Latest news with #AJFoytRacing
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Where does Santino Ferrucci see his first IndyCar win coming?
Santino Ferrucci is on a roll in the 2025 IndyCar season. The driver of the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet secured his second podium in three races and his fourth consecutive top-five finish last Sunday at Road America. It's the kind of run worth celebrating with a beer — as Ferrucci memorably did, catching a Miller Lite tossed by a fan from the grandstands at Turn 1. But, of course, he wants more. And not beers this time, but solid results in the IndyCar Series. Advertisement 'Oh, I'm still very thirsty to get more,' Ferrucci told 'It's really nice to have a string of top-fives like that: superspeedway, short oval, road course, street course. I think it just shows our overall strength and growth. So I'm definitely looking forward to the string of races in July.' 'This was definitely the goal from the beginning of the year. I think we just started off slower than we would have liked. But now that we've hit our stride, this is what I was expecting — especially based on how we finished the 2024 season.' Expectations were high heading into 2025, especially after Ferrucci finished ninth in last year's standings, closing the season with four straight top-10s, including two fourth-place finishes at Milwaukee and a sixth at Nashville Superspeedway. However, the start of this season was rough in terms of results, with an 11th at Long Beach being his best finish prior to the streak that began at the Indianapolis 500. Yet, according to the Connecticut native, the performance was there all along. Advertisement 'We were just a bit unlucky more than anything. The way the Indy GP went, and Barber — even Long Beach — we had pace at all three events. We just had a fuel issue at Barber, hit the wall at Long Beach, which wasn't great. And then at Indy GP, we didn't run any practice or warm-up. We literally just qualified and raced. We had a couple of mechanical issues that were completely out of our control.' Ferrucci confident that he will win Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Only two drivers have won races so far in the 2025 IndyCar season — Alex Palou with six wins for Chip Ganassi Racing and Kyle Kirkwood with three for Andretti Global. That makes it look tough for others to break through, but Ferrucci believes he's close. Advertisement 'Yes, for sure,' he said when asked if a win feels near. 'I actually thought it was going to happen at Road America with the pace we had. But with the big fuel number we had to hit at the end, it wasn't exactly ideal.' With eight races in two months coming up, Ferrucci has a clear idea of where he sees the best chances to break through. 'I think all the ovals for sure, and then Portland and Laguna Seca. I think Mid-Ohio and Toronto are going to be pretty tough — those are both survival races. But I do like my pace and what we've been learning over the last two years there, so I'll remain hopeful for those as well.' Qualifying pace still a challenge, but not a worry Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing One might argue that Ferrucci needs to improve his qualifying performance to be a true contender. Every race winner in 2025 has started inside the top 10, and six of them from the top three. Ferrucci, however, doesn't seem too concerned about one-lap pace — and he may have a point. His recent hot streak includes starts from 15th, 21st, 19th, and 18th. Advertisement 'The funny thing is I'm not overly focused on it. I was really bummed with my performance at Road America — I drove really well, but we just missed something in the setup. Detroit was more on me, and same with Thermal.' 'Trying to find the limit over one lap is very difficult, as opposed to being perfectly consistent over a race distance, which I actually find easier. So, with the way the series is, I think the races have been really strong and we've been able to pass. So I've been more focused on getting the race cars right to win on Sunday.' Full focus on getting A.J. Foyt Racing back to Victory Lane Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Ferrucci signed a multi-year deal with A.J. Foyt Racing in September 2024 — just a month after his current teammate, David Malukas, joined the team following an opportunity at Arrow McLaren that didn't go as planned, and a partial season with Meyer Shank Racing. Advertisement Since Malukas signed with Foyt, rumors have swirled that the move could position him for a future seat at Team Penske if veteran Will Power, now in the final year of his contract, steps away. Malukas currently trails Ferrucci by ten points and three positions in the championship. When asked if he should also be considered for a top-tier ride, Ferrucci made it clear that his focus is solely on bringing success to A.J. Foyt Racing — which hasn't won a race in 12 years. 'I like to control what I can control. My focus is very much on what we're doing right now,' he said. 'What my teammate is up to is for him to answer — I don't really know how all of his stuff works. But you know, my goal at the end of the day is to deliver. I really want to bring A.J. and Larry their first win in a long time. I'm really happy where I'm at, and I'm very, very comfortable with my engineering lineup and everything else. So right now, my full focus is on my current program.' Advertisement Read Also: How a 'grumpy' Alex Palou ended up thankful for his winning strategy at Road America Winners and Losers from IndyCar's Road America weekend To read more articles visit our website.


