Santino Ferrucci knows drama follows him but fans will, too, at Indy 500

Santino Ferrucci can point to the 2019 Indianapolis 500 as the one that helped earn him a devoted fan base.

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. starts talking up a driver, the driver typically achieves some notoriety.

Earnhardt, part of the broadcast team for that race, loved Ferrucci’s aggressive style. While he had rubbed his competitors the wrong way at times, Ferrucci’s moves — which included one through the grass to avoid an accident — received a great deal of attention.

"Dale did wonders for my career as an announcer, just talking me up and things that I was doing on track," Ferrucci said. "It was awesome. And just being a driver here and being recognized for being a racer was important to me.

"It’s stuff that the team wants to build on, stuff that I want to build on."

Ferrucci built on that seventh-place finish and has not had a finish worse than 10th in his six Indy 500 starts. He remains a popular yet polarizing driver for making moves that some might consider crossing the line. Since 2023, he has driven the famed No. 14 car for A.J. Foyt Racing. This has helped him revive his career because before, he drove part-time for two years. That role often included him substituting for hurt drivers. 

With a little bit of brashness, some believe he carries himself with the attitude of his car owner. Obviously, he is still working on his craft, as his only podium finish was a third-place run in the 2023 Indianapolis 500. As he prepares for the 2025 Indy 500, he knows the fans will be watching.

"Jeff Gordon once said whether they love you or they hate you, they're still talking about you," Ferrucci said. "And that, I think, is something that really applies to me here.

"And so that would mean that for all the people, it doesn't matter where they stand. I've probably got 300,000 fans running around this place — especially driving the 14 car. So it's pretty awesome."

The 26-year-old from Connecticut can claim at least some of the versatility as well. Ferrucci made nine starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021-22 when he was out of a full-time INDYCAR ride. He has also tried his hand at the Chili Bowl over the last four years.

He continues to have mercurial but promising results driving for Foyt. In 2023, he finished on the lead lap in six of the 17 races. In 2024, he finished on the lead lap in 13 of the 17 races and had the second-best average finish on the ovals, only behind Scott McLaughlin.

To hear him talk, he certainly doesn’t lack confidence, especially going into the Indy 500.

"With the record I have here, it's just when I'm going to win this race," Ferrucci said. "So hopefully, this is our year. But as we always say as drivers, this place really does choose the winner."

He says that because he feels he had a great shot to win in 2023 but saw it slip away.

"I definitely feel like there's a couple of cars that I drove into the top 10," Ferrucci said. "There's definitely two times where I've had a winning car and not won this race. It’s tough. You don't necessarily need the best car to win here.

"A.J. put it best when we finished third: There’s always going to be those races that you know you should have won. ... But then there's races that he said, ‘I won this race a few times that I shouldn't have won it.’"

One would think that IMS stands as Ferrucci’s favorite track. It’s not. The momentum-based moves and fuel mileage strategies don’t make things as straightforward as racing at smaller ovals.

"Indy, on race day, you can make a difference," Ferrucci said. "That is what separates the race from other speedways. But at the end of the day, this track is not my favorite, but this place is."

Some drivers might be afraid to say that, but Ferrucci does without hesitation. And that is part of the criticism of him that maybe he doesn’t act the way one would expect.

"I don’t know that I like to say I like to be in the middle of the drama," Ferrucci said. "I have my own opinions, and I am very much who I am as an individual. Staying true to myself is something that is important – important for me and the series."

Ferrucci also believes his performance has improved. At the recent Indianapolis 500 test, he was chatting with Conor Daly. It might be surprising to see the two together considering some of the things Daly has said about Ferrucci in the past. 

But Ferrucci feels they can chat and maybe at times agree or disagree, which isn’t the case as with the rest of the field.

"Me and Conor respect each other," Ferrucci said. "He's one hell of an oval racer, and no one's ever going to take that away from him. What he's done with some of the equipment that he's had over the years, I respect him for it.

"Racing him. we've butted heads. But I can tell you I’ve definitely butted heads harder with other drivers, for sure, that I definitely don't talk to. But a rivalry is good for the series."

Ferrucci knows he makes mistakes, including last year when racing Scott McLaughlin at  Nashville -- "I made a mistake trying to pass him for a top-5 and I was eager to get there," he said -- and also when he accidentally punted Helio Castroneves in Detroit.

"If I wreck, or if I get into somebody, it's because I thought that I had a lot more control of the situation than I probably did or something else went wrong," Ferrucci said. "But I try to keep it clean.

"Last year, one of the things I wasn't really proud of was Detroit. I punted Helio in the race and ruined his day. ... Talk about a serious screw up on my side"

For those who believe Ferrucci has trouble with patience, they have never seen him in his bus during race week, where he admits he has to handle 300 pounds of his three dogs in a fifth wheel.

As he takes care of the dogs, it is almost a metaphor to what he needs to do in the race.

"A big part of this race is patience," Ferrucci said. "And knowing that you’ve got to be there in the end."

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.