NOTES & QUOTES: Bommarito Automotive Group 500

LARRY FOYT, a former driver, gave up his driving career to become team director of his father A.J.'s Indy car team in 2007; he was at the helm when the team scored victory at the Long Beach Grand Prix in 2013. In the fall of 2014, he became team president when his A.J. underwent open heart surgery. Larry has overseen the team's expansion to a two-car team, relocation of the operations to Indianapolis, and once again fielding an INDY NXT team, plus the team's marked improvement in performance in the Indianapolis 500. With the 2026 season nearing the halfway point, we asked him a few questions...

Approaching the halfway point of the NTT INDYCAR Series season, where do you feel this team has made the biggest step forward compared to where you were a year ago?

LF: "It doesn't feel like it, but I do think we have improved our qualifying cars this year. Santino made two Fast 12's in a row, and the 5th place start at Indy was an improvement over last year. He was on another Fast 12 run when the yellow came out at Detroit in qualifying, but some years the breaks don't go your way, and it feels like we are going through that at the moment. Although Caio's qualifying hasn't been what he or we want, there is no doubt the talent and potential is there. He has been consistently the quickest rookie, and if we, as a team, can put it all together, I think the results will come in the near future."

When you look at the results sheet, do you feel the team's championship position accurately reflects your performance, or do you think there are opportunities and points that got away?

LF: "I think it does and doesn't. The points position certainly doesn't show the performance, or let's say the potential. As a team, we need to clean some things up to get where we want to be. We have had some injuries on the crew as well as some mistakes that shouldn't happen that have led to lost points. With INDYCAR as competitive as it is now, you can't give anything away. We have to be better, period."

How would you assess the balance between Santino Ferrucci's veteran leadership and Caio Collet's rookie development so far this year?

LF: "Santino seems comfortable and accepts that he is the senior statesman of the team. He has been working on being a leader, and there are many positives that have come from this. We both know that hasn't equated to the results we need, but everyone is motivated to turn this around. I see him and his engineer (Adam Kolesar) beginning to gel well, and I look forward to going to tracks where they worked well together last season. Caio is a great rookie in the sense of he knows he is very talented, but he is also willing to put in the work and ask the questions to speed up his learning curve. He did a great job at Indy, but learned a hard lesson late in the race, and that's how you have to learn in this business. I think you will see his talent shine even more as we approach the second half of the season."

The team has shown strong pace at Indianapolis in recent years. What lessons from the Month of May can carry over to the rest of the season?

LF: "Indy is a bit of its own animal, but being at the same place for a couple weeks gives you a good view of where you are as an organization. We have underachieved thus far, so we must show improvement in the areas we have lacked. We showed our speedway program is still very competitive, and although I feel we have made gains in the other INDYCAR disciplines, I would like to see more consistent weekends ending up with better points paying finishes." 

What accomplishments would make you say the remainder of 2026 was a success for AJ Foyt Racing?

LF: "Currently, we are way farther back in the championship than I expected. It is by no means from a lack of effort on our team, but small mistakes on all fronts have been costly, then some bad luck we have suffered from others' mistakes compounds that.  I do believe in this group and these drivers, and I would be surprised if we aren't much higher in the Championship at season's end. One thing I know about this team is that no one quits or ever wants to throw in the towel. This is a brutal part of our schedule, but everyone is powering through and working on where we need to improve. A couple good results will go a long way." 

CAIO COLLET ran at Detroit with an injury to his ribs the result of his accident in the Indianapolis 500. He soldiered through the bumpy street course event to finish 16th. This race will be his second short oval race in an Indy car, his first coming at Phoenix, a track he'd never run before. He did compete at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), formerly known (and still referred to) as Gateway, in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, where he finished third in 2025. Collet currently sits 22nd in the standings.

Do you enjoy racing at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), and if so, why?

CC: "I really enjoy racing at Gateway (WWTR). It’s a short oval, you’re constantly dealing with traffic, tire management, and two very different type of corners. The racing is usually very close, and there are opportunities to move around and find different lines, which makes it exciting for both the drivers and the fans."

In the INDY NXT by Firestone last year, what happened when you started outside pole at WWTR, led 58 laps but finished third?

CC: "We had a really strong car all weekend and were able to lead a lot of laps, but we pushed too hard in the beginning and didn’t quite have enough pace on the final stages.  Even though we didn’t get the win, it was a positive weekend that showed we had the pace to fight at the front." 

You're nearly halfway through your rookie IndyCar season now—what has been the biggest adjustment from Indy NXT to IndyCar that fans probably don't see from the outside?