Fox Sports
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Improving Foyt Team Closing In on Elusive Win with Steady Speed
INDYCAR The race is on for a driver other than Alex Palou or Kyle Kirkwood to win an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race this season. AJ Foyt Racing has two of the top contenders. Santino Ferrucci and David Malukas have quietly put together some of the series' best results over the past month, each scoring 111 points over the past four races. Only Kirkwood (142 points), Palou (138) and Pato O'Ward (127) have scored more in that span. Remember, that stretch includes a superspeedway, a street circuit, a short oval and a road course. Ferrucci and Malukas each have a recent second-place finish, including Malukas in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, and they have combined to post six top-seven finishes in eight opportunities. They both placed in the top five at Indy, with Ferrucci in fifth as he extended his record streak of top-10 finishes in the event to seven. It had been 25 years since two Foyt drivers finished in the top five at Indy (Eliseo Salazar and Jeff Ward finished third and fourth, respectively, in 2000). In last weekend's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR, Ferrucci also continued his season streak of top-five finishes by ending up third. He finished second in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear and delivered fifth-place finishes not only at Indy but in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway, as well. Malukas' recent surge is evident in qualifying sessions. He has started in the top seven in each of the past four races, highlighted by a front-row roll-off in the Detroit street race. Malukas qualified fourth at WWTR and started seventh in the '500' and at Road America. The two drivers have combined to lead 87 laps over the past four races. The recent surge has Ferrucci ninth in the standings – that's where he finished last season, too – and Malukas 12th. A month ago, they were 15th and 19th, respectively. 'It's obviously going very well,' team president Larry Foyt said at Road America. 'The first half of (this) race looked like nothing was going our way with David starting up close to the front but having to go all the way to the back (due to contact) and Santino having a stall in the pits. It didn't look like it was going to be our day. 'But everybody (on the crew) just stayed in it, and the drivers did a great job. This was such a crazy (race). Everybody was trying to figure out what the (best) strategy was, and our guys nailed it.' Ferrucci has the same number of points as Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian, and they are within striking distance of Team Penske's top two performers. Scott McLaughlin leads them by six points, Will Power by 13. Ferrucci joked it's his qualifying efforts that are slowing him down this season. His average starting position is 17.4, a stark contrast to his average finishing position (10.2). That's 7.2 positions gained per race . 'We're performing,' Ferrucci said on the FOX broadcast. 'We're back to where we were at the end of last year. I feel lit. I've just got to get my qualifying performance up. Until then, I like padding my passing stats.' Ferrucci ranks second to Christian Rasmussen in total passes for position this season. They also were the only drivers to accumulate 50-plus total passes in the past two races combined. 'Obviously, starting 18th (at Road America) is not ideal,' he said. While Malukas is 12th in the standings, he only trails Ferrucci and Herta by 10 points, which is remarkable given the slow start he had in his first season with this organization. His average finish in the first five races was 17.4. At Road America, Malukas' race became more challenging when he ran deep into Turn 3 and hit the Arrow McLaren car of Christian Lundgaard. The contact resulted in Malukas spinning off track, requiring the restart assistance of the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team. The combination of the quick service and long track distance kept him on the lead lap, and he rallied to finish seventh, his second-best result of the season. '(It was) a lot of fun, a lot of passing, and we finished right where we started,' the driver of the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet said. 'So, good recovery (and) really good job from the team.' Larry Foyt said the competitiveness of the series makes it difficult to make gains, but there is plenty of evidence to show the team is doing just that. In the second half of the season, its goal is to earn the team's first victory since 2013, when Takuma Sato won at Long Beach. 'It's so tough right now, which makes even a (top-three finish) feel like a win,' Foyt said. 'It's still not (a win), and we still want to break through and get back in victory lane. That's still the goal, but what this team is doing right now, I couldn't be happier.'


Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Cold Beer From Fan Helps Santino Ferrucci Celebrate Hot Streak
INDYCAR Which was better Sunday at Road America? Santino Ferrucci's drive in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR or his catch of a fan's cold beer in Turn 1 after climbing from the car on this excruciatingly hot day? Give him high marks for both. The combination of the two continued what has been an outstanding few weeks for AJ Foyt Racing's veteran driver. This third-place finish earned him a fourth-consecutive top-five finish, pushing him to ninth in the championship standings as the second half of the season begins. The exhausted and likely dehydrated Ferrucci got to Road America's finish line and could do no more. Actually, his No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet could do no more, as well. It was fuel deprived, and it came to a stop in Turn 1 with its fuel cell empty. The always-spunky Ferrucci climbed from the cockpit, slowly removed his helmet and then seemed inspired by the reception of the fans gathered in that part of the 14-turn, 4.014-mile road course. One tossed him a water bottle, although it sailed over his head and landed there in the sand trap. Ferrucci retrieved it and absorbed as much as he could in one long gulp. Then came a better offer from that same infield section – it was a cold can of Miller Lite. Ferrucci didn't miss that delivery. With a pull of the tab, his two-second chug was on, and he capped it with a defiant raising of his beer-holding left hand. Indeed, it tasted great at the conclusion of another productive race. 'And two podiums,' Ferrucci said of his recent run of success in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. 'We're back to where we were at the end of last year. I feel it. 'I've got to get my qualifying performances up, but until then I like padding my points for passing.' Ferrucci finished fifth in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, second in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear and fifth in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway. He is tied with Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian for ninth in the standings, and they are only six points behind Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin for eighth. To secure this podium finish, Ferrucci had to climb from the 18th starting position and then overcome not only a stall on a pit stop but had to stretch his last supply of fuel 16 laps. Conventional wisdom was that the maximum any driver could manage was 15 laps, and that's how far race winner Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing did. So, Ferrucci went a lap farther, and he didn't have the benefit of drafting off a teammate as Palou did with Scott Dixon. Ferrucci admitted it was stressful not knowing if his fuel tank would grant what he asked of it, and he radioed to his crew to lay off any conversation, including a lap countdown. 'I told him, 'Listen, I've got to focus because this is getting stressful,'' the driver said of his strategist. 'He let me drive.' Ferrucci dedicated the podium finish to Marlyne Sexton, the team's longtime friend and supporter who passed away June 11 at age 86. Her memory was celebrated on the sidepod of the team's car. Team president Larry Foyt called honoring Sexton with this performance 'unbelievably special – it's hard not to get emotional.' Said Ferrucci: 'She was running with us today. I'm very proud. Yeah, this one tastes a little bit sweeter.' recommended
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Santino Ferrucci hangs on for IndyCar podium, celebrates with beer from a fan
When Santino Ferrucci was nervously stretching fuel to the finish of Sunday's XPEL Grand Prix, he could only think of one person. 'All I could think about to myself was 'We're doing this for Marlene [Sexton],'' Ferrucci told FOX Sports afterward. Advertisement Ferrucci and the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing team entered the Road America race weekend with a goal of honoring Sexton, who passed away June 11 at age 86. The Connecticut native sported a special Sexton Properties tribute livery and hoped to bring home a solid result. Early on, doing so seemed like a challenge. Ferrucci qualified a distant 18th and needed an eventful race to play out if he was going to have a chance to salvage the weekend. Thankfully for the 27-year-old, Sunday's atypically-hot race yielded a trio of early cautions that shook up the strategies and running order. It wasn't until the third of those cautions came that Ferrucci finally came to pit road, swapping his primary tires for alternates. He remained on alternates from there to the finish, nearly mirroring race winner Alex Palou with stops on lap 24 and lap 39, but staying on the aggression with soft tires. Advertisement That strategy ultimately beared fruit. Ferrucci matched through the field and snuck past drivers on other strategies, climbing up into the top-five for the closing stint. When Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi had to pit for fuel in the closing laps, Ferrucci rose up to third. Fuel saving strategy Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises Santino Ferrucci, A. J. Foyt Enterprises From there he just had to survive on fuel - a feat that proved stressful to the last second. 'They were counting down the laps, and I told Mike, 'Listen, I've gotta focus, because this is getting stressful,' Ferrucci admitted. 'He let me drive. Honestly the crew did an amazing job on stops. I stalled it, too. Even with the stall, coming back and finishing the way we did was pretty amazing.' Advertisement In the end, Ferrucci had enough just fuel to make it. He parked his car in turn 1, walked over to the grandstands and motioned for the fans in attendance to toss him a drink. A water bottle toss missed the mark, but Ferrucci made the most of a Miller Lite that followed. Afterward, he only had one person to dedicate the win to. 'This one goes to Marlene,' Ferrucci said. 'She was riding with us today. I'm very proud. This one tastes a little bit sweeter.' Sunday's result continued a string of solid runs for Ferrucci and A.J. Foyt Racing. After averaging a finish of 15.4 through the year's opening five races, Ferrucci has four-straight top-fives including a pair of podiums dating back to May's Indianapolis 500. Advertisement It's a stretch that has Ferrucci's team feeling back in form. 'We're performing,' Ferrucci said. 'We're back to where we were at the end of last year. I feel it. I've gotta get my qualifying performance up, but until then I like padding my points for passing.' To read more articles visit our website.


