A fan favorite was back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Thursday, this time to receive his "bronze brick."
Helio Castroneves was honored with the brick, a new IMS tradition commemorating four-time Indianapolis 500 champions.
"I feel I'm a blessed person, no question about it," Castroneves told 13News. "How amazing to be back here again to remember that day, such an incredible day, such a beautiful day with all the fans."
Castroneves took a bit of a detour on his way to victory lane after his historic win in May. After getting out of his car near the finish line, the Brazilian recreated his famous fence climb to salute the fans, then took off on a jog north down the front stretch, where he was greeted by several drivers to congratulate him for the victory.
"I actually took a little bit of a step back and finally looked, what everyone is saying about this celebration, and I got tears in my eyes watching it. I'm just so happy to be back," he said.
Castroneves is back in the car this weekend for the the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix, which will take place on the IMS road course alongside races from NASCAR's Xfinity and Cup Series.
"Feeling great. You know, we just had the Nashville Grand Prix, which was great, a lot of momentum. I see a lot of the drivers putting their elbow out, like 'No worries, you can take advantage,' but I want to make sure I get a lot of practices," Castroneves said. "Even for me, I'm an experienced guy. Still, we've got to get the momentum. It is like riding a bicycle, but you've got to get your muscle memory work as well, so it's been great.
Saturday's IndyCar race starts at 12:30 p.m. and can be viewed on NBCSN.
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