DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves got a crash course literally in stock-car racing at Daytona International Speedway.
Castroneves was involved in a seven-car wreck on Lap 72 of the Daytona 500 on Sunday night, ending another race in a mangled mess of sheet metal. The former Dancing with the Stars winner also wrecked in a qualifying race Thursday and again as he crossed the finish line in the ARCA race Saturday.
Disappointed, of course, because I was learning so much, Castroneves said. Its incredible when you have more laps into it; you understand the airflow, the guys, saving fuel. There was some sketchy moments. What a shame. I wish I was still out there. Theres still more to understand, more to learn. Im starting to get a little more comfortable with the whole process.
Now, lets go for the Indy 500.
Castroneves made the Daytona 500 under a new rule that allows for a world-class driver to receive a provisional spot. He landed a NASCAR ride as part of Trackhouses Project 91, designed to give renowned racers from outside of the series a shot in a stock car.
But it was far from a smooth transition for the veteran open-wheel driver.
Former Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. also was knocked out in the crash, which started when Joey Logano failed to get going on a restart. Castroneves spun into the outside wall and ended up back in the garage for good.
Truex was making his 21st start in the Daytona 500 and extended his skid in NASCARs signature event.
Its always disappointing when you dont finish no matter the situation, Truex said. Its probably our only shot this year. It was fun while it lasted, but it was unfortunately wrong place, wrong time there.
The provisional that got Castroneves in the race has been controversial because seven-time NASCAR champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson and Truex didnt understand why they werent considered for the spot.
Its because the rule was written into the new charter agreements that teams signed in September and neither Johnson nor Truex was aware it existed until after it was formally announced. By then, the 90-day advance notice to request the provisional had passed.
So it landed with Castroneves, who acknowledged after several practices that he had a lot to learn about drafting and racing in such tight confines.
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佛罗里达州戴通纳海滩（美联社） - 印第安纳波利斯500赛四冠王赫里奥·卡斯特罗内夫在戴通纳国际赛道上接受了一次“实打实”的股票赛车速成课。
周日的达拉斯500赛第72圈，卡斯特罗内维斯卷入了一场七车相撞的事故，导致另一场比赛以金属扭曲的混乱场面结束。这位前《与星共舞》节目的冠军在周四的资格赛中也发生了事故，周六在ARCA比赛中冲过终点线时再次发生事故。
当然会感到失望，因为我在这次比赛中学习到了很多。当你多跑几圈的时候，你会对气流、队友和燃油节省有更深入的理解。有些时刻真是令人担忧。真遗憾。我多么希望自己还在那里。还有很多需要理解和学习的东西。我开始对这个过程感到更加舒适了。
现在，让我们来参加印第安纳波利斯500大赛。
卡斯特罗内维斯根据新规则参加了达耶顿500赛（Daytona 500），新规则允许‘世界级车手’获得临时席位。他成为Trackhouse的‘Project 91’计划的一部分，该计划旨在为非系列中的知名赛车手提供在赛车中的机会。
但对这位资深开轮赛车手来说，这并不是一次顺利的过渡。
前Cup Series冠军Martin Truex Jr.也因事故出局，这次事故始于Joey Logano在重新启动时未能成功。Castroneves冲向了外圈墙，并最终彻底回到了车库。
在参加第21届戴通纳500赛时，特鲁克斯延续了他在NASCAR标志性赛事中的低迷状态。
无论情况如何，只要未能完成比赛总是令人失望的。
关于卡斯特罗内维斯（Castroneves）入围的临时决定一直备受争议，因为七届NASCAR冠军、两届Daytona 500冠军吉米·约翰逊（Jimmie Johnson）和特鲁克斯（Truex）不明白为什么他们没有被考虑这个位置。
这是因为该规则被写入9月份各车队签署的新章程协议中，直到正式宣布后，约翰逊和特鲁克斯才意识到其存在。到那时，请求临时资格的90天提前通知期限已经过了。
于是，该任务落到了卡斯特罗内斯的肩上，他在几次练习后承认自己在这样的狭小空间里关于起跑和比赛还有许多需要学习。
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