ADVENT CALENDAR DOOR 24 – Daytona 24H and IndyCar Most Successful Crossovers
The Daytona 24h is a significant motorsports event in America every year. I was wondering what the crossover between another American powerhouse in the NTT Indycar series is with this prestigious long endurance race.
There are actually quite a few stark driver comparisons so here are the most successful driver crossovers.
Scott Pruett
This American racer was known as such a versatile racer and it really shone through his long motorsports career of 33 years spanning from 1985 to 2018.
In this time, Pruett became a successful CART driver through the 90s era in which he got a highest finish of 6th in the standings in 1998. He achieved other accolades including Indy 500 rookie of the year finishing 10th in 1991.
Pruett also got close to glory in the fabled Indy 500 in 1995 until a late crash with 18 laps to go ruled him out. He racked up overall 2 wins,15 podiums and 5 poles in his 145 Indycar starts.
You might have seen him back at work in 2021/22, becoming the radio strategist for rookie Jimmie Johnson in Indycar for a couple seasons.
Pruett became the joint most successful ever Daytona 24H racer winning it an illustrious 5 times between 1994 and 2013 tying with Hurley Haywood. He started in 1994 by taking the manufacturer Nissan’s first ever victory at the event alongside his own first victory.
He then joined a Chip Ganassi outfit driving a lexus powered Riley Prototype to 4 24H of Daytona victories in 6 years in an iconic partnership. Pruett remains one of the most successful Indycar drivers and 24h of Daytona crossover racers in history.
Pedro Rodriguez
The Mexican racer had a pretty successful sportscar and endurance career. He featured upon this article only through the attempt at a qualification to reach the Indy 500 in 1963 where he drove an Aston Martin cooper T14.
The car unfortunately wasn’t fast enough and was therefore bumped before the annual race, an unfortunate event on his established racing record. It proved the car’s weaknesses with it being rear engine dominated but did pave the way for future dominance by this spec of car so you could call him somewhat a pioneer.
He practiced in a Huffaker Offenhauser for 1964 but had a violent practice incident which prevented qualification for the Indy 500 that year.
He never attempted to re-enter the Indycar Scene afterwards. He did then focus upon his successful sportscar career winning the 24H of Daytona twice back to back in 1970 and 1971 with the Porsche Manufacturer alongside 2 further Daytona victories in the 3 hour race of 1963 and the 2000km race of 1964.
Rodriguez tragically passed away months after his final 24H of Daytona victory in the 200km of Norisring in a bad crash in his Ferrari after the front tyre sheared off the car.
Juan Pablo Montoya
A jack of all trades Montoya was whether that was Formula 1, IndyCar or Endurance Racing he was successful to a degree in everything he participated in.
Firstly, in IndyCar the Colombian racer won the CART championship of 1999 with 7 wins across a season long tussle with Dario Franchitti. Montoya backed this up with winning the Indy 500 in the year following on his rookie attempt in 2000,which was a revelation having the previous one been 34 years prior.
He took a hiatus from the Indycar scene to take up Formula 1 and Nascar stints. Amongst racing in Nascar, alongside he took part in the 24H of Daytona. A habit by now but Montoya would go on to win 3 of these prestigious races with 2007 being his first, which was funnily enough his rookie attempt.
He went back-to-back winning in 2008 both with the Lexus Chip Ganassi crew. He had to harbour the losses of a couple runner-up trophies in this race until 2013 where he took his 3rd and final 24H of Daytona crown. Montoya raced a further 4 races but never reached the top step again from 2018-2021.
In the meantime, since his last 24H Daytona victory, he returned to Indycar with unfinished work. In 3 full seasons between 2014-2016, Montoya would go on to win his second Indy 500 crown placing him among the greats but fell tantalisingly short of becoming Indycar Champion finishing runner-up in 2015 to the infamous Scott Dixon losing the championship lead in the final race.
He has done some subsequent Indy 500 attempts with Arrow Mclaren since this stint but hasn’t returned full time. He finished with 5 wins and 13 podiums overall.
Helio Castroneves
Helio became one of the most successful crossover drivers between both events. He started off in CART with a best finish of P4 in the standings across 4 seasons.
Making his Indy racing league debut in 2001 he only raced in 2 races but as a rookie took down the Indy 500 in incredible style.
His first full rookie season was an immense one finishing runner up in 2002 with a consecutive Indy 500 to his name – the first to ever complete this feat of 2 Indy 500 crowns in his first 2 attempts. He nearly did the unthinkable and won a 3rd consecutive event but finished runner up to his teammate Gil De Ferran after starting on pole, quite agonising for the Brazilian.
In his long Indycar career, Castroneves became one of the most consistent racers at the top of the series. Castroneves overall racked up a further 2 Indy 500 taking his tally to 4 and this number could have been even bigger and Castroneves still enters this race hoping to take a record-breaking 5th but still cements him as the joint most successful currently.
Helio went on a run of within 16 seasons he only managed to finish outside the top 6 once in the overall standings. He finished without an elusive Indycar title with 4 runner-ups but had 25 wins and 84 podiums.
As his indycar career was petering out, this was when he had his endurance triumphs in the 24H of Daytona. His first attempts came up short but in the same year of his final Indy 500 crown in 2021, he won his 1st 24H of Daytona making this a very decorated year for the Brazilian at the ripe age of 46.
Castroneves went on to take the 3 peat winning this coveted endurance race a further 2 times consecutively taking the tally up to 3 between 2021-2023.
Scott Dixon
The so-called ‘Iceman’ can be summed up in many words but legend fits swimmingly. One of the most successful Indycar drivers of all time and also very successful in endurance 24H of Daytona.
Dixon won the Indy lights title in 2000 before starting his Indycar career in CART where success evaded him. Once Indycar became official in 2003, Dixon took off as with the Chip Ganassi racing team took his first Indycar title in 2003.
His next title would take a few years until 2008 where Dixon would do the double winning both Indycar and the Indy 500. This would surprisingly be his only Indy 500 to date despite starting from pole on 5 times but through various factors things just haven’t materialised.
Definitely one of the only asterixes on his success-laden career. Similar to Castroneves, his sheer consistency is mind-blowing as since 2006 has never finished outside the top 6 in the overall standings since 2005.
Dixon would further go on to win 6 Indycar titles just shy of the record of AJ Foyt at 7.
Alongside Indycar, Dixon competed in some endurance events including the Daytona 500 making 12 appearances to this day. Dixon has taken 3 victories spanning from 2015-2020 – 2 with Ganassi racing and 1 with the Cadillac racing crew in 2020.
Still an active racer, the chance of Dixon to continue building upon this legacy is good as long as he continues to race.
written by Taegan Hignett / Media Credit: Penske Entertainment
