AJ Foyt Racing – Syndication Server

Ferrucci fired up after Barber bravura

Santino Ferrucci drove like his career depended on securing a top-10 finish at Barber Motorsports Park. His No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevy had more than a few scuff marks and divots on its flanks after multiple bouts of contact – most notably with …

“It feels good,” Ferrucci told RACER. “We’ve been off to a rocky start in some sessions, to say the least, and it’s been a lot of learning. We’re learning to get the sustained full potential out of everything. St. Pete was great. We missed FP2 though, which hurt us in qualifying, but I had a good race car.

“At Long Beach, we didn’t really practice at all because of technical issues. So things that were more out of our control in St. Pete, we were just on the wrong strategy at Long Beach. This weekend at Barber, we missed it again in qualifying but we just had a really strong race car. And I’m kind of sick and tired of being pushed around.”

Barber was a perfect example of how Ferrucci might be among the smallest drivers in physical stature, but behind the steering wheel, he isn’t afraid to take the gloves off and give his rivals the business.

“I was a little flustered in the warmup when [Romain] Grosjean hit us for no reason whatsoever in Turn 5,” he said of the corner where his No. 14 moved or was moved by others in the race. “So I was like, ‘Well, if that’s how we’re racing today, I know I’m faster. I know I have a better car than most of the people that I’m gonna be starting around. I know what we were capable of. I might as well roll up the sleeves a little bit.’

“I’m not going to not challenge just because people think that it’s a clean sport. It’s very much not. It’s now almost impossible to pass because it’s so competitive and so tight. When you do make them, you need to put full commitment. You can’t half-ass it like you saw a lot of as well on Sunday. I took a very calculated approach, where I knew people were on different strategies and I knew where people were lifting. I knew my car’s potential. And I exploited everything to the max.”

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Ferrucci raised his hand on the roughhousing with Herta, who ended up finishing one spot behind the No. 14 Chevy in eighth.

“The Herta thing was quite strange, I’m not gonna lie. That one, probably not among my proudest moments,” he admitted. “Turn 1, he braked, I’m gonna assume because when he went off the track in Turn 17 your tires going into Turn 1 have dirt on them, and they’re not going to have the same grip. So to be perfectly honest with you, in my case, at the incoming rate that I had, it was way easier just to send it up the inside because the gap in the space was there and the hole to make the pass was there.

“I was putting my front wheel almost into his front wheel. He turned in because he saw me and you can see him turn in and turn out. And I was like, ‘You know, two can play this game.’ So that’s why the pass back on him (at Turn 5) was as aggressive as it was. It was more of saying, ‘Look, I’m quicker, so chill out a little bit.’”

Ferrucci is excited about the chemistry he and the A.J. Foyt team are developing. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

With finishes of ninth at St. Petersburg, 21st at Long Beach, and seventh at Barber, the Foyt team and its lead car and driver enters the month of May with its strongest position in the championship since 2016 when Takuma Sato held seventh in the standings after three races. Sitting 10th, Ferrucci credits many people for Foyt’s surprisingly strong start to 2024, including team principal Larry Foyt and technical director Michael Cannon.

“It’s kind of funny for both myself and Cannon when we came here, because we told Larry, ‘Look, it’s gonna take a little bit of work to get it right,’” he said. “But for clarity, look at Arrow McLaren when they changed over from Schmidt Peterson and it took them a couple of years to really get that program up and going. Nothing ever happens overnight. And to see all the mechanics working as hard as they are, the engineers, and everybody pushing to be in the top 10 to start the year is really gratifying.

“I’m really, really, really proud of Larry, because it really takes someone to believe in a company, it takes the owner to really completely believe that we want to change, and to really believe in me and to believe in everybody that we have to do that. He’s done a phenomenal job making that a reality.”

Ferrucci eager to build consistency with Foyt

Santino Ferrucci was understandably pleased to learn he would be returning to A.J. Foyt Racing in 2024, and more so regarding the manner of that return, which is for the entirety of the season. After the team got through a turbulent close to the …

Santino Ferrucci was understandably pleased to learn he would be returning to A.J. Foyt Racing in 2024, and more so regarding the manner of that return, which is for the entirety of the season.

