Notes & Quotes: Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C.

Sergeant Steven Curry joined the Army in 2003 as an Infantry Mortarman and did tours in Afghanistan and Iraq before becoming injured from four explosive formed penetrators (EFP) in 2006. It was the second time his vehicle encountered an IED but this time with more devastating consequences. He now lives in Nokesville, Va. with his wife Samantha and daughters McKenna and Charli and their black lab "Liberty." We asked him a few questions...

When did you join the military and where did you serve?

SC: "Joined the Army in 2003 as an Infantry Mortarman, and medically retired in 2008 as a Sergeant.

I was in Afghanistan from April 2004 to May 2005 and then Iraq from August 2006 to November 2006.

How did you become injured? 

SC: "In October 2006, I was the passenger in a humvee that ran over an IED. A month later, in November, I was the passenger in another humvee that was struck from the side by multiple IEDs resulting in the amputation of my left leg below the knee. Both IEDs were in Kirkuk, Iraq."

What were the extent of your injuries?

SC: "Left below-knee amputation and a traumatic brain injury."

How many surgeries did you undergo and what was the length of your recovery (time spent in hospitals and in rehab centers)?

SC: "A dozen or so surgeries between Iraq, Landstuhl, Germany and Walter Reed. I lived at Walter Reed for a little over a year."

What was the most difficult part of your journey?

SC: "After recovering and getting used to living a mostly normal life, having set-backs that forced me to slow down and take breaks from activities that I enjoyed or being prevented from doing things with my family."

In 2022, with fellow HFOT home recipients Cam West and Adam Kisielewski, Steven climbed Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains. The trio went on to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2023.

Do you have any advice for other Veterans who may be struggling to adapt after suffering serious injury while serving?

SC: "One thing that helped me keep a positive attitude was knowing there’s always another Veteran out there with much worse injuries than mine, who isn’t letting it define who they are or preventing them from living the best life they can. Everyone in your life still needs you to be the best version of yourself you can be and you’re fully capable of succeeding at anything, you just have to want it bad enough to execute and complete the mission."

Who are the heroes in your life?

SC: "I’m lucky enough to know many Veterans with life-altering injuries, similar to mine and much worse, that would prevent most people from living their lives to the fullest. These men not only survive, but thrive and continue to pursue and reach goals and accomplish things many only dream of doing. Many of them spend countless hours giving back to our community and making a way for the Veterans who will undoubtedly come after us. I really look up to these men that continue to sacrifice and give back. Many of them have personally helped me along the way."

Sgt. Curry and family in his home which he received in 2016.

Please describe the impact on your life and that of your family of getting a specially adapted home from Homes For Our Troops. If already moved into your home, how has it changed your life?

SC: "Living in my HFOT home over the last ten years has had so many positive impacts on my family and those closest to us. Physically, emotionally and financially. I’ve been provided an environment that I can thrive in physically. I’m able to push myself without consequence, knowing that I live in a home that is fully accessible for when I need to take a break. This has given me and my wife peace of mind knowing that I can continue to contribute around the house no matter what, and as I eventually get older and my body can no longer keep up with my spirit, I have a safe place to live. The financial freedom is also worth noting. Being mortgage-free has allowed us to support our girls to pursue their chosen sports at highly competitive levels even through college, spend quality time together on awesome vacations with family and friends, and plan for the future. Our home is the defacto Summer hangout spot for our closest friends!"

Have you been to a race before? If so, when, where and what series?

SC: "My dad worked at Charlotte Motor Speedway when I was little, so I went to a lot of NASCAR races as a kid. In high school, my friends and I spent a lot of time at the Mooresville Drag Strip and Concord Speedway. Five dollar Test and Tune and Fan Race nights were always a big hit! I was fortunate enough to attend the 108th Indy 500 with my dad, and I even made my way onto the track and snagged a picture with the Borg-Warner Trophy on the Bricks!"

What are you most looking forward to seeing/doing at the race this weekend?

SC: "We live outside DC and have spent a lot of time around the National Mall. I’m excited to see Indy cars racing through the streets of DC, and experiencing it with my wife!"

What are your hobbies and interests?

SC: "Working out, spending time with my family, playing card and board games with our friends."

What are the top three things on your Bucket List?

SC: "Visit Alaska, take my family on safari in Tanzania, travel through the Caribbean on a sailboat."

SANTINO FERRUCCI practiced what he preaches last weekend as he avoided trouble at the new Markham, Ontario street circuit, where there was plenty of havoc, and soldiered home for a 10th place finish. It was his fourth top-10 of the season. He has been busy this week in Washington spreading awareness of the Homes For Our Troops mission--building homes and rebuilding lives for the severely injured post 9/11 Veterans.

Santino Ferrucci is auctioning off his helmet to raise funds for Homes For Our Troops. The 10-day auction starts at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 22 at www.eBay.com/hfot. Ferrucci will wear the helmet in the Freedom 250 and the NTT INDYCAR Series season finale at Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. September 6th.

Santino, you've raced at some pretty iconic places, but this is unlike anything IndyCar has ever done. What's it going to be like racing through the streets of Washington with monuments and the National Mall as the backdrop?