CC: The biggest adjustment has probably been the level of detail involved in every aspect of the weekend. The competition is incredibly close, and small differences can have a huge impact on performance. There’s a lot more to manage in the car with tools and adjustments, and the engineering side is much deeper as well. Fans see the racing, but there’s a lot happening behind the scenes to extract those last few tenths."

Was there a race or moment where you felt, "I belong here," and gained confidence that you can compete with the series veterans?

CC:  "I think there have been a few moments throughout the season where I’ve been able to run competitively with some of the top drivers in the series. The Indy 500 was definitely a big confidence boost. Being able to fight near the front, especially as a rookie, showed me that I have the pace to compete at this level. At the same time, every weekend is a learning opportunity, and I know there’s still a lot of room to grow."

As you evaluate your own performance so far, what area of your driving or racecraft has improved the most, and what do you want to sharpen during the second half of the season?

CC: "I think I’ve made the biggest gains in understanding how to manage races and adapt to different situations throughout a weekend. INDYCAR throws a lot at you, from changing track conditions to strategy variations, and I’ve become more comfortable reacting to those challenges. For the second half of the season, I want to keep improving my qualifying performance and continue maximizing opportunities on race day." 

Collet Fast Facts: Age 24...Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil...Lives in Indianapolis, Indiana...In 2024-2025, he competed in the INDY NXT by Firestone Series, winning a total of four races, four poles and scored 15 podiums, ranked second in 2025 and 3rd in 2024 final standings...From 2021 to 2023, he competed in FIA Formula 3, won a total of three races, one pole and scored nine podiums with best rank of 8th in 2022...In 2019-20, he competed in Formula Renault Eurocup where he won five races (2020), three poles, 12 podiums to rank 2nd in standings ...Competed in French Formula 4 in 2018 and won the title along with seven races, three poles and posting 13 podiums... Began racing go-karts at age 7 and won multiple titles before moving to Europe...His father was a rally driver and Caio became interested in motorsports at age 4...Enjoys cycling, running, music from the 2000s and spending times with family and friends.

SANTINO FERRUCCI enjoyed momentum going into Detroit after posting his eighth Top-10 result in eight straight Indianapolis 500s, a record. However, an untimely red flag in qualifying saw him start 22nd in the race, where he was penalized for avoidable contact and then a mechanical failure ended his race early, he placed 23rd. Last year at WWTR, Ferrucci started 19th and finished fifth; in six starts here, he has three Top 10s with his best finish of fourth coming as a rookie in 2019.

Why do you like racing at World Wide Technology Raceway?

SF: "I think it's a really good oval. It's very technical oval. You have a good car, you can pass quite quick, obviously not flat out. It's a fun track."

Do you like racing at night?

SF: "I do. I wish we had more night races. The tracks are well lit, it's not an issue, but I mean it's just more fun to run under the lights. I think it's cooler. I think the fans would agree that it's also better to not be in the heat."

Looking at the season so far, what do you consider the biggest positive: your own performance, the team's progress, or a specific result that shows what this group is capable of?

SF: "I think we kind of showed what we could be capable of at Alabama, and also at Detroit. I think that everybody has always known we're good at Indy, and we've had some really clean races, but we've struggled to really put the weekend fully together as a group."

Where do you feel the team has left the most points on the table so far, and what needs to improve to turn solid race weekends into top five and podium opportunities?

SF: "I think we left the most points on the table probably at Detroit. To turn some of these weekends from Top-10s into Top-5s, we just need to execute as a group better. The idea of putting the pieces there is correct, it's just kind of getting everything to fall in place at the right time."

Are there specific areas, or is it like one thing one weekend and something else another weekend?

SF: "Actually it hasn't been the same things. I think we've found a really good road course and street course package and our oval package is pretty good. Really everything we have is good. I think we're just missing a little bit of magic on everything to be a little bit better."

With the second half of the season ahead, what would define success for you personally: final point standings, podium finishes, first IndyCar win?

SF: "We need a win -- that's on the top of the list."

Where do you see your best chances of getting one?

SF: "I think we have a great chance at Gateway (WWTR) here, another fantastic chance at Milwaukee. We should potentially have a good chance at tracks like Road America and Portland as well."

What is it about those courses that kind of work to your advantage as a driver?

SF: "We just have a really good baseline car, and when you have a good baseline car, it's really helpful for a starting point to be consistent in Friday practice, where you can really dial it up for the second practice, and then qualifying, as opposed to chasing a setup."

And do you feel like this season you've started out with better baseline cars or not?

SF: "I think I think we've definitely started with better baseline cars. I think we've struggled in the races more this year than last year, and I think you know that's just from small little things or getting unlucky. We've driven some injured cars, unfortunately, but I think overall we've been rather consistent."

