Ferrucci Joins Rahal Letterman Lanigan for Indy with Hy-Vee
April 05, 2021 | By Indianapolis Motor Speedway
2019 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Rookie of the Year Santino Ferrucci will attempt to make his third consecutive start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 30, joining Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the race.
Ferrucci, from Woodbury, Connecticut, finished seventh in the “500” in 2019 to earn top rookie honors with Dale Coyne Racing. He improved upon that in 2020 with Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan, finishing fourth.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) boasts three of the top four finishers in the 2020 Indianapolis 500 in its lineup this May. Takuma Sato won for the team to earn his second victory in the world’s most prestigious race, while Graham Rahal finished third.
RLL also welcomes Hy-Vee, Inc. -- an employee-owned supermarket chain that operates more than 275 retail stores across eight Midwestern states – as the primary sponsor for the No. 45 Honda driven by Ferrucci at Indianapolis. Hy-Vee also has signed on to be the primary sponsor of Rahal’s No. 15 Honda on June 20 at Road America and Aug. 21 at World Wide Technology Raceway, and it also will be a full-season associate sponsor on Rahal’s car.
“I am excited to be competing in the Indianapolis 500 with Hy-Vee and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing,” Ferrucci said. “It’s a great opportunity, and I cannot thank the team, owners and partners enough for believing in me. I’m super excited to start spending some time at the shop in Indianapolis and preparing for an incredible run this May.”
Hy-Vee first joined the team as the primary sponsor of Graham Rahal’s entry for Race 2 at the Iowa Speedway in 2020, when he finished third. The company was also the primary sponsor of the team’s entry for Spencer Pigot at the Indy 500 and an associate sponsor of Rahal’s entry for the legendary race.
“It is great to have Hy-Vee as a partner of our program again,” RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal said. “My family and I live in the Midwest, and it’s exciting to see Hy-Vee continue to grow. The sense of pride their employees have in their company and what Hy-Vee does to support their local communities is inspiring and something that we work to emulate every day within our team.
“We look forward to creating special moments for Hy-Vee customers and employees this season while promoting the Hy-Vee brand on a national stage.”
Sato and Rahal will be on the starting grid for the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener, the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst, on Sunday, April 18 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama (Live on NBC, INDYCAR Radio Network).