SPEEDWAY, Ind. — One image of four racing legends encapsulates 16 historic wins at the Indianapolis 500. A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves came together on the Yard of Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and posed with the Borg-Warner Trophy depicting their faces.
For A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears, it was the first time they had been photographed together since 2013. It has been 29 years since Mears earned his fourth win in 1991.
Then on May 30, 2021, Helio Castroneves held off Alex Palou to win the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway then began working to put together a meeting of the four-time winners and that happened July 20 at the track.
“What else can I say, these guys since I’ve been here, they’ve been the standard of Indianapolis,” Castroneves said. “I’ve always been looking after those guys. For me, I still can’t believe it. Every time I’m with them it blows my mind. They helped me to set the goals, and I really pushed for it.”
“I kind of know how he’s feeling because I’ve heard him say a little bit about it,” said Mears, who was Castroneves’ spotter for his first three wins. “When I won my fourth, to get up here with two of my heroes, even though the [number of Indy wins] were the same, I was still not in their category. To be with them was incredible, and I’m pretty sure Helio feels the same way.”
“It’s nice to be called a hero," Unser said.
Castroneves asked the other four-time winners what to expect. Foyt was blunt.
“No different than if you win it once. You got your first one; that’s what counts," he said. “[As a driver] you want to continue winning if you’re going to race, but if you’re not going to race then you cheer for someone like Helio to make it happen.”
Helio Castroneves Indy 500 victory photo shoot
As for Castroneves going for a fifth win, Mears had something to say about that.
“Just remember,” Mears told Castroneves, “if you get five, you’ll be lonely.”
Foyt had a different take saying records are meant to be broken.
