On a rain-soaked night in Indianapolis, Helio Castroneves was the lone Verizon IndyCar Series driver able to take to the “American Ninja Warrior” course in Indianapolis.
The three-time Indianapolis 500 champion and Team Penske driver, along with Ed Carpenter Racing driver Josef Newgarden and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, was selected by producers of the popular NBC obstacle course challenge show to compete in its eighth season. NASCAR’s Ricky Stenhouse was also scheduled to compete and will participate in the course tonight along with Newgarden and Kanaan.
After arriving at 6 p.m. ET Wednesday for a course walk-through, Castroneves didn’t take to the course until 1:30 a.m. this morning, following several hours of weather delay. The set was arranged around Indianapolis’ popular Monument Circle landmark in the heart of the city’s downtown.
“It was incredible to be here on the set of ‘American Ninja Warrior,’” Castroneves said. “The goal coming into the competition was to show that INDYCAR drivers are athletes, too, and even though our training is a lot different than the amazing athletes competing here on the show, I am happy with how I performed. It was an unforgettable experience.”
The “American Ninja Warrior” episode with the Indianapolis competition is scheduled to air in prime time in June on NBC, whose partner network NBCSN telecasts 10 Verizon IndyCar Series races this season.