SF: "I think it's pretty special, actually spectacular, and so very different for our sport. Everybody's looking forward to it. Overall, we're just really excited."

The race is more than just racing. With America celebrating its 250th, and your number 14 carrying the White House Historical Association logo. How special is it for you to be part of an event that connects IndyCar, American history, and Homes For Our Troops?

SF: "I think it's cool to be a part of history in that regard. I mean, racing in D.C. for America's 250th,

racing for our Veterans and for Homes For Our Troops, it's an incredible confluence of events. It's one of those things where you can have an amazing weekend at an historical place during an historical time and really have a big impact. The partnership with the White House Historical Association's really unique. They've been great to work with. They've created a beautiful ornament with the 14 car and they're featuring special merch in their gift shop and the proceeds benefit their Association and Homes For Our Troops. Plus we have their logo on our car. We've been able to spend a lot of time with Stewart McLaurin, who is the president of the White House Historical Association, so it's been an extraordinary experience."

The race has been extended to the full 250-mile distance, so strategy and tire/fuel management are going to be important on a brand new street circuit. What will be the biggest challenge over 147 laps?

SF: "I think the biggest challenge on a race that long is just survival. Street courses are more a test of surviving these races than doing anything spectacular. Also, with a first-time street course, there's always a bit more carnage than when we go back for following years. I think just being able to avoid that carnage and then surviving the entire race, we'll end up in a pretty good spot."

Ferrucci Fast Facts: Age 28 (as of May 31)...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.

Ferrucci was seen signing documents at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office in the White House this week! Or so it appeared. Actually, he was signing items at the replica Resolute Desk in the to-scale-replica Oval Office in The People's House -- a promotion set up by the White House Historical Association in conjunction with their partnership with AJ Foyt Racing.

As part of the promotion, there is a life-size cutout of the No. 14 Indy car along with a life size cutout of Ferrucci available for photo ops at The People's House at 1700 Pennsylvania Ave. In their gift shop there is assorted AJ Foyt Racing themed merchandise for sale which is also available online at https://shop.whitehousehistory.org/?utm_source=Shop+Button&utm_medium=WHHA+Top+Nav&utm_campaign=WHHA+Shop+Links.

CAIO COLLET was one of the quickest rookies in practice last week at the brand new Markham street course which bodes well for this week in Washington, D.C. Marcelo Camargos, owner of Combitrans Amazonia, made the trip in from Brazil to see his young rookie driver compete.

This is the first INDYCAR race through Washington, D.C., with the National Mall and some of the country’s most iconic landmarks surrounding the track. What has it been like preparing for a race with that kind of atmosphere and significance?

CC: "It’s definitely a unique event. Racing through Washington, D.C., with so many iconic landmarks around us makes it feel very different from any other race on the calendar. It’s been exciting to prepare for something completely new, and I think the atmosphere is going to be incredible once we get on track.

With no previous race data at this 1.7-mile, seven-turn circuit, how do you and your team approach finding the right setup and learning the track? Is there a particular section you think will be especially challenging during the race?

CC: "With no previous race data, there’s a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. We’ll rely heavily on the simulator, the track walk, and the information we can gather during the first sessions. The biggest thing will be learning the track quickly and understanding where we can push the limits, because on a street circuit you have very little margin for error."

As you head into such a unique event, what would make you walk away from Washington, D.C., feeling that you and the team had a successful weekend?

CC: "For me, a successful weekend would be one where we maximize what we have at every stage of the weekend. Obviously, we always want to be fighting for the best possible result, but especially on a new circuit, executing well, avoiding mistakes and learning quickly will be very important. If we can do all of that and finish the weekend feeling that we extracted the maximum from the car and the team, I’ll consider it a successful weekend."

You were so quick at Markham last week. What did you like about that track that suited your style and do you think DC will be similar or very different?

CC: "I really enjoyed Markham because it suited the way I like to drive. There were some high-speed sections and I felt like I could use the car’s strengths, which suited my style well. I think D.C. will be quite different. A lot more emphasis on braking and traction. Hopefully some of the confidence we built at Markham carries over and we can have a similar pace from the start."

Caio Collet 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. 

VetClaims.ai joined AJ Foyt Racing this season as an associate marketing partner. The company was founded by Purple Heart Veteran Lukas Simianer after fighting through his own VA claim. Like millions of veterans, he encountered a system that was confusing, slow, and stacked against the people it was meant to serve. He also saw an industry built around exploiting that confusion.

One of the fastest growing technology-based firms in veterans' services, VetClaims.ai exists to help veterans get the benefits they earned by making the VA claims process clear, fast, and fair—while driving predatory claim-shark practices into extinction.

"I genuinely can’t think of a better way to celebrate 250 years of American greatness than INDYCAR, where innovation and competition have produced results that effect the world we live in," said Simianer. "The Foyt team has been an historic part of this sport, innovators in American history, and now ensuring their efforts help America's veterans. It doesn’t get any better."

The Freedom 250 Grand Prix will be broadcast by FOX on Sunday, Aug. 23rd, starting with a pre-race show at 11 a.m. ET. The race coverage starts at 1.p.m.ET.