Two weeks after being confirmed to be sitting out of a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway, Santino Ferrucci’s schedule conflict has been revealed. He has his sights set on a brief IndyCar return.
Ferrucci of Woodbruy, CT will attempt to make his return to IndyCar next month at the Indianapolis 500, joining 2020 winners Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for a run in the No. 45 Honda alongside defending Indy champion Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal. Hy-Vee will sponsor the effort, along with a season-long associate sponsorship of Rahal’s No. 15 Honda.
“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.”
A former full-time IndyCar driver, Ferrucci has made a pair of prior Indy 500 starts with Dale Coyne Racing. He finished seventh in his rookie year before returning in 2020 with a fourth-place finish.
Ferrucci’s since gone on to run a partial schedule in the Xfinity Series with Sam Hunt Racing, but removed himself from the entry list for this weekend’s Martinsville race due to a “schedule conflict.” Indianapolis 500 testing is set to run on the day of the race this Friday.
Source: IndyCar.com/www.StockCarGazette.