Mario Andretti Reacts To Historic Indianapolis 500 Result

Helio Castroneves made history over the weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by becoming just the fourth driver to win four times at the Indianapolis 500.

At this year's event on Sunday, nearly 135,000 fans took in the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing", setting a record for the largest crowd since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Castroneves added to the environment by overtaking Alex Palou down the final stretch to earn his first win at the race since 2009.

With the victory, the 46-year-old driver joined an elite group of four-time winners alongside A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. On Monday, he received perhaps the most meaningful congratulations from racing legend Mario Andretti.

Andretti was on hand to watch Castroneves make history over the weekend. He took to social media the day after the race to share his congratulations publicly.

"I couldn't be happier for Helio Castroneves. I mean top level of happy. Much respect my friend," Andretti

I couldn't be happier for Helio Castroneves @h3lio. I mean top level of happy. Much respect my friend 💪💪💪 https://t.co/03DwRtjVeZ

— Mario Andretti (@MarioAndretti) May 31, 2021

">tweeted on Monday.

Andretti, 81, raced at the Indianapolis 500 29 times over the course of his illustrious career. However, due to his fair share of bad luck and misfortune, he only won the event once in 1969.

Despite his disappointments at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Andretti retired from professional racing as one of the best to ever do it. To this day, he remains one of just two drivers to ever win a race in the NASCAR Cup Series, Formula One, and an Indianapolis 500.

Castroneves may never be able to fully reach the legendary status of Andretti but he still has many racing days ahead of him. Next year, he'll try to defend his title at the Indy 500 and become the first driver ever to win the event five times.