After the team got through a turbulent close to the year where the prolonged parting of ways was formalized with Benjamin Pedersen, Ferrucci’s most recent teammate, the decision could be made on who would take command of the team’s No. 14 Chevy.

Partnered with newcomer Sting Ray Robb, who joins Foyt after spending his rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing, Foyt has a lineup of Coyne graduates who have a reason to be optimistic after more retooling within the team and the ongoing technical relationship with Team Penske has filled the program with heightened expectations.

For the 25-year-old from Connecticut, the stronger foundation starts with consistency.

“It’s my first back-to-back season that’s been normal with a team,” Ferrucci told RACER. “My first season where I went back to the same team was with Dale Coyne, but that was the COVID season, which wasn’t normal! It was a short schedule, so this is going to be my true first back-to-back, which I’m stoked for.

“They had so many drivers that could pay to be in that 14 car — and good drivers, too — so the fact that they decided to keep me there is huge for my career. I think it shows the team wants to go in this direction with someone that they like and that they trust.”

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In a frenetic season where misfortune was a frequent visitor to the Foyt team, Ferrucci was able to star for the team at the Indianapolis 500 with a run to third and claim 19th in the drivers’ championship, which was a sharp improvement from 2022, where the No. 14 placed 24th in the standings.

“I’ve seen this team change quite a bit this past season, and I think we’re going to be very capable to do more this coming season,” he said. “It’s honestly going to be a lot of fun. Working with Larry Foyt and keeping that open dialogue and staying in touch and tracking what the team has been doing with Penske definitely makes me really excited.

“And we can do a lot better. What we did at the 500 was special, but obviously, we were a little rocky at other tracks. But it wasn’t due to lack of trying — there’s just so much of a learning curve, so much more than I actually anticipated. It was truly way more difficult than I would have ever been able to foresee it. But now with a year’s worth of notes, a slight change in the engineering lineup and the Penske alliance being very clear and very transparent between the two teams — which I’ve also never seen — things are in a great place. Penske helping is truly above and beyond anything I’ve seen.”

Ferrucci and team boss Larry Foyt have laid foundations for success that they hope to build on this year via the team’s new association with Penske. Motorsport Images

Ferrucci still looks like a kid, but he’s amassed six seasons of IndyCar racing so far and, critically, has taken a greater responsibility for being a team leader. There’s more maturity in his thoughts and words, and they’ll be needed as Robb finds his way inside a new team after enduring a rough rookie campaign.

At 22, Robb is also young, but he’s got a veteran in Ferrucci to lean on and pick up the finer aspects of road racing and oval racing in his sophomore season.

“I’m stoked to have him as a teammate; I’ve met him a couple of times in the paddock and I’ve seen his junior career, because it’s really hard to miss a guy with the name Sting Ray!” Ferrucci said with a laugh. “I am looking forward to start working with him and to see what he can bring to the table. I’m sure that he’ll be quite a bit of an open book. In that sense as well, I don’t have any expectations for him. If he has a clean year and keeps all four on the black stuff — and same with me — we’ll both have strong seasons and will hopefully have one car pushing into the top 10 in the championship and the other one following closely right behind.”

Pedersen lays claim to Foyt IndyCar seat after Robb signing

A.J. Foyt Racing’s announcement of Sting Ray Robb as its newest driver made no mention of Benjamin Pedersen, who drove for the team as a rookie in 2023. As RACER wrote in the original story, Robb is meant to replace Pedersen, with the No. 55 number …

A.J. Foyt Racing’s announcement of Sting Ray Robb as its newest driver made no mention of Benjamin Pedersen, who drove for the team as a rookie in 2023.

As RACER wrote in the original story, Robb is meant to replace Pedersen, with the No. 55 number Pedersen used last season changing back to a more familiar number, the No. 41, in 2024.

