Santino Ferrucci received seven bear hugs from AJ Foyt Racing crew members in the 15 seconds after climbing from his pole-winning car Saturday at Portland International Raceway – yes, we counted – and two of them lifted him off the ground.

Imagine the reaction today if the 26-year-old Connecticut driver earns his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland.

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There have been important recent moments in the series, but few have been as emotionally stirring as one of A.J. Foyt’s drivers commanding a reaction like Ferrucci received Saturday. And he earned it. The No. 14 Phoenix Investors Chevrolet had the speed to be the quickest in qualifying, and Ferrucci might just have enough in that package to win the team’s first race since Takuma Sato captured the Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2013 – 195 races ago.

That means all eyes will be on Ferrucci when the green flag drops about 30 minutes after the broadcasts begin at 3 p.m. ET (USA Network, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network). Ferrucci has been known not to hold back in races, so one can imagine the No. 14 Chevrolet being first to Turn 1.

Will Power will start alongside on the front row, and while the Team Penske driver will take any opportunity given to him, he also is one of Ferrucci’s closest friends in the paddock. Thus, it was no coincidence that Power was the first driver to congratulate Ferrucci after Saturday’s Firestone Fast Six, and they are pseudo-teammates as the two teams have a technical alliance.

So, expect Power to race Ferrucci as fair as anyone could at the start of this race. For the record, Foyt told Ferrucci in a call after qualifying to use his head at the start.

There certainly have been plenty of fireworks over the years in the first corner of this 12-turn, 1.964-mile natural terrain road course. Three years ago, the drivers on the front row – Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou and Scott Dixon – were part of a big mess in that right-hander. But Palou and Dixon did what they often do: They made the best of the situation. They each pitted, dropped deep in the field and worked their way back to the front. Palou won the race, Dixon finished third.

Like Power, Palou has designs on winning another series championship, and he is in an enviable position. Not only does he start third today, he has a 59-point lead that almost seems insurmountable with four races to go. Someone could catch him, sure, but it will take a lot to go wrong for the Spaniard.

Meanwhile, it’s getting late in the season, and there are a host of drivers who haven’t won in some time. Graham Rahal, last year’s Portland pole winner who is one of five drivers starting five positions deeper than they qualified due to a fifth engine change of the season, last won a series race in 2017. Alexander Rossi hasn’t won since 2022. Marcus Ericsson, Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard won races last year but haven’t done so this season.

And, of course, those with designs on overhauling Palou – that’s Colton Herta, Dixon, Power and Scott McLaughlin -- need to win some of these remaining races. Keep in mind that Palou has won two of the past three series races at this track, and he won last year from the pole.

But no one wants a win today more than Ferrucci, and doing so will earn all the hugs he can absorb.