Latest news with #Ferrucci
Fox Sports
20 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
Beer me! Santino Ferrucci Thrills Crowd With His Chugging Skills
Santino Ferrucci, like many drivers, didn't have a lot of gas following the completion of the INDYCAR race Sunday at Road America. But let's just say after his car stopped chugging, Ferrucci still kept at it. Let us explain: Temperatures were in the 90s and the heat index was in the 100s. So it's no wonder that he was among the drivers that fans tossed water to while he was waiting for a post-race push back to pit lane. Ferrucci, though, got more than just water. "They offered [a beer] and I had asked for [the local] Spotted Cow since we're here. But they gave me, I believe it was a Miller," Ferrucci said. Ferrucci downed the beer in a couple of gulps. He had some racing friends to thank for that talent. "I've been learning my shotgunning skills from the Chili Bowl, so if I did OK, I'm happy with that," Ferrucci said about the annual race in Tulsa, a race considered the biggest midget-car event of the year. "[I'm] giving my dirt racing guy some credit." Most would give Ferrucci and the A.J. Foyt team credit for four consecutive top-five finishes, especially at Road America, which was a tough race where drivers employed a variety of fuel and tire strategies. "I just tried to put my head down and do what I do best," Ferrucci said. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Fox Sports
6 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
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Drink Wisconsinbly: Santino Ferrucci celebrates podium at Road America with fan's beer
It was hot in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on Sunday. And Santino Ferrucci had earned a beer. Ferrucci finished third in Sunday's Xpel Grand Prix at Road America, but like many drivers, his car ran out of fuel before he could get back to pit road. A fan helped out by throwing a beer to him a catch fence. The 27-year-old made a nice grab and promptly chugged the beer. Ferrucci has put up a lot of strong results recently for A.J. Foyt Racing: This was his fourth top 5 in a row, and he finished second at Detroit.
Fox Sports
03-06-2025
- Business
- Fox Sports
ABC Supply, AJ Foyt Racing Help Raise $4.7 Million for Injured Veterans
INDYCAR Indy 500 Spotlight Fuels Support for Homes For Our Troops ABC Supply Co., Inc., has announced that $4.7 million was raised for Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) as part of a significant fundraising effort in May for National Military Appreciation Month and in conjunction with the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. ABC Supply, an HFOT Platinum Partner, matched all donations up to $1 million during May. ABC Supply has a longstanding partnership with AJ Foyt Racing, which fields two cars in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Several HFOT veterans took part in Race Weekend's thrilling activities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They received exclusive access to a garage tour of the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet driven by Santino Ferrucci, walked the iconic Yard of Bricks and enjoyed a premier view of the stars-and-stripes-clad HFOT car racing to an impressive fifth-place finish by Ferrucci. The largest television audience since 2008 also watched the '500' and saw the patriotic livery on FOX. "We are beyond grateful for ABC Supply's sponsorship and support during the 2025 Indy 500," HFOT President/CEO Brig. Gen. USA (Ret) Tom Landwermeyer. "Their generous $1 million match was instrumental to raising $4.7 million during the month of May, and the patriotic livery of the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevy gave incredible visibility to our mission of Building Homes and Rebuilding Lives." ABC Supply has ardently supported HFOT since 2020 and donated the design of the INDYCAR SERIES car to generate awareness of the organization's mission of building and donating specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 veterans, enabling them to rebuild their lives. HFOT has built over 410 specially adapted homes since its inception in 2004. 'Giving back to the community and honoring our veterans is at the heart of who we are,' said Mike Jost, president and chief operating officer at ABC Supply. 'The generosity we've seen throughout this campaign has been truly inspiring, and we are grateful to everyone who contributed to making a real difference for our veterans.' Said Ferrucci: 'It was an honor to drive the Homes For Our Troops car in the Indianapolis 500 and extremely rewarding to know that they not only met their goal but exceeded it – again. Raising over $4 million is incredible, and it will help a lot of our severely injured post-911 veterans. 'Those funds will go a very long way in building multiple houses for them, helping them financially and getting their lives back on track. At the end of the day, AJ Foyt Racing had a great Indianapolis 500, and Homes For Our Troops had an amazing one, as well.' Those who missed the donation matching window but would still like to support HFOT are encouraged to do so at recommended
