Andre Castro Racing

Spent most of January lapping the high banks of Daytona, something I dreamed of doing since I was a kid. Thanks to Hyundai and , I was given the chance to qualify and start the #98 Elantra in the BMW M Endurance Challenge!

I was able to climb from my 9th place starting position to 5th in just about 40 minutes, when the first safety car came out. From then on, my teammates recovered from being bumped into a spin and going a lap down to put us 4th in the final running order!

Although we were one spot from a podium, I’m really happy with the end result and with my contribution to the effort. I was the fastest TCR on track for several laps in those first 40 minutes, which was an awesome surprise. Bouncing back from adversity after being spun was also a testament to the 98 team’s resilience, experience, and ex*****on.

Thanks to the entire team for teaching me the ropes, and for sticking by me through the learning process.

Without giving me the chance to drive his TC car, none of this would’ve been possible, so I’m grateful to .ricca and for giving me this opportunity. I’m sure I’ll be posting more in the coming weeks, as there was so much to unpack from my Daytona experience. Time to reflect on everything I’ve learned and come back stronger for the next race!

Thanks again to for the amazing shots.

Picture day✅
Roar Before the 24✅

Finished up three successful days of testing here at Daytona with . Now we’ve got practice this afternoon, qualifying tomorrow, and my first ever race on Friday. I’m incredibly proud to be wearing my BHA threads, and I’m feeling confident going into race week. It certainly helps to have two great co-drivers by my side and last year’s championship-winning #98 team of legends behind me!

Couldn’t have made it here without Hyundai Motorsport, .ricca, , .racing, and . Along for the ride now, we’ll see how it goes!

Ready to get on track at Daytona International Speedway tomorrow! Couldn't have hoped for an opportunity better than this one. Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Motorsport

Those of you who know me are probably aware that I’ve spent thousands and thousands of hours driving on virtual tracks since I got my first Xbox game in 2005.

These past couple of months I’ve been able to call myself a professional, racing against some of the best in the .official F4 Global Esports Championship on . I felt lucky to just qualify for this series, which allowed me to grid up alongside 38 of the fastest drivers around the world. Going into the final two races, I’m sitting 15th in the standings after some incredibly frantic racing, which is much better than I realistically expected. It’s also been a privilege to represent my new friends !

Not sure if I’ll get to do this again, so I’m proud I can say I did it and that I’ve held my own so far! Tune in for the final two races this Saturday at 2:00 pm ET. (Swipe to see my sim setup circa 2012🥲)

What a privilege it was to drive this year’s championship-winning Hyundai Elantra N TCR. I was chosen alongside three other talented young drivers to sample the machinery that had just recently taken the Michelin Pilot Challenge Drivers’, Teams’, and Manufacturers’ championships. The level of professionalism displayed by was impressive, and it came as no surprise knowing their track record in winning races and championships.

Thanks to .ricca and for all the encouragement and support. As of June I’d never driven a touring car in my life, but thanks to their belief in me, plus the blessing of and , I was able to test with one of the top touring car teams in America. Time now to start focusing on what 2026 has in store.

🇨🇴 Ahora que llegamos al final del Mes de la Herencia Hispana, quiero compartir con ustedes estos diseños impresionantes, hechos por el artista colombiano . Mil gracias a Darío por crear estas pinturas únicas y vibrantes.

Siempre estaré orgulloso de representar mi herencia colombiana y de llevar la bandera en mi carro. He tenido el privilegio de correr en Colombia frente a mi familia, y cuando tuve un casco personalizado en karts, lo diseñé con los colores de la bandera. Me encanta ser hispanohablante porque puedo conectar más fácilmente con la comunidad latina, dentro y fuera de la pista. Estoy feliz de ser hispano, no solo este mes, ¡pero todo el año!

🇺🇸 Now that we’ve reached the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, I want to share these works by with you all. Thanks so much to Darío for creating these unique and vibrant paintings.

I’ll always be proud to represent my Colombian heritage, and I’ll continue to carry the flag with me on my cars going forward. I’ve been so fortunate to race in Colombia in front of my family, and when I last had a painted helmet in karts, I designed it to incorporate the colors of the flag. I’m also grateful to be a fluent Spanish speaker, as it allows me to connect authentically with the Latino community on and off the track. I’m proud of my Hispanic heritage not just this month, but all year round!

