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Tag: AJ Foyt Enterprises

  • Santino Ferrucci returns to A.J. Foyt Enterprises for second IndyCar campaign in 2024

    Santino Ferrucci returns to A.J. Foyt Enterprises for second IndyCar campaign in 2024

    Santino Ferrucci will be returning to A.J. Foyt Enterprises for a second full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign in 2024 and in the team’s No. 14 Dallara-Chevrolet sponsored by Sexton Properties.

    The news comes as the 25-year-old Ferrucci from Woodbury, Connecticut, is coming off his maiden IndyCar campaign with A.J. Foyt Enterprises, where he achieved his maiden podium result during the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last May in the form of a strong third-place finish. The result occurred in an event where he started on the second row in fourth place, led 11 laps and was in contention for the victory in the closing laps. Ferrucci would proceed to settle in 19th place in the 2023 driver’s standings after averaging a finishing result of 18.5 throughout the 17-race schedule.

    The third-place result during the 2023 Indy 500 also extended Ferrucci’s string of top-10 results he has achieved in five consecutive Indy 500s he has participated in since 2019.

    “I’m super stoked to be back with the team,” Ferrucci said. “It’s really good to start building some continuity with everybody, and I think it’s going to improve our results. My expectations for the year are to come out of the gate a lot more prepared than we were last year. Working with Penske, things are hopefully going to be a lot smoother, and I’m looking forward to being back at the Indy 500 again.”

    Ferrucci, who previously competed in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship region before ascending to GP3 Series and the Formula 2 Championship region, made his inaugural presence in the IndyCar circuit during the series’ doubleheader feature at Belle Isle Park in Detroit Michigan, for Dale Coyne Racing in 2018. He would then compete for Dale Coyne as a full-time competitor during the following two seasons before scaling back to a part-time role between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, where he competed between Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing. During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he also made select NASCAR Xfinity Series starts for Sam Hunt Racing.

    Through 60 previous starts in the IndyCar circuit, Ferrucci has accumulated a single podium result, five top-five results and 19 top-10 results, with five of his total top-10 results occurring in five consecutive starts in the Indianapolis 500 (2019-23). He has also racked up a total of 135 laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.5.

    “I’m very happy to have Santino back,” Larry Foyt, team president of A.J. Foyt Enterprises, added. “We worked well together, and he brings a good energy to the team. Obviously, we have our eyes set on the Indy 500, but we also had some good pace in other races but didn’t get the results. Together we are focused on moving up in the championship standings, and I believe we can achieve that.”

    Ferrucci is set to compete alongside Sting Ray Robb, who is coming off his maiden IndyCar campaign with Dale Coyne Racing in association with Rick Ware Racing and was announced to pilot A.J. Foyt’s No. 41 Dallara-Chevrolet for the upcoming IndyCar season last December. The pairing of Ferrucci and Robb completes A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ two-car lineup for the 2024 season.

    Ferrucci’s second full-time NTT INDYCAR Series campaign with A.J. Foyt Enterprises is set to commence at the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 2024 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The event is scheduled to occur on March 10 and air on NBC.

  • Conor Daly to make 100th IndyCar career start at Long Beach

    Conor Daly to make 100th IndyCar career start at Long Beach

    Nearly two months after competing in this year’s 65th running of the Daytona 500, Conor Daly is set to achieve a milestone start in his sixth full-time season in the NTT IndyCar Series. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach at the Streets of Long Beach, California, the driver of the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara-Chevrolet will make his 100th career start in the IndyCar circuit.

    A second-generation racer from Noblesville, Indiana, Daly, whose racing career started with karts before proceeding to win the 2010 Indy Pro 2000 title, made his IndyCar debut in the 2013 Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he piloted the No. 41 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara-Honda to a 22nd-place result. Two years later, he competed in a total of five IndyCar events between Dale Coyne Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Daly’s deal with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports occurred as he replaced James Hinchcliffe for three events following Hinchcliffe’s harrowing accident during a practice session leading up to the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. During the five-race span, his best on-track result was a sixth-place finish at Belle Isle during a Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.

    In 2016, Daly joined Dale Coyne Racing on a full-time IndyCar basis. Commencing the season with a 13th-place run at the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, the Indiana native notched five top-10 results throughout the 16-race schedule. He also achieved his maiden podium at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park during a Chevrolet Dual in Detroit by finishing second behind Sebastien Bourdais. When the final checkered flag of the 2016 season flew, Daly settled in 18th place in the final driver’s standings with 313 points. Throughout the season, he led a career-high 56 laps and notched an average-finishing result of 14.4, which is his best as a full-time IndyCar competitor.

    The following season, Daly joined A.J. Foyt Enterprises as a full-time IndyCar competitor in the No. 4 Dallara-Chevrolet. He concluded the season in 18th place in the final standings for a second consecutive season on the strength of four top-10 results, a season-best fifth-place finish at Gateway Motorsports Park and 305 points.

