps each.”
For these two veterans, competing in the Indy 500 as a one-off attempt, it’s also important to understand the other drivers in the field. “My biggest challenge for the race, I believe, is knowing my competitors,” says Castroneves, “Some of them I haven't raced. I've been watching the races, obviously, and I’ve seen the dynamic. You've gotta understand, this is not like a short oval that you just go there and win on the first corner or on first lap.”
Sato even goes so far as to make a categorization of the field. “Yeah, you need to understand each driver’s characteristics,” he said, “So we have a list of cars… and I cannot tell you who’s who but certainly there are drivers you can work with, even on different teams.”
Of course, similar to how plans change when you get punched in the face, all bets are off when the racing gets down to the wire. “The last 20 laps is a different scenario,” says Sato, “I'm looking forward to have a very good hard clean race, and hopefully we have a very strong car towards the end of the race.”
For Castroneves, being a part owner of Meyer Shank Racing and cheering on teammates Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong only extends as far as the back of the Brazilian’s rear bumper. “When I’m out there with my helmet, there’s not much about teammates, right? You gotta go on your own.”
Source: roadandtrack.com
