Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will add sports car racing to his schedule alongside a full season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2022, serving as Meyer Shank Racing’s endurance driver for the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
Castroneves, who will drive full time for MSR in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, will share the No. 60 MSR Acura ARX-05 with the team’s full-time IMSA drivers, Oliver Jarvis and Tom Blomqvist, in the four IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds – the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 29-30, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 19, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on June 26 and Motul Petit Le Mans on Oct. 1.
“I’m super excited to be a part of Meyer Shank Racing’s IMSA team next year,” Castroneves said. “I really love IMSA racing, so I am very lucky to be able to do both IMSA and INDYCAR next year. I’m looking forward to starting off with Daytona in just two months time now, and it gives me a little extra confidence going into it as the reigning champion.”
Castroneves was part of the winning overall team in the 2021 Rolex 24 At Daytona, driving for Wayne Taylor Racing along with fellow Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi and IMSA standouts Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque. Castroneves raced full time in IMSA from 2018-20 for Team Penske, winning the Daytona Prototype International (DPi) championship in 2020.
Brazilian legend Castroneves joined MSR’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES program in 2021, competing in six events. He earned his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 win in May - also the first INDYCAR win for MSR. He also drove and led laps for MSR last weekend in the IMSA season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
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St. Petersburg tickets on sale: Three-day tickets to the 2022 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding are now on sale to the public. The 18th annual NTT INDYCAR SERIES event, the opener of the 2022 season, is set for Feb. 25-27, 2022, in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.
Tickets are available online at gpstpete.com or by calling 727-898-4639, with pricing starting at $125 for reserved 3-Day Grandstand seats and $60 for 3-Day General Admission. Junior pricing is also available for fans ages 12 and under. Pit Access and Firestone Paddock Passes also can be purchased. Single-day tickets will be released for sale in early 2022.
For ticket pricing and event information, visit gpstpete.com or follow Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on social media using #FirestoneGP. The complete weekend racing and festival schedule will be released in early 2022.
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Presenting sponsor joins St. Petersburg race: RP Funding has joined as the newest partner of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The Florida-based direct mortgage lending company is the event’s very first presenting sponsor which will take place Feb. 25-27, 2022, on the picturesque, waterfront street circuit in downtown St. Petersburg.
The event will now be titled as the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Along with a strong on-site brand presence through various trackside and spectator signage placements, RP Funding will have access to a number of experiential activities during the event.
As part of its sponsorship, RP Funding also will heavily promote the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding across Florida through dedicated advertising campaigns.