    For the 2018 season, Daly, who lose his ride at A.J. Foyt Enterprises, made his first IndyCar start of the season during the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500, where he drove the No. 17 Dallara-Honda for Dale Coyne Racing in conjunction with Thom Burns Racing to a 21st-place result. He would then compete in three of the final six scheduled events for Harding Racign, where he notched a season-best 15th at Pocono Raceway.

    The 2019 IndyCar season featured Daly competing for three different organizations, starting with Andretti Autosport for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500. Piloting the No. 25 Andretti Dallara-Honda, he notched his first top-10 career result at his home track by finishing 10th. Three races later, he replaced Max Chilton in the No. 59 Carlin Dallara-Chevrolet for Texas Motor Speedway as he finished 11th. He returned to Carlin for the following three oval events at Iowa Speedway, Pocono and Gateway, where he notched a season-best sixth-place finish at Gateway. Then for the penultimate event of the season at Portland International Raceway, Daly drove the No. 7 Dallara-Honda for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in place of Marcus Ericsson, who was called up by Alfa Romeo to serve on a reserve driver duty for the upcoming Formula One event at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Finishing 21st for the Arrow Schmidt Peterson organization, Daly capped off the 2019 season by competing for Andretti Autosport at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where he ended up 22nd.

    For the following two seasons, Daly competed between Ed Carpenter Racing and Carlin. In 2020, he recorded six top-10 results throughout the 14-race schedule and a season-best sixth-place result during the season opener at Texas and a 29th-place run during the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 following a late wreck before finishing in a career-best 17th-place in the final standings with 237 points and an average-finishing result of 14.5. The following season, he led for the first time at his home track, Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, as he led a total of 37 laps before finishing in 13th place while competing for Ed Carpenter Racing. The 13th-place run at Indy would also mark his highest-finishing result in 2021 as he averaged a 16.6 running spot throughout the 16-race schedule before settling in 18th place in the final standings with 235 points. Nonetheless, he accumulated 40 laps led, which marks his second-highest laps led in a season.

    This past season, Daly inked a full-time deal to pilot the No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet for ECR. After finishing no higher than 12th during the first four scheduled events, he notched his first top-five result of the season in the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Two weeks later, he led seven laps during the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 before settling in sixth place in the final running order, which marks his best result during the Indy 500. Daly, however, would proceed to finish no higher than 12th for the remaining 11 events on the schedule before tying his best result in the standings of 17th place and with 267 points.

    Through 99 previous IndyCar starts, Daly has achieved one pole, one podium result, 136 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.5. He is currently ranked in 14th place in the championship standings after finishing no lower than 20th during the first two events on the schedule, with his best result being 14th during the 2023 season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

    Daly is scheduled to make his 100th career start in the NTT IndyCar Series at the Streets of Long Beach for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Takuma Sato scheduled for 200th IndyCar career start at Texas

    Takuma Sato scheduled for 200th IndyCar career start at Texas

    With a new season of NTT IndyCar Series competition underway, Takuma Sato is primed to reach a milestone start in his 12th full-time in America’s premier open-wheel series. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway, the newly named driver of the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Dallara-Honda will achieve career start No. 200 in the IndyCar circuit. 

    A native of Tokyo, Japan, Sato made his inaugural presence in IndyCar competition in 2010 when he signed with KV Racing Technology. By then, he had campaigned in seven full-time seasons in Formula One competition (2002-2008) between Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri. Driving the No. 5 Dallara-Honda for KV Racing Technology, Sato started 10th but finished 22nd in his IndyCar debut after being involved in an opening lap multi-car wreck. Sato competed the entire 17-race schedule, where he earned his first top-10 career result in ninth place at Edmonton City Centre Airport in July before settling in 21st place in the final standings,

    Remaining at KV Racing Technology for the 2011 IndyCar season, Sato earned three top-five results, a season-best fourth-place result at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August and his maiden two poles (Iowa Speedway and Edmonton in July) before finishing in 13th place in the final standings.

    Following his first two years in IndyCar competition with KV Racing Technology, Sato joined Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the 2012 season. After finishing no higher than eighth during the first three scheduled events, Sato claimed his maiden podium after finishing third at the Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil. During the following event, the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he was running within striking distance of Dario Franchitti for the victory. At the start of the final lap, Sato made his move beneath Franchitti, but both made contact and resulted with Sato spinning and crashing into the wall, which ended the event under caution. While Franchitti went on to win, Sato ended up in 17th place. For the remaining 10 events of the season, Sato claimed a career-best result of second place at Edmonton in July before finishing in 14th place in the final standings. 

