Following Ferrucci and RLL’s sixth place in the Indianapolis 500, Hy-Vee, Inc. – an employee-owned supermarket chain that operates 280 retail stores across eight Midwestern states – will again step up as primary sponsor for the #45 car.
Hy-Vee will also be primary sponsor for Graham Rahal’s #15 car at Road America this month and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in August.
This weekend’s Detroit GP will be IndyCar’s first since 2019, after the 2020 double-header event was forced to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m excited to compete in the two races in Detroit after a fantastic run at the Indy 500,” said Santino Ferrucci, who made his IndyCar debut with Dale Coyne Racing-Honda at Belle Isle back in 2018.
“To carry the momentum into Detroit is massive for the team.
“Hy-Vee is partnering with Frito-Lay so we will have Chester Cheetah and the Cheetos brand on the car, which I think is pretty awesome.
“It’s a fantastic track, and I’m excited to be returning to Detroit since we didn’t get a chance to race there in 2020 [due to the COVID-19 pandemic].”
This will mark just the second event for Ferrucci with RLL-Honda, who after two full seasons with Coyne, is this year racing part-time for Sam Hunt Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Santino Ferrucci, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
“The excitement and energy that the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team brings forth to our partnership is like none other,” said Randy Edeker, chairman, CEO and president of Hy-Vee.
“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 and look forward to what the rest of the season has to offer.”
Ferrucci will again race alongside Graham Rahal, who won both of the Detroit races in 2017, and two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato.
Alex Palou leads the 2021 IndyCar standings following a second at the Indy 500, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver 36 points clear of team-mate Scott Dixon.