Santino Ferrucci certainly has had a rapid ascension in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Just a year ago, Ferrucci joined Dale Coyne Racing as a teammate to four-time Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais. The Woodbury, Connecticut driver was just 20 years old, half the age of Bourdais.

Now, the 21-year-old Ferrucci is established in the series, having completed nearly every lap in the 2019 season. He found his way into contention in many of those races and was the Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge after finishing seventh.

Last year, Ferrucci was the young kid teamed with the old pro. But this year, with Bourdais not on the team, Ferrucci has been elevated to the role of senior driver in Dale Coyne's two-car organization. He will drive the No. 18 SealMaster Honda of Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan in the 17-race season that begins with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 15 (3 p.m., NBC Sports Network).

Alex Palou becomes the junior driver in terms of tenure, although the Spaniard is a year older than Ferrucci. Palou will drive the No. 19 Honda of Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh.

“It’s a very different role,” Ferrucci said. “I go from having Sebastien, who has basically my entire life’s worth of experience, to working with a kid that I have known from Europe and I have worked with before and get along well with.

“It will be a good fit. We’ll both be very competitive this year, and I think we will be able to push the team to its limits and see what we can get out of the cars.

“But it is kind of weird to be the veteran driver at 21.”

Ferrucci won many fans in last year’s Indianapolis 500 with an incredibly brave move to navigate a multi-car crash in the north end of the track late in the race. With cars spinning and sliding in his path, Ferrucci drove through the grass to avoid the crash unscathed.

That move was so impressive, former NASCAR star and current NBC Sports broadcaster Dale Earnhardt, Jr. publicly became a big Ferrucci fan, raving about Ferrucci on the telecast.

“I would prefer not to test the lawn setup this year,” Ferrucci said with a laugh. “It was a solid first year. We learned so much, especially on the ovals. I felt right at home there. With the road and street courses, I worked with Sebastien and the team, and I feel a lot more confident entering the races this year knowing what I’m getting into and knowing the tracks. Every race was drastically different, and it’s been an awesome learning curve.

“We’re going into this year with the same mentality. We’re going to go through it, have fun and see how we do.”

Ferrucci’s adaptation to oval racing last year was impressive.

“It just makes sense to me, it clicked immediately,” he said. “It surprised me a lot, but when it’s just natural, it just happens, and you don’t have to think about it.

“Also, I don’t have too many fears. Some people are afraid of the wall and have had massive shunts, but I haven’t had any. Some people call it young and dumb, but it works in my favor, having decent car control. I’m looking forward to it.”