Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced that team partner, Hy-Vee, Inc. – an employee-owned supermarket chain that operates more than 280 retail stores across eight Midwestern states – will expand its program to include primary sponsorship of a third entry for the team in the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit doubleheader races on June 12-13 for Santino Ferrucci.
Hy-Vee sponsored RLL entries in the past two Indianapolis 500 races, with Ferrucci piloting the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda on May 30 to his third straight top-seven finish in the event with a sixth-place result. In April, the team announced Hy-Vee would be the primary sponsor of Graham Rahal’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES entry at Road America (June 20) and World Wide Technology Raceway (Aug. 21) as well as the primary sponsor of Ferrucci’s entry for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and serve as a full-season associate sponsor on Rahal’s car.
“I’m excited to compete in the two races in Detroit after a fantastic run at the Indy 500,” Ferrucci said. “To carry the momentum into Detroit is massive for the team. Hy-Vee is partnering with Frito-Lay, so we will have Chester Cheetah and the Cheetos brand on the car, which I think is pretty awesome. It’s a fantastic track, and I’m excited to be returning to Detroit since we didn’t get a chance to race there in 2020.
Said Randy Edeker, chairman, CEO and president of Hy-Vee: “The excitement and energy that the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team brings forth to our partnership is like none other. The team truly cares about its fans just like we care about our customers at Hy-Vee. Since signing on as a sponsor last year, we’ve heard from people all over the country about our involvement in racing and look forward to what the rest of the season has to offer.”
Hy-Vee first joined the team as the primary sponsor of Graham Rahal’s entry for Race 2 at Iowa Speedway in 2020, where he finished third. The company was also the primary sponsor of the team’s entry for Spencer Pigot at the 2020 Indy 500 and an associate sponsor of Rahal’s entry for the legendary race.
After two full INDYCAR SERIES seasons in 2019-20 and a partial one in 2018, Ferrucci joined RLL for the Indy 500, where he finished sixth. To date, his best INDYCAR SERIES start is second at Mid-Ohio (Race 2) in 2020, and he has finished in fourth place four times.
The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season continues with the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit doubleheader, which will be broadcast live on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network at 2 p.m. (ET) Saturday, June 12 and at noon Sunday, June 13.