With Meyer Shank running one of the two cars entered by Acura, it means there could be future options on the table regarding an attempt at the win.
The extensive manufacturer interest and entries in the next few seasons should also further open up the chances of Castroneves finding himself a race seat in the future.
With so much experience to offer, his input into development of the new generation of car could be vital for teams looking to steal an edge over rivals. His commitment to a full IMSA season could also put him into contention for a second championship.
For someone who has enjoyed so much success as of late in endurance racing, there may well be no better time for Castroneves to go to Le Mans than now.
The only sticking point may be the scheduling. With a full season of IndyCar racing on the agenda it won’t be this year. But a future season with a Le Mans effort in mind could open the door for Castroneves to finally take a shot at the big prize he has so far gone without.
Daytona 500
Having conquered Indianapolis four times over, there is another great American race that Castroneves could take on.
He’s familiar enough with Daytona so with two new corners and a few less on the infield to deal with, could a NASCAR run out result in a win?
Another 500-mile challenge is a sizeable one to take on. Though there might be little to no crossover between single-seater and stock car racing on paper, he has plenty of time on ovals through his IndyCar days and his overall racing experience would be useful for such a sizeable challenge.
Daytona is a lottery more often than not with the pack racing combined with the stage format the series employs means that the winner is usually only determined in the final miles.
Denny Hamlin’s three victories in the past six editions of the race indicates he may have cracked the code to getting the job done and it would be straight into the deep end for Castroneves.
Formula 1
No F1 team is about to offer a 46-year-old a deal to drive its car for the season but that’s not to say that Castroneves would be a slouch.