    In 2013, Sato joined forces with A.J. Foyt Enterprises after departing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. After finishing no higher than eighth during the first two events, he claimed his maiden IndyCar victory at California’s Long Beach Street Circuit in April after leading 50 of 80 scheduled laps. The victory, which occurred in his 52nd career start, made Sato the first Japanese competitor to win in the IndyCar circuit. Sato then came close in capturing back-to-back victories of the season at Sao Paulo until he was overtaken by James Hinchcliffe on the final lap and final corner, which relegated him back to second place. Despite briefly taking over the points lead, a series of inconsistent results resulted with Sato finishing in 17th place in the final standings. 

    From 2014 to 2016, Sato earned a single podium result, which was a runner-up result in the second of a Belle Isle doubleheader weekend in May, a total of two poles and a best points result of 14th place in 2015. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in the IndyCar Series.

    Following a four-year run with A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Sato joined Andretti Autosport to pilot the No. 26 Honda on a full-time basis in 2017. Through the first five events of the season, his best on-track result was fifth place during the season-opening Streets of St. Petersburg in March. Then during the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500, Sato overtook Max Chilton for the lead with nine laps remaining and fended off three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves to claim his second IndyCar career victory and become the first Japanese competitor to win the Indy 500. He then went on to claim two poles during the final 11 scheduled events before finishing in the top 10 in points for the first time in his career in eighth place.

    Despite the success at Andretti, Sato reunited with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to pilot the No. 30 Honda for the 2018 season. After enduring a season-long up-and-down run, where his lone highlight was claiming a podium result (third place) at Iowa Speedway in July, he claimed his third IndyCar career victory in the series’ decade-long return to Portland International Raceway in September. Ultimately, he concluded the season in 12th place in the final standings.

    The 2019 IndyCar season was where Sato earned multiple victories in an IndyCar season for the first time in his career. He claimed an early victory at Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park in April and earned two additional podiums during the following 10 scheduled events before winning at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway in August. With a career-high two victories and career-high four podiums to the 2019 season, Sato capped off the season in ninth place in the final standings.

    During the shortened 2020 season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Sato claimed his second Indianapolis 500 victory in August following a late battle against five-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon. To add a second-place result at Gateway during the following event, he concluded the season in a career-best seventh place in the final standings and with a career-best average-finishing result of 11.3. 

    The 2021 season marked the first time Sato went winless and failed to secure a podium result as the Japanese veteran picked up a season-best fourth place during the first of a Belle Isle doubleheader weekend in June before finishing in 11th place in the final standings and earning an average-finishing result of 12.2.

    The 2022 IndyCar season marked a new beginning for Sato, who joined Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing following a four-year run with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He is coming off a 10th-place run in his first event with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at the Streets of St. Petersburg.

    Through 199 previous IndyCar starts, Sato has achieved six victories, 10 poles, 14 podiums and an average-finishing result of 14.3.

    Sato is scheduled to make his 200th NTT IndyCar Series career start in the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 20, at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Kanaan to Foyt Could Prove Beneficial For Both Teams

    Kanaan to Foyt Could Prove Beneficial For Both Teams

    With the announcement being made official on October 6 that Tony Kanaan was heading over to AJ Foyt Enterprises, it was also made official that the 2018 season would ultimately define their relationship. None of Foyt’s cars have won since 2013 when Takuma Sato won at Long Beach, and Kanaan has also had a similar streak: His last win was at Fontana in 2014; his only win during his tenure for Chip Ganassi Racing after replacing Dario Franchitti in the No.10.

    So the pairing of two of the sport’s greats in order to rediscover success in the Verizon IndyCar Series is only natural. Kanaan is no stranger to winning and being at the front of the sport while Foyt is widely regarded as one of the greatest motorsports names to ever exist. So when the green flag drops on Kanaan’s No. 14 Chevy next season, it’ll be quick to show whether or not Foyt or Kanaan made the right move.

    It’s a tossup in motorsports when it comes to a long-suffering team looking to revitalize itself by bringing in a driver with a pedigree of success like Kanaan’s. He has won in everything he’s driven in, both in open wheel and in sports cars, the pinnacle of which being the 2004 IndyCar championship as well as the 2013 Indy 500 (an accolade that makes him only the second Indy 500 winner to drive full-time for AJ Foyt Enterprises – behind Foyt himself). With Kanaan’s prowess behind the wheel the organization can build itself up around him to become a contending team once again.

    However, at the same time the inverse could happen – the team could still fall short when it counts the most. Races where the driver normally performs well could become nothing more than a struggle. Although the phrase “A driver is only as good as their equipment” has been proven true time and time again, it isn’t entirely true; racing is an unpredictable business and IndyCar is no exception.

    Everything is in place for the team to compete properly in 2018. There’s the new aero kit coming out for all chassis that the team will have to learn to work with. There’s the sponsorship firmly in place. There’s the owner committed to his team, which has found success before and will again. Then there’s the driver, who has only one concern: To perform.

    Of the organization, Kanaan’s strengths will prove educational to his teammates and will also make the job easier for the team to get him to Victory Lane. The pressure, although still there, is lighter for both Foyt and Kanaan to perform, and there is no reason to believe that they will not compete.