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Helio Castroneves not only moves at high speed on the circuits, but sometimes also on the road.
Castroneves, 51, has won the Indy 500 four times and will attempt to become the first driver to win the legendary race five times. The Brazilian native is encouraged to drive as fast as possible on the track, but not on the road.
During a recent appearance on “Planet Tyrus,” Castroneves recalled being stopped by police.
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Helio Castroneves of Brazil waits for the start of practice for the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 17, 2026. (Michael Conroy/AP)
“I remember one time I was in the triple digits and the (police officer) was like, ‘Oh, look, you can’t do that. And I’m allowed to take us away.’ I say, ‘Drop the ticket,'” Castroneves said during his appearance on the show.
Castroneves said he used to get stopped frequently growing up, but he credited his daughter with slowing him down on the roads.
“After having a child, she is now 16, but I have to behave properly,” Castroneves said. “So knock on wood. Now I’m a good boy.”
When Castroneves leases a car, he says he looks for low mileage, which is a challenge. When he finds himself saddled with a “bad car,” he takes solace in the fact that they normally smell good.
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Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian driver Helio Castroneves prepares to get into his car before qualifying for the 110th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 17, 2026. (Gary Mook/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Although Castroneves can push other cars to their limits, he is afraid of what might happen if he tried to push a beat-up rental car.
“I don’t attack too much because I don’t want to be in the middle of the road,” Castroneves said.
Castroneves does more than drive race cars at an incredibly high level, he also knows some Brazilian trash talk. One of the “Planet Tyrus” co-hosts trains in jiu-jitsu and wanted advice on surprising the Brazilians he trains with using niche trash talk.
“Chupa que a cana é doce,” Castroneves said.
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Takuma Sato of Japan talks with Helio Castroneves of Brazil during practice for the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 17, 2026. (Michael Conroy/AP)
“(It’s) what they call sugarcane. So cana means sugarcane, right. And, obviously, it’s very sweet. What they do, when they (are) torn, they (throw) juice and they’re very sweet, but, but you suck it up,” Castroneves said.
“In our filter, it’s just an expression that means how stupid you are, you know. You know what I mean? Kind of like, suck that cane, you suck it or you lose it, you’ve been had. So something like that, it’ll be funny.”
Castroneves hopes he can use his Brazilian trash talk at the Indy 500 on Sunday, as he chases his record fifth victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will begin at 12:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FOX.
