When Dalton Kellett isn’t working on engineering and physics and how it relates to his race car, the articulate Canadian can be found in the kitchen, whipping up a tasty recipe.

This week, Kellett went online to make a dish of homemade tagliatelle pasta with mushroom cream sauce.

“I chopped up two pounds of mushrooms, cooked them down, added some chicken stock, cream and other ingredients and made a standard sauce with some fresh herbs from the garden,” Kellett said. “That was it.”

Sounds simple, but try it sometime. Kellett made his pasta before making the sauce.

“I’m not super serious about it, but I enjoy cooking,” Kellett said. “Somebody asked me on social media how I got into it. As a kid, I was always experimenting with things in the kitchen. It was more of a science thing, mixing random things in measuring cups. It started that way. I’ve always cooked. It’s not like I ever took any courses. It’s not super serious; it’s for fun.”

This year at A.J. Foyt Racing, the rookie driver hopes to find the right ingredients to whip up a batch of success in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Kellett will share an A.J. Foyt Chevrolet with 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan and four-time INDYCAR champion Sebastien Bourdais this season. Kellett will run both races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including the GMR Grand Prix on July 4 and the 104^th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Aug. 23. He will also race for Foyt at Road America and Mid-Ohio.

In addition to his cooking skills, Kellett has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and physics from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario.

“There are positives to take from that in INDYCAR,” Kellett said. “I can’t really separate the engineer out of who I am. It’s part and parcel to the whole approach. When you get to the INDYCAR level you are dealing with more technical cars and more feedback. There is more development going on. I think that background will be helpful.”

Charlie Kimball is the full-time driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet at A.J. Foyt Racing and also has a deep engineering background. Kellett and Kimball can speak on the same wavelength.

“It will be a big help,” Kellett said of Kimball. “Any time you can see someone with a similar background to you uses the same skill set, there are ways that Charlie uses his technical background that are different from mine. There will be learning opportunities there. I’m looking forward to that opportunity.

“Getting to run my first Indianapolis 500 for A.J. Foyt Racing, it’s an honor to represent that name and brand. I couldn’t be more excited.”

Although this will be Kellett’s first Indy 500, he isn’t a stranger to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He competed in four Freedom 100 Indy Lights races on Miller Lite Carb Day. He started on the pole once and finished third three times.

“Having the oval experience will be useful,” Kellett said. “We’ve run ovals in the Lights series and the Road to Indy, so it’s not my first oval race. Also, having some experience with the track is a benefit and being accustomed to the speed. That general familiarity of the place is the main benefit there.”

Kellett admits he has a tremendous opportunity to learn from some of the best drivers in the INDYCAR paddock, including Kanaan, Bourdais and Kimball.

But the biggest name of all is the team owner, A.J. Foyt.

“He has such a big personality and passion for the sport; it’s so evident,” Kellett said of Foyt, the first four-time Indy 500 winner. “Even at the test days when we were practicing at COTA and Sebring, to see how involved and passionate he is, it’s really inspiring. It will be a great opportunity to see him in action at Indy.

“To be part of that experience is really going to be great.”