NOTES & QUOTES: Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix

U.S. Army Corporal Jeffery Williams was on a mission to support the Marines in Iraq in 2004 when his Humvee was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device). He was one of just three soldiers to survive but he sustained serious injuries that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany for initial treatment, he was then transported to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and eventually the Augusta, Ga. VA hospital. In November, 2011, he received his home in Madison, Ala. where he lives with his dog Marlee. We asked him a few questions...

Please describe your military service:

JW: "I served in the United States Army with the 10^th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, New York. During my deployment to Iraq, I was injured by an IED blast that left me paralyzed from the chest down."

This image of the Humvees in Iraq was screenshot from the Homes For Our Troops video about Jeffery Williams's journey (https://www.hfotusa.org/building-homes/veterans/williams/).

What was the most difficult part of your journey?

JW: "Recovering from those injuries was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, but it also strengthened my resilience and determination."

Please describe the impact on your life of getting a specially adapted home from Homes For Our Troops.

JW: "The home is to me what water is to a fish. My HFOT home is not only my shelter—it is my habitat. It’s an amazing feeling knowing that great Americans are willing to help."

What interests do you have?

JW: "I enjoy exercising and traveling."

After receiving his custom home from Homes For Our Troops, Williams earned his Bachelor's degree

from Columbia College. He currently works on the board of appeals for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is an active member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. In 2024, Jeffery won three gold medals in bowling, powerlifting, and adaptive sports at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. In the previous games, he secured two silver medals and another gold.

In 2024, Williams learned about EksoBionics exoskeleton technology and began training with a physical therapist through a program in the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs. The exoskeleton allows him to stand and walk for the first time in 20 years.

Williams stands with the aid of his exoskeleton after 20 years of being confined to a wheelchair.

"I would get tired real fast and my legs would swell, cause again, my body was not used to standing up no more," Williams said. "I got used to it - it was a very challenging time when we first started. I hadn't stood up in 20 years, just to be able to view the world from a vertical standpoint was like wild to me."

Williams' training is ongoing, and he can now take up to 400 steps per session in the exoskeleton. With the help of his family and medical support team, he continues to grow stronger every day. (EksoBionics story courtesy of story on WAAY-TV, ABC Ch. 31, which aired Oct. 27, 2025).

CAIO COLLET is a 23-year-old rookie piloting the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet in the NTT INDYCAR Series. The only Brazilian competing full-time this season, Collet will turn 24 on Good Friday, April 3rd. With just three races under his belt, he has completed 418 of a possible 420 laps and currently sits 18th in the standings. His best finish to date is 12th at Arlington where he posted his best qualifying to date -- 16th.

This race will be your first INDYCAR race on a permanent road course. Your thoughts on that?

CC: "I’m really looking forward to it. Permanent road courses are where I’ve spent most of my career, so it feels a bit more natural for me. INDYCAR is obviously a different challenge with but I’m excited to apply the experience that I’m gaining and keep building race by race."

What do you like about Barber Motorsports Park?

CC: "Barber is an amazing track. It’s very technical, super smooth, and has a great flow to it. The elevation changes make it even more challenging, and it really rewards precision. It’s one of those tracks where you need to be hooked up every lap."

How difficult is it to pass at Barber? Where are the best passing zones?

CC: "It’s definitely not the easiest place to pass. The track is quite narrow and very flowing, so it’s hard to get out of line. I think your best chances are into Turn 5 under braking and T14/T15, but a lot of it comes down to setting up the move a few corners before and maximizing exits." 

Does it remind you of any other tracks you have raced on?

CC: "It reminds me a bit of some European-style tracks, especially with the flow and elevation. Maybe a mix between something like Spielberg (aka Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria) and parts of tracks I’ve raced in junior categories, where rhythm is really important."

What is your favorite sculpture at the track?

CC: "There are so many around the circuit, which makes it really unique. I would say the spider is really cool even If I’m a bit scared of them." 

Have you been to the Museum at the track?

CC: "Not yet, but I’m really looking forward to visiting it on Friday. I’ve heard great things about it, especially the collection of motorcycles and race cars, so it should be a really cool experience."

Note: Caio will be making an appearance during the cocktail hour of the Racing for Children's Dinner and Auction Friday night at the Museum.

Caio Collet Facts: Age 23...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 FIUA Formula 3, won a total of three races, one pole and scored none 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 is driving the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet this season. He was closing in on his first top-10 finish of the season at Arlington but a problem with the brakes with 12 laps to go resulted in an excursion into the Turn 10 run-off and he lost six spots. He finished 17th. In his three outings at Barber with the No. 14, his best finish is seventh (2024) and his best start is 13th (2025). He is looking to improve on both of those stats this weekend.