Fox Sports
21-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Paddock Buzz: Foyt Team Honors Memory of Dear Friend at Road America
INDYCAR A.J. Foyt Enterprises honors this weekend at Road America the legacy of longtime friend, supporter and team sponsor Marlyne Sexton (photo, left), who passed away June 11 at age 86. In her memory, the team debuted a special tribute livery on the No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet driven by Santino Ferrucci during this weekend's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR. Ferrucci was the 11th quickest among 27 drivers in Friday's opening practice session with a top lap of 1 minute, 45.7423 seconds. 'Man, just hanging out with Mrs. Sexton and A.J. in Indy is just always fun, just watching them,' Ferrucci said. 'They had some good banter back and forth. 'She's such a wonderful lady. She did wonders for the team. She made me feel like family when I first joined in 2023. I know she thought of Larry (Foyt) like a son, so heavy hearts with her passing, and very honored to be driving the special livery in her honor for this weekend.' Sexton, along with her husband, Joe, founded Sexton Properties, an Indianapolis-based real estate development company, in 1962. Their first Indiana project was located just minutes from Indianapolis Motor Speedway and marked the beginning of a friendship between the Sextons and A.J. Foyt, one of the development's first tenants. 'I met Marlyne's husband, Joe Sexton, years ago,' Foyt said. 'I was one of the first customers, and from then on, we were just great friends." Joe passed away in 2002, but Marlyne continued to lead the company and remained a powerful influence in real estate and motorsports. Sexton Properties began sponsoring AJ Foyt Racing during the 2015 Indianapolis 500 as an associate partner on an entry driven by Alex Tagliani. The partnership grew each season, culminating in a primary sponsorship role by 2022. "I am deeply saddened by the loss of Marlyne Sexton,' said Larry Foyt, team president of AJ Foyt Racing. 'It can't be overstated the positive effects she has had on not only our team but on me personally. Her strength and positive influence are a huge piece of our recent successes. I will forever be grateful for the life lessons she taught me and the confidence she instilled in all aspects of my life. 'Marlyne loved watching INDYCAR and cheering for AJ Foyt Racing. I will miss our talks about the races and the team, but her teachings and impact will be remembered for the rest of my life.' Kirkwood Riding Momentum Into Road America Kyle Kirkwood enters Road America aiming for a feat Andretti Global hasn't pulled off in over a decade. Kirkwood has three victories this season, with back-to-back wins in the last two races in the series, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on June 1 and Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on June 15. He has a chance in Sunday's 55-lap race to become the first Andretti Global driver since Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2012 to win three races in a row. RHR pulled off a hat track that year at Milwaukee Mile, Iowa Speedway and the streets of Toronto. 'Momentum is a big thing in motorsports,' Kirkwood said. 'When you have that kind of momentum, things come to you a little bit easier.' Kirkwood is off to a great start Friday, quickest in the No. 27 Siemens Honda with a lap of 1:44.9881. Kirkwood has improved his finishing position at Road America all three years. He finished 20th as a rookie for AJ Foyt Racing in 2022, then ninth and fifth, respectively, for Andretti Global the last two years. The steady upward trend, paired with his current form, positions him as a legitimate threat to contend for the win Sunday. This is also the first time this season Kirkwood hasn't had a week off between wins. 'To do well, you've got to celebrate with the crew for a couple of hours, and then you're straight back to work to do it all over again,' he said. 'I've gone home after each win and been able to relax and wind down from it, but this week it's been like, 'OK, it's Road America, here we go again,' which isn't a bad thing. Just keep it rolling. It doesn't allow the ball to stop.' Herta Strives for Road America Victory Colton Herta has been one of the most consistent performers at Road America, but victory at the 4.014-mile Wisconsin road course continues to slip just out of reach. In eight starts, Herta has never finished worse than eighth and has qualified on the front row five times, including each of the last two years. He earned NTT P1 Award honors in 2019 as a rookie and in 2023. He's only started outside the top seven once – 11th in 2022. 'I've always been really strong here,' Herta said. But have still never won. I've had close ones. This is the place I've never really had a bad weekend.' Herta's best chances slipped away due to small but costly mistakes. In 2019, managing tire wear caught him off guard as he faded to eighth. In 2023, a pit stop one lap too early forced him to save fuel late, and he ultimately finished fifth. Andretti Global Drivers Stick With Pacers Andretti Global's NBA loyalty got complicated this week as Mark Walter, who is part of Andretti Global's TWG Global ownership group, made headlines this week for purchasing the Los Angeles Lakers. Walter, already a stakeholder in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Sparks and owner of the Professional Women's Hockey League, holds a significant presence in both racing and LA sports. However, Andretti Global is based in Indianapolis, and co-owner Dan Towriss' company Gainbridge, has naming rights to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers. So, where do Andretti Global drivers Marcus Ericsson, Herta and Kirkwood's allegiances stand? Herta took a bipartisan approach. 