Ferrucci to race third RLL-Honda in Indy 500

Ferrucci, who moved to Sam Hunt Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2021, was a startlingly bold oval racer during his two seasons of IndyCar racing with Dale Coyne Racing, accumulating four fourth-place finishes, and only bad luck prevented a probable victory at Gateway in 2019.

At Indy, he finished seventh in ’19, earning himself the RotY award, and fourth in ’20.

Now Ferrucci is to return with the team owned by Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan, joining two-time and defending Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato, and Graham Rahal. He will carry primary sponsorship from Hy-Vee, Inc., a supermarket chain with 275 retail stores across eight Midwestern states.

Hy-Vee will also back Graham Rahal’s entry at Road America and Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway.

Hy-Vee first joined the team as primary sponsor of Rahal’s entry for Race 2 at Iowa last year, a race in which he finished third, and was also primary sponsor of Spencer Pigot in the Indy 500. 

Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman of the board, CEO and president, said: “The excitement and energy that the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team brings forth to our partnership is like none other. The team truly cares about its fans just like we care about our customers at Hy-Vee.

“Since signing on as a sponsor last year, we’ve heard from people all over the country about our involvement in racing. We know we have a fantastic season coming up that fans across the country as well as our employees will enjoy.”

Ferrucci, who will take part in this week’s two-day test at the Speedway, commented: “I am excited to be competing in the Indianapolis 500 with Hy-Vee and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. 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.”

Said Bobby Rahal: “It is great to have Hy-Vee as a partner of our program again. 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.”