Notes & Quotes: Indianapolis 500

HM3 Nathaniel Randell Leoncio, originally from the Philippines (Manila), joined the Navy  to become a corpsman and planned to become a firefighter paramedic after his tour of duty. However, when his humvee hit an improvised explosive device (IED), the vehicle flipped over backwards, crushing Leoncio's right leg. He was transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital and Brooke Army Medical Center for treatment which including amputation of his right leg before completing his rehab at Balboa Naval Hospital. Medically retired, Randell works as a prosthetist at Balboa. Through a friend, he met his wife Abreail, a Navy nurse with the rank of lieutenant commander before she retired. He and his family which includes stepsons Jacob and Matthew Tetzlaff, live in their new home in Escondido, Calif. We asked him a few questions...

When did you join the Military?

RL: "Enlisted in the Navy in September, 2004 at age 22 and became a US Navy HM3 Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class.

Where did you serve in the military?

RL: "Operation Iraqi Freedom 3 in Ramadi, Iraq"

How did you become injured?

RL: "On Oct 4, 2005, while in a Humvee, I was injured when the hmvee hit an IED in the road."

Randell works as a prosthetist since retiring from the U.S. Navy.

 What were the extent of your injuries?

RL: "Multiple fractures including jaw and back, perforated small bowel and a few other minor injuries."

How many surgeries did you undergo and what was the length of your recovery?

RL: "Too many surgeries to count. I was injured Oct. 4, 2005 and I left the military in Nov., 2007."

What was the most difficult part of your journey?

RL: "The mental hurdles of overcoming trauma and injury."

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

RL: "Talk it out with someone and be careful of unhealthy habits."

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

RL: "Receiving an adapted home from Homes For Our Troops has made the home situation incredibly easier and stress has been reduced. The ability to function in the home even when the leg hurts is a huge change and benefit."

Do you have any pets?

RL: "We have a German Shepherd named Ahsoka, and three Savannah cats named

 Nova, Chewy, and Han,

What are your hobbies or interests:?

RL: "Rock Crawling/Off Roading, Camping/Glamping! Single Leg Skiing! (went for the first time this past winter).

What are the top three things on your Bucket List?

RL: "Travel the world with my wife, ski Whistler and in Japan, wheel and rock crawl all over the U.S."

Rock-climbing is one of Randell's passions since retiring from the Navy.

SANTINO FERRUCCI will be making his 100th INDYCAR start when he takes the green flag n the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Ferrucci will start fifth in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, the fourth time he has qualified in the Firestone Fast Six at Indy. Making his eighth start in the Indy 500, Ferrucci is aiming to keep his record of consecutive top-10 finishes in the 500, currently seven out of seven races, intact.

One hundred (100) starts is a huge milestone. When do you think back to your debut, what stands out the most about your journey to this moment?

SF: "I feel just really lucky and fortunate to have been in the series as long as I have. The fact that Indy is going to be my 100th start is just special. I think the whole month has gone really well for us, and hopefully we have something magical happen on Sunday."

What is it about the speedway that you just seem to have an affinity for it?

SF: "I think I'm just very sensitive to the car, just very good at understanding what's happening with the car, and that's what's made me stand out here, as opposed to other places. "

You've always had a reputation for being aggressive and fearless at Indy. How much confidence does fifth place starting spot give you heading into the 500 miles?

SF: "Honestly, starting fifth is incredibly unexpected, knowing that we have one of the best race cars and not having to work forward through the field is going to be a big deal. I think just having a calm, cool mindset is going to be important, but it (starting fifth) definitely takes a lot of stress out of that day come Sunday.

Race engineer Adam Kolesar and Santino Ferrucci at Indy during practice.

This race has a way of rewarding experience. How has your approach to the 500 changed now compared to your first few starts?

SF: "It actually hasn't changed. I've had the same approach since I started this race, which is once you're in there at the end, you're normally fighting for the win, and with the cars that I've had, the goal was always to get to the end and then fight, and especially this year with such a great car, the goal is to actually survive past the first 120, 150 laps, and just know that we're going to have a fighting chance at winning this race at the end of the day.

