The Indianapolis 500 is arguably the biggest and most prestigious auto race in the United States, if not the world.
The 107th edition takes the green flag Sunday, and among the top qualifiers is a driver from Connecticut - Santino Ferrucci.
The soon to be 25-year-old spent most of his developmental years racing in Europe, but he grew up in Woodbury and race fans there are pulling hard for him this weekend.
Andrew Murray is a racer himself. Inside his Woodbury repair shop are his trophies. Still, nothing compares to what Ferrucci has his sights set on.
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“The talent and the skill that it takes to do what he does, I really am impressed,” said Murray.
On Sunday, Ferrucci starts fourth. His best qualifying spot ever for this race.
“For me to start P4 and actually take the green down the front stretch as opposed to out of turn four is going to be really nice,” Ferrucci said with a grin.
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Ferrucci’s qualifying lap was scorching fast - 233 miles per hour. Astonishing, even to Murray.
“230 mph on that track just blows my mind,” Murray said. “I just can’t imagine going down that stretch that fast, and those corners are sharp.”
Murray isn’t alone. Houk Nichols of Woodbury is a motorcycle racer, and he can’t imagine the speeds being turned at Indy.
“At 233 mph, it’s hard to even think,” he said.
Tyler Barry, 17, of Griswold is among the many racers who compete at Stafford Motor Speedway, a steppingstone to big-time auto racing. Barry, like others, respect Ferrucci’s ability.
“He’s a real good driver first of all. Obviously, if he made it to the Indy 500, he’s a good driver,” said Barry.
Although Ferrucci never raced at Stafford, his fellow Connecticut racers are inspired by him.
“There is a chance for us to progress and maybe one day be starting fourth at the Indy 500, too,” said Sami Anderson.
Ferrucci’s car owner is four-time Indy 500 winner, AJ Foyt, who has made it clear what he expects from his driver on Sunday.
“I think he wants to see his car at the end and so do we,” Ferrucci said. "I think if we keep it clean, we will be just fine.”
Keeping it clean means not crashing - something Ferrucci has avoided in his four Indy 500 starts. All of which have resulted in solid top-ten finishes. Ferrucci is confident once again and says he has one of the best cars.
“If everything just runs its course normally and there’s no wild hiccups for anybody, we are definitely one of the cars that can win,” he said.