'I'll have an Eastern Conference team in the Pacers and a Western Conference team in the Lakers to cheer for,' he said. Florida native Kirkwood was more loyal to his adopted home. 'I don't know anything about that situation,' Kirkwood said. 'I live in Indiana. I know all the Pacers players' names, at least. I watch them play, and I know their style. I'm a big, big fan of the Pacers. I scream at the TV.' Ericsson, like Kirkwood, remains loyal to the Pacers. Fatherhood Helps McLaughlin Through Rough Stretch Scott McLaughlin is navigating a challenging stretch of the season, with a string a setbacks that have dropped him from fifth in points entering the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge to eighth in the standings entering Sunday's 55-lap race at Road America. McLaughlin crashed on the pace lap and finished 30th in the '500' on May 25. A week later, he was penalized for avoidable contact after rear-ending Nolan Siegel's No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and finished 12th at Detroit. In last Sunday's race at World Wide Technology Raceway, McLaughlin qualified second, ran in the top five, but suffered a mechanical failure on Lap 216, ending 24th. McLaughlin likened this difficult period to his 2015 season in Australian V8 Supercars, though with a more grounded perspective this time around. Becoming a first-time father to daughter Lucy during the offseason has provided emotional balance and perspective. 'Obviously, her college fund has taken a hit, but I think at the same time she's so very refreshing,' McLaughlin said. 'Being a dad and having a life outside of the sport, not that I didn't have that before without Lucy. I mean, I always had (wife) Karly, and she's great at taking my mind of stuff. But the dad part of life is awesome, and I'm probably the most happy I've ever been off the track.' McLaughlin has yet to win at Road America in four starts, but his performance improved each year, climbing from 14th in 2021, seventh in 2022, eighth in 2023 and third after leading 18 laps last year. He was sixth quickest Friday with a time of 1:45.3191 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. Franchitti, Buxton Shave Foster's Mustache for Charity NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie Louis Foster made a surprising and charitable style change ahead of the Road America race weekend by losing the mustache he had sported all season. Foster, an English driver for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, wore the mustache as a nod to three-time series champion Bobby Rahal, co-owner of the team. In May, he joked that his look was very 1986 Indy 500 Bobby Rahal, embracing the retro vibe and team pride. At Thursday night's Welcome Party at Siebkens Stop-Inn Tavern, a beloved Elkhart Lake establishment, Foster joined other drivers as a celebrity bartender, raising funds for Racing For Kids through tips and donations. When asked what it would take to shave the mustache, Foster half-jokingly said $1,000. Dario Franchitti, a four-time INDYCAR SERIES champion, offered $500 if he could shave it off himself. Others, including FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Will Buxton, chipped in, and the mustache was officially shaved for charity. Foster was eighth quickest in the No. 45 Droplight/Desunda Tequila Honda in Friday's practice. Cannon Helps VeeKay Score WWTR Top 10 Finish Rinus VeeKay has found a new groove in recent races and credits veteran engineer Michael Cannon for the turnaround. Cannon rejoined Dale Coyne Racing after this year's Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and brings decades of technical expertise and a proven track record of rapid impact. In their first race together at Detroit, Cannon's input, especially on braking, helped VeeKay qualify seventh. The next race at WWTR, the No. 18 askROI Honda cracked the top 10 and finished seventh thanks to fuel-saving strategy devised by Cannon. Cannon spent six years (2014-19) at DCR, engineering a range of drivers. He also has served as an engineer in recent seasons for Chip Ganassi Racing and AJ Foyt Racing, delivering immediate improvements to those teams, especially on ovals. 'Working with (Scott) Dixon in the past, he gave me some tricks to improve the fuel mileage,' VeeKay said. Odds and Ends Championship leader Alex Palou has new colors on track this weekend with SOLO Cup sponsoring his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. He was ninth quickest in the opening practice session. Team Penske swept the podium in last year's race and had all three drivers in the top six during Friday's practice session, led by defending race winner Will Power (1:45.1795) in third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Two-time Road America winner Josef Newgarden (1:45.2228) in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet was fourth, .0433 of a second behind Power, with McLaughlin sixth. The top 15 drivers in Friday's speed chart were separated by less than a second. Saturday features NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice at 11:05 a.m. ET and then qualifying to set the 27-car lineup for Sunday's race at 2:35 p.m. ET. Both air on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. 2012 INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Ryan Hunter-Reay served as a booth analyst for FOX's INDY NXT by Firestone practice coverage Friday. recommended