I have the most amazing sponsors!! I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank them for making it possible for me to compete in the third—and, for now, final—Chicago Street Race.

has been with me since my very first Xfinity race back in 2023, and I’m so lucky to have represented them each year since then. I continue to be amazed at their willingness to back me in such a different and unique sport, and I will be eternally thankful for their support and for the home they gave me for four years.
llc has also been with me since the very beginning, back in 2023. .titus01 has been a staunch supporter of mine and is always quick to reach out with kind words no matter what happens.

I’m so fortunate to have connected with this year, and has become a trusted friend of mine in a very short time. He drove all the way down from Road America on short notice, and it was great to have him at the racetrack.

jumped on board LITERALLY last minute (after qualifying), and it was a pleasure to represent such a prominent Chicago born and bred company. I hope to be able to do it again someday.

and Jeremy Shaw have been close friends of mine since I represented them overseas in 2021. Thank you, Jeremy, for supporting alums such as myself even after we’ve come through your amazing program.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank and again for giving me a shot after a year away. I really hope we can race again together in the future.

THANK YOU once again to everyone who has been a part of this crazy racing journey, even if not listed here. I could never make it to the racetrack without all your support.

One week since my first champagne showers in a long time!

Always proud to represent the United States and Colombia on the podium, and very grateful to represent great brands like .usa.canada and 🇺🇸🇨🇴

For a young kid who never thought I’d progress past Skip Barber ten years ago, it’s been an amazing journey with wonderful successes and heartbreaking setbacks. I’m thankful to for being a part of my next chapter!

2️⃣ races, 2️⃣ second place finishes! Not bad for only going into race 1 with 15 laps of practice, no testing, no qualifying, and no prior experience in a front-wheel drive car. I chased .ricca all the way in race 2, but he was just able to hold me off by 6 tenths of a second—still, it was a hell of a battle and I’m happy with how the weekend went.

It was also a pleasure to represent and chat with some Nthusiasts who came out to support us! Their passion for the brand is second to none, and it was an honor to be part of a 1-2-3 Hyundai podium sweep in race 2.

None of this would’ve been possible without and the work he’s been doing to support young Hispanic talent in racing—not just drivers, but mechanics, engineers, and others who are passionate about the sport. This is only the beginning of our mission, and I look forward to sharing more news with you all soon.

Thanks again to for the rocket ship. Thanks as well to .doudt for the photos and for coming out to support. ✌️✌️

Second place in my first ever sports car race!Happy with it considering the rain that fell in the first few laps, meaning I had to figure out a new car in changing conditions while battling my teammates and trying not to wipe out every lap.

Thank you for the rapid car, and special shoutout to for making this all happen in the first place. I’m so grateful to be back behind the wheel again in a competitive car, showing what I can do. We go again tomorrow at 11 am, starting from the front row—watch live on the GT World YouTube channel!

It was amazing to be back in in Chicago, my second home. I’ve had a few days to reflect on the positives and negatives—firstly, I’m incredibly grateful for the support of .llc . Without them I wouldn’t have had the privilege of returning to racing after a whole year out of the seat.

A million thanks to for giving me a shot and for providing me a car that I was able to qualify into the race on speed yet again. We qualified 29th and were playing it safe the whole day, not making any aggressive moves and working toward our main goal of finishing the race.

At the start of the final stage, I was unable to avoid two cars stopped on track in front of the pack, as I couldn’t hear my spotter and was caught unsighted. The left front corner was damaged, and as I limped home to the end as slowly as I could, the front brakes overheated due to damage to the cooling ducts from the previous wreck. This ended my race six laps prematurely in the tire barrier.

To say I’m disappointed not to finish again is an understatement, but I’m proud that I qualified the car into the race after a year away, and I’m happy with the way I ran the race until misfortune struck. I hope teams will see that I’ve kept up my perfect qualifying record no matter what car I’ve been in, and I hope this isn’t the end of my NASCAR journey.

Thanks, too, to all my friends and family for believing in me. It’s been a difficult year on a personal level, and without you all, I don’t know how I’d be able to keep going. I’ll learn from this, continue to analyze where I can improve, and keep pushing!