Pedersen, however, has staked his claim to the second Foyt seat by posting a statement to social media that makes it clear he sees himself as an ongoing driver for Foyt who welcomes Robb to the team.

In the team’s IndyCar-led teleconference held shortly after the Friday announcement, team director Larry Foyt also made no mention of the Danish-American driver until the question of Pedersen’s future with the team was raised by a reporter who asked if Robb was replacing Pedersen.

“I’m not sure about that,” Foyt said as he declined to provide specifics. “So we’re sorting all that out. I can’t really speak to that yet. But now, today, we’re just talking about Sting Ray. He probably will run out of the Indy shop [where Pedersen’s entry was located], which is good. And we’re just going back to a number that was more of one that we’ve run in the past. So we’re just sticking with that.”

Pedersen’s fate with the Foyt team has been the subject of frequent speculation throughout the offseason. A trouble-filled rookie run left the Indy Lights race winner holding last in the championship among IndyCar’s full-season drivers, and while it’s unclear if any out-clauses related to performance or other deliverables exist in the contract struck between Pedersen and Foyt, his signing for 2023 was presented as the first of a three-year deal.

A call to Pedersen for further comment was not immediately returned. Robb’s teammate for Foyt’s primary car, the legendary No. 14 entry, has not been confirmed.

Robb moves to Foyt team for 2024

Sting Ray Robb is joining A.J. Foyt Racing for the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series. The Idahoan, who spent his rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing, arrives at an important time for the Foyt team as it takes more steps in its ongoing rebuilding process. …

Robb steps into the No. 41 Chevy, replacing Benjamin Pedersen, who piloted the car in 2023 as the No. 55 entry and placed 27th in the championship. While Robb had his fair share of rough days on the way to 23rd in the standings, the chance to join Foyt — which has a technical alliance with Team Penske — has filled the 22-year-old with great optimism for where his career could head.

“I’m truly honored to pilot the No. 41 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet for the ’24 season,” Robb said. “This is a dream come true to be driving for the legendary A.J. Foyt and his team under the leadership of Larry Foyt. It provides an opportunity for me to implement past lessons and carry momentum forward in my sophomore season as we enter a very competitive field of teams and drivers. Building together upon our successes, I am excited for the season ahead.”

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Prior to arriving in IndyCar, Robb placed second in the 2022 Indy NXT championship behind Linus Lundqvist and won the Indy Pro 2000 title in 2020. Although his rookie IndyCar campaign rarely demonstrated the competitiveness he showed in junior open-wheel racing, his manager Pieter Rossi was able to secure a considerable amount of financial support for Robb to land a coveted seat for 2024.

“I’ve been working with Sting Ray since 2017, shortly after he graduated from go-karts to race cars,” said Rossi, whose son Alexander drives for Arrow McLaren. “His impressive karting résumé inspired me to want to work with him. At 16, he was equally impressive in his maturity, discipline, and desire to race at a high level. On his way to IndyCar, Sting Ray won at each level and worked harder than those around him. It’s been a privilege to watch his growth and be part of his success.

“As Sting Ray enters his sophomore year in IndyCar, where the racing and competition is fierce, I’m very confident that Sting Ray will continue to hone his skills and impress. I’m looking forward to a great season ahead.”

The Foyt team will name the driver of the No. 14 Chevy, which was driven to 19th in the championship by Santino Ferrucci last season, at a later date.

Foyt IndyCar team gearing up for a new era

A.J. Foyt Racing finds itself in the midst of newfound interest for its pair of NTT IndyCar Series entries. Thanks to its recent technical union forged with Team Penske, Foyt’s Chevy-powered cars have been the subject of frequent inquiries from all …

A.J. Foyt Racing finds itself in the midst of newfound interest for its pair of NTT IndyCar Series entries.

Thanks to its recent technical union forged with Team Penske, Foyt’s Chevy-powered cars have been the subject of frequent inquiries from all manner of drivers, and starting with the No. 14 entry piloted to third last season at the Indianapolis 500 and 19th in the drivers’ standings by Santino Ferrucci, team director Larry Foyt says he’s keen to maintain continuity.