Do you like the Barber Motorsports Park?

SF: "I think it's a really fun track, very historic, quite entertaining. Personally, I prefer the fact that it's got a lot of high risk, high reward corners. It's a proper race track, long undulations, all types of corners, so that just makes it more interesting for a driver and it makes it more fun."

There's always talk about the G-forces at the track. How do you deal with them there?

SF: "To be honest with you, it's not as bad as some other tracks. So, it's probably mid-range as far as physicality goes."

Is it difficult to pass there? And if not, what are the best passing zones?

SF: "It's pretty difficult to pass there, but the best passing zones are into Turn 5, and potentially 5 into 7, and sometimes into Turn 1."

You've had competitive cars at barber the last couple of years, what's made the difference?

SF: "We've been competitive in the race during the last few years. We've just been unfortunate with some other stuff. But I think it's just having a good understanding of what's underneath us because I like the race car. I'm hoping that we can get qualifying sorted so we can start a little bit further up the field to make my life a little easier."

What's more important at Barber, the aero balance or the mechanical grip?

SF: "The mechanical grip is probably more important. (Why?) There's a lot of big brake zones and slow corners so there's just not enough high-speed corners to make a huge difference with the aero."

Were you able to figure out what happened with the brakes at Arlington so you don't have those issues at Barber?

SF: "Yes we did and we are making changes so it won't happen again. We never had that issue before."  

Ferrucci Fast Facts: Age 27...Born in Woodbury, CT...Lives in Dallas, Texas...Married Renay Moore in January, 2024...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.

The Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix will be broadcast on FOX on Sunday, March 29th, starting at 1 p.m. ET. The INDY NXT doubleheader will be broadcast on FS1. Race 1 will kick off Saturday at 1 p.m. ET and Race 2 will be starting at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday.

NICHOLAS MONTEIRO, 20, pilots the No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing entry in his rookie INDY NXT by Firestone campaign. After opening the season with a steep learning curve across two demanding street circuits, he enters the Alabama doubleheader focused on securing strong finishes.

How does your preparation change between road courses like Barber and street circuits? 

NM: "Preparation for a road course like Barber is definitely different compared to street circuits. On road courses, there’s more focus on flow, rhythm, and maximizing high-speed corners, so I spend more time working on consistency and carrying speed through long sequences. Street circuits are more about precision and confidence with very little margin for error, so the approach there is a bit more aggressive. For Barber, it’s really about being smooth and putting everything together over a full lap."

With this weekend being your first INDY NXT doubleheader, do you feel added pressure or do you view it as a greater opportunity?

NM: "I see it more as an opportunity than pressure. A doubleheader gives you two chances to get strong results and build momentum across the weekend. It’s also a good test in terms of consistency and how quickly you can reset between races. I’m looking forward to it and aiming to maximize both races."

What's challenging about Barber, and what stands out about it?

NM: "Barber is a very technical track and really tests your precision and discipline. There are a lot of fast, flowing corners where small mistakes can cost a lot of time. It’s also physically demanding and requires full focus every lap. What sets it apart is how smooth and flowing it is compared to other tracks—it’s all about rhythm and getting into a good groove."

What’s one thing you learned across the first two races that you are taking into this weekend?

NM: "One of the biggest things I’m taking into this weekend is a better understanding of the car and how to adapt quicker to different conditions. I’ve been working on extracting more from the car earlier in the sessions and building confidence faster, which I think will be really important for a track like Barber."

ALESSANDRO DE TULLIO, 19, is a rookie in INDY NXT by Firestone, driving the No. 14 car for AJ Foyt Racing. He has shown tremendous pace through preseason testing and the first two races, securing the pole position at the Grand Prix of Arlington. De Tullio arrives at Barber Motorsports Park eager to convert speed into results.

How does your preparation change between road courses like Barber and street circuits? 

ADT: "My preparation is pretty much the same across road and street courses. I would say the only different thing would be that on a road course you can attack more from the get-go." 

With this weekend being your first INDY NXT doubleheader, do you feel added pressure or do you view it as a greater opportunity?

ADT: "For me it’s a greater opportunity to bounce back and gather back points. We had the pace in Arlington, so I am looking to carry that into this weekend and build on it in the championship. We know we have what it takes to fight at the front, and that's where we want to be consistently. "

What's challenging about Barber, and what stands out about it?

ADT: "Barber is quite a technical track with a lot of elevation change, so it really keeps you on your toes throughout the lap. I’d say it rewards high commitment and confidence, especially through the faster sections, which I’m ready to embrace as we head into the weekend. It’s a track where rhythm is important, and when you get it right, it’s really enjoyable to drive."