Ferrucci Fast Facts: Age 28...Born in Woodbury, CT...Lives in Dallas, Texas...Married Renay Moore in January, 2024...In 2026, he continued to add to his record of  consecutive top-10 finishes in the Indianapolis 500 which is now eight with his eighth place finish...In 2025, earned career best finish of 2nd at Detroit Grand Prix and followed up with 3rd place finish at Road America for fourth consecutive top-5 finish...Earned 2024 NTT P1 Award at Portland, Ore. and posted 11 Top-10 finishes (career-best) to finish 9th in the NTT INDYCAR Series driver standings, his highest ranking to date. The Foyt team finished in the top-10 in the points standings for the first time since 2002... Scored career-best finish to date with his 3rd place finish in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 to continue his string of consecutive top-10 finishes in the 500...Finished 13th in standings with fourth place finish in the 500...drove part-time in 2021-22 but maintained top-10 streak in Indy 500 with finishes of sixth (RLL Racing) and 10th (Dreyer Reinbold Racing...Competed part-time in NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021-22...moved to NTT INDYCAR Series fulltime in 2019 finishing 13th in standings for Dale Coyne and won Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after finishing seventh... Made his INDYCAR debut in Detroit in 2018...Competed in Formula 2000, British Formula 3, GP3 finishing third at Spa Francorchamps as a rookie, was development driver for Haas F1 team for three years (2016-2018), moved to Formula 2 in 2018...Began racing karts at age 5, moved to cars in 2013.

Sgt. Mike Gower, profiled in last week's notes, will attend this weekend's race and is going to cross one item off his bucket list -- riding in an Indy car. He will be getting a two-seater ride this weekend at WWTR!

The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 will be broadcast by FOX Sunday Night starting at 9 p.m. ET.

Nicholas Monteiro enters his first INDY NXT by Firestone oval race weekend with prior oval experience from the 2024 and 2025 Carb Night Classic events at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in USF Pro 2000. As he continues to develop throughout his rookie campaign, Monteiro has focused on building the mental and physical endurance required for the unique demands and intensity of INDY NXT oval racing.

How are you feeling going into your first INDY NXT oval race weekend? And how do you think the test prepared you?

NM: "I'm really excited to be heading into my first INDY NXT oval race weekend. Ovals are a unique challenge and something I've been looking forward to experiencing at this level. The test was extremely valuable, not only for getting comfortable with the car in traffic and understanding how the aero behaves, but also for building confidence and learning what I need from the car over a run. I think we gathered a lot of useful information that should help us be competitive this weekend."

Having raced an oval in USF Pro 2000, how do you expect oval racing in INDY NXT to compare? 

NM: "Racing an INDY NXT car on an oval is definitely a step up from what I experienced in USF Pro 2000. The cars have more power, more downforce, and the races tend to be more strategic, especially when it comes to tire management and working through traffic. Having previous experience at IRP helps because I already know the track characteristics, but I expect the racing to be more intense and the margins to be even smaller."

Do you prefer the back-to-back race weekend or do like having more time to prepare for each weekend?

NM: "There are positives to both. Having more time between events allows you to review data, reset, and prepare in detail, but I also enjoy back-to-back race weekends because it keeps you in a rhythm. The lessons from one event are still fresh in your mind, and you can carry that momentum straight into the next race. As a driver, I enjoy being in the car as much as possible, so back-to-back weekends are always fun."

Alessandro de Tullio has demonstrated front-running pace every single event this season, capturing five of seven pole positions, but a series of unlucky setbacks has prevented those performances from being fully reflected in the results. World Wide Technology Raceway presents another opportunity for de Tullio to translate that speed into a strong finish and valuable championship points.

How are you feeling going into your first INDY NXT oval race weekend? And how do you think the test prepared you?

ADT: "I’m excited heading into my first INDY NXT oval weekend. The test gave me valuable experience and helped get me comfortable with the car on an oval, so I feel well prepared going into the weekend."

Having raced an oval in USF Pro 2000, how do you expect oval racing in INDY NXT to compare? 

ADT: "I don't think it's a direct comparison. WWTR is a very different type of oval than IRP, as you run a completely different line, so it will be a new challenge in the INDY NXT car."

Do you prefer the back-to-back race weekend or do like having more time to prepare for each weekend?

ADT: "I don't really have a preference. Whether the races are close together or spread out, my approach stays the same."

How would you describe the feeling of the first time you drove an oval?

ADT: "Fast."

The INDY NXT by Firestone at World Wide Technology Raceway will be broadcast by FS1 on Sunday evening starting at 5:30 ET.