“It’s been a weird silly season where there seems to be more drivers out there than spaces for them,” Foyt told RACER. “I’ve had phone calls and talked to some people, for sure, but I’ve been working with Santino, getting his stuff sorted out. We certainly want to continue with Santino, and I think there’s a pretty good comfort level there.

“That’s why there probably hasn’t been a lot of crazy talk about [the 14 car]. We’re just trying to make sure with the planning, and a lot of the expenses going up next year [with hybrid engines], that I get my funding in a row before I make promises. Going into this hybrid unit, [I’m] just trying to make sure that that we are able to operate at the level we want to operate at. So that’s all that is, but we have a really good relationship and so I’m not too worried about where we’re at with Santino.”

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Provided the Foyt team secures a full budget for the No. 14 Chevy, the 25-year-old from Connecticut would be expected to remain in the car, but if there’s a shortfall in funding, a rideshare scenario with Ferrucci handling the ovals and another driver taking the car on road and street courses is a Plan B.

“It’s something that’s there as an option if we have to, but we’re doing everything we can so we don’t have to think about it,” Foyt added. “The goal with Santino is to be full-time, so that’s where our head is at.”

While there’s plenty of clarity on where the Foyts are going with the No. 14 car, the future of the No. 55 Chevy driven last season by rookie Benjamin Pedersen is the subject of ongoing speculation. Among the rumored issues, funding for the car is said to be less than solid.

Announced as a three-year deal starting in 2023, it’s unclear if Pedersen will return to the No. 55. Whether it was problems with the car or mistakes while driving, there were few positives to find in the first year of the association, and as such, Foyt declined to comment on any aspects of the relationship.

The Danish-American’s adversity-filled IndyCar debut left Pedersen 27th in the standings and last among those who completed all 17 races. If Pedersen stays in the No. 55, he’ll have a chance to improve on a rookie campaign that netted a best finish of 15th, and if he moves on, look for a well-funded driver to fill the seat.

Team Penske, A.J. Foyt Racing form technical alliance

Team Penske and A.J. Foyt Racing have forged a new technical alliance that should benefit both NTT IndyCar Series teams in the short- and long-term. On the more immediate front, the two-car Foyt team is making use of dampers and technical support …

Team Penske and A.J. Foyt Racing have forged a new technical alliance that should benefit both NTT IndyCar Series teams in the short- and long-term.

On the more immediate front, the two-car Foyt team is making use of dampers and technical support provided by Team Penske during the final races of the season, but the arrangement goes much deeper than go-fast parts and assistance with chassis builds and setups.

The relationship, which will expand in the coming years, will see Penske place younger crew and engineering staff within the Foyt team to gain IndyCar experience, and in time, when some of Penske’s Force Indy drivers are ready to graduate from Indy NXT, the Foyt team will be ready and capable of running a development driver on Penske’s behalf in IndyCar.

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“We had seen those relationships happen in IndyCar whether it was Shank and Andretti, or we obviously have our relationship similar to that concept in NASCAR with the Wood Brothers,” Team Penske president Tim Cindric told RACER. “And we’ve used it as a training ground for people, whether it’s drivers or crew or engineers or whatever else, as long as we can control the IP or kind of have some direction on where it all goes, but still have a good relationship.”

The concept of a Penske-Foyt alliance was established by former Foyt leader Scott Harner in 2022, but with his departure for Andretti Autosport, the topic was parked until a recent outreach was made by Larry Foyt.

“I’ve known Larry and A.J. Foyt forever,” Cindric said. “And just before Iowa, Larry called me up and said, ‘Hey, I don’t know if you’re open to revisiting it, but would you be interested in trying to try to help us in some way and maybe working together in a way that you and Scott had talked about?’

“I said, ‘I’m glad you called because, I’ve been thinking about something like this, and maybe not this year or next year, but at some point in time, if we’re helping guys like Myles Rowe, as an example, who we’re helping to come up the ladder system, and if they win the Indy NXT championship, what are we going to do with them?’”

While the Foyt team will welcome Penske’s technical support, Penske will benefit from being able to place young crew members, engineers and possibly even drivers at Foyt to gain experience. Michael L. Levitt/Motorsport Imagesz

Penske’s approach to hiring IndyCar talent tends to involve the signing of proven veterans, rather than young rookies fresh off the open-wheel ladder. And with the likes of Rowe and Ernie Francis Jr, who are supported by Penske through his Force Indy program, the need to establish a satellite IndyCar operation where a talent like Rowe and the personnel who would learn to work in IndyCar with an affiliate team, stood out to Cindric as a worthwhile bridge to build.

“We’re not really the team to put a rookie into one of our cars right away, but you want to have some connection to them,” he said. “So if I’ve got two or three engineers that are ready to be race engineers, I don’t want to lose them to our competitors, but they’ve got to grow too, so this would be an opportunity for that to happen with Foyt. And then even some of these kids that are part of the Force Indy program that are looking to move up from NXT, we may or may not have a spot for them, so how do we keep them in the fold?

“And if Myles or Ernie or somebody else we’re invested in becomes ready for IndyCar and the financing is right, we like the idea of being able to work with a Foyt team we’re already involved in, so it made more and more sense to look at something like this where we can place good people with them.

”I told Larry, ‘Why don’t we try and help you the best we can, and we don’t have to do a big formal thing. Short-term, let’s keep working on this and build it out to where it benefits both organizations.’ So in the last few weeks, we’ve started helping those guys and we’ll continue mapping this thing out for where it will go down the road.”

Through the link to Penske, the Foyt team has a newfound attraction that should draw interest from a wider range of drivers and commercial partners. RACER has already heard about the Penske-Foyt alliance from a number of quality drivers who’ve expressed a desire to join the Foyt team as a result of Penske’s involvement.

“We think it’ll help them attract the right people, the right sponsors, and the right drivers, and we feel we’ll be able to get some benefit from it on our end,” Cindric said.

“It’s already evolved to where I think we have a really good understanding of how it will continue to develop.”

IndyCar qualifying recap with surprise standout Santino Ferrucci

A.J. Foyt Racing was one of the surprise stars of qualifying in Saturday at Road America, so Santino Ferrucci joined RACER’s Marshall Pruett to discuss the team’s progress. Or CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube. Presented by: RACER’s IndyCar Trackside …

A.J. Foyt Racing was one of the surprise stars of qualifying in Saturday at Road America, so Santino Ferrucci joined RACER’s Marshall Pruett to discuss the team’s progress.

Or CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube.

Presented by:

RACER’s IndyCar Trackside Report at Road America is presented by Skip Barber Racing School.

With multiple locations in the US, Skip Barber Racing School has developed more winning racers than any other school. Their alumni have taken the podium in all facets of motorsports including NASCAR, INDYCAR, SCCA, World Challenge and IMSA. Click to learn more.

Ferrucci drives AJ Foyt Racing to best Indy 500 finish since 2000

There were several points during Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 where it looked like A.J. Foyt Racing was going to win at the Brickyard for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century. The cards ultimately fell the way of Team Penske’s Josef …

There were several points during Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 where it looked like A.J. Foyt Racing was going to win at the Brickyard for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century.

The cards ultimately fell the way of Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, but Santino Ferrucci’s superb run to third in the No. 14 Chevrolet once again brought one of the Speedway’s most famous names back to the fore on Memorial Day Weekend.

Ferrucci’s pre-race confidence in his car’s pace was backed up with an afternoon spent entirely among the frontrunners. He was shuffled back a spot or two amid the chaos of the last couple of restarts, but still found the silver lining in an afternoon full of what-might-have-beens.

“Just emotional,” he said. “Bittersweet. It was emotional getting in the car, which was kind of strange because you feel like there’s a lot of people that really want this, the team really wants this.

“We worked so hard to be where we were. We ran out front all day long. It’s definitely one of the more difficult races that I’ve ever run, and we knew that we had a really good car.

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“We got really close with Felix (Rosenqvist) when he was wrecking, so very thankful we were able to avoid that. And then coming to the end, I think on the second to final restart, me and Marcus battling it into Turn 1, and obviously it going red when it did…it’s part of this place, it’s part of racing, it’s part of the Speedway.

“I’m just bummed because… I’m sure Marcus thinks the same thing I do. We definitely, all three of us, could have won it at any point in time. Yeah, it’s bittersweet.”

Ferrucci’s result continues the 24-year-old’s extraordinary strike rate at Indy: in five starts, he’s never finished outside the top 10. It also gave Foyt its first IndyCar podium since Tony Kanaan’s third at Gateway in 2019, and its best result at the 500 since Eliseo Salazar’s third in 2000.

“We’ve been so good this entire month (so) you get to race day and it’s actually a relief, because you know you’ve been up front, you know you’ve qualified well, and I had so much fun driving the car today,” Ferrucci said. “I’m sure the No. 14 got its fair amount of TV time.

“When you finish third, knowing that you led into Turn 1 with three or four to go, it’s tough. But at the end of the day, I’m really happy with the way that things played out. This place does pick you as a winner. It’s very true. But I just really wanted to win this race like everybody else. We’ll come back next year, probably a little stronger.”

Foyt finally feeling the ‘Cannon effect’ at Indianapolis

With Michael Cannon on his timing stand, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon earned the last two pole positions for the Indianapolis 500. And with Cannon overseeing the A.J. Foyt Racing cars this year, his former Dale Coyne Racing driver Santino …

By the end of the first day of qualifying, the young American would settle for P9, and not far behind him in P11, teammate and rookie Benjamin Pedersen starred on the opening day of qualifying by holding P10 for most of the afternoon. Together, they authored Foyt’s best collective effort of the season.

“We’ve been fast all week, which has been pretty spectacular,” Ferrucci told RACER. “We’ve been there and I plan to keep it there. My bread and butter is always the racing, so to qualify well, that’s pretty sweet. Not a lot of cars in front of me.”

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Ferrucci says the completely retooled team is finding what it needs to challenge some of its bigger rivals.

“It’s finally starting to click with everybody because there was a lot of personnel changes, myself included,” he added. “And you know, it was bit hard to get our footing. Long Beach, we had a solid race weekend. Alabama, we kind of struggled. Texas, we were doing really well, but we had a car failure. Even here, the Indy GP, the race was going really well for a while. We’re missing that final little piece. And I think that having these two weeks of time spread out will give us that chance to find that little piece.”

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Ferrucci to race with Homes For Our Troops ABC colors at Indy

A.J. Foyt Racing will carry primary sponsorship from longtime partner ABC Supply for the Indianapolis 500 and continue the tradition of raising awareness and donations for Homes For Our Troops. The HFOT initiative aims to raise $1 million through …

A.J. Foyt Racing will carry primary sponsorship from longtime partner ABC Supply for the Indianapolis 500 and continue the tradition of raising awareness and donations for Homes For Our Troops.

The HFOT initiative aims to raise $1 million through the promotions on the No. 14 chevy driven by Connecticut’s Santino Ferrucci, and in kind, ABC Supply has committed to match up to $1 million in donations to build home for injured American military veterans.

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“We are thrilled ABC Supply will spotlight Homes For Our Troops for another year during the 2023 Indy 500,” said HFOT President and CEO, Brigadier General (Ret) Tom Landwermeyer. “In addition to generating revenue with a generous $1 million match, the initiative will raise much-needed awareness about our mission throughout the country. ABC Supply’s incredible enthusiasm and patriotic commitment to our mission enables us to get even more injured Veterans and their families into the specially adapted homes they need and deserve.”

The patriotic endeavor is a perfect fit for the Foyt team and its owner.

“Racing has given us many wonderful opportunities, but being part of the Homes For Our Troops campaign to raise awareness and help our troops who have suffered such severe injuries is a true privilege,” A.J. Foyt said. “We’re proud to partner with ABC Supply to support this very worthy cause.”