You and AJ Foyt Racing have shown serious speed all month, what makes this team capable of fighting for the win on race day?

SF: "I think it's just the result of everything we've done. The cars have been good. Caio has been a great teammate. We've been able to bounce things off each other, even with him being a rookie. The guys have done such a great job in the off season prepping these cars --it makes a difference."

Carrying the Homes for Our Troops stars and stripes livery on Memorial Day weekend, what would it mean to you to win the 500 this year during Americans 250th?

SF:  "I don't think you can put into words what winning this race in the Homes For Our  Troops car, but not only that, but winning in the 14 car, regardless of the year, would mean to me. It is something that makes your career so that's why it's so important to win. I do want to win one for A.J. and for Larry. Larry's been behind me since I've come to this team, so I think it's important. I also think what we're doing in the year of America's 250th is going to be incredibly important in raising awareness and money for our veterans who've sacrificed everything for us to have the freedoms we have today. It's be a big deal. If it's not the 500, I hope we have something this year where we can really put them on the top step."

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.

CAIO COLLET is making his first start in the Indianapolis 500 and he has already experienced the highs and lows of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. Collet posted a four lap average of 231.419mph to advance to the top 12 and then went out in tricky conditions to post a speed of 230.539mph and slotted in 10th quickest, the fastest rookie in the field. Unfortunately, the car did not pass post qualifying inspection due to a part modification that was recently disallowed resulting from a miscommunication within the team. Although it did factor into increased performance, Collet's time was disallowed and he was relegated to the 32nd spot on the grid.

You originally qualified 10th as the fastest rookie, but were moved back after inspection problems. How do you mentally reset from that disappointment?

CC: “It's not the first, and it won't be the last setback that I have in my career, so it's just trying to adapt to the conditions and adapt to the situation that you are in. I think the car, it's the same and gives me a lot of confidence, because we, it's really fast car, so hopefully we can do a good strategy, good pit stops, and move forward."

What have you been told to expect on race day? Has Santino told you anything?

CC: “No, I haven't chatted about with him yet, but I think to expect a lot of people, a lot of chaos, and I think the atmosphere, it's awesome. Race day gets better than every other day here, so I’ll just try to enjoy it."

What about the race itself, the start?

CC: “Oh, yeah, definitely, just to watch out, because everything can be over in lap one. The race is super long, so just make sure that you avoid the chaos in lap one and then move forward."

Going from INDY NXT runner up to racing in the biggest event in American motorsports is a huge leap. What has been the biggest adjustment for you with AJ Foyt Racing so far?

CC: “It's a big leap, but I think what you do on track doesn't change so much. The approach obviously is a little bit different, but the driving, the work ethic, for me, it's always the same, just to keep pushing myself, pushing the team. It's a race car with four wheels and a steering wheel, so it's obviously in the race itself, the approach will be the same. But I think it’s the background that changes a lot off the track. It's the biggest race in the world, so you have to do a lot more preparation, a lot more media stuff, a lot more people come to the races, so that really changes, but I think the approach, the approach will be the same that I do for any other race.”

What about getting used to the speed?

CC: “That was really impressive. I think it was one of the things that really impressed me the most from my first lap until now. But I think the team did a really good job with the car, and I was comfortable from the first lap that I did until now. Never really struggled. Obviously, there's a couple of things I had to improve, and we had to work on, but I never had a moment where I stopped trusting myself and stopped trusting the car that I had underneath me. So it was so far a really, really great month, and hopefully we can do a good race as well. But yeah, it's definitely really impressive, the speed that you do here on qualifying day. I think I really enjoyed myself out there, and was awesome."

As a Brazilian driver following the names of Elio and Tony. What would it mean to make a strong debut in the Indy 500 for the Brazilian fans watching back home?

CC: “I would say it's a little bit harder than starting P 10, starting in the last row, but nevertheless we have a great car, and we can climb up the field. I think personally I would like to be the first rookie and the rookie of the race, and I don't know what position I have to finish to do that, but hopefully we can be near the top 10 at the end, where we should have started. I think a close to the top 10 finish would be an awesome day."

For your first 500 is the goal simply to finish, or do you believe a rookie can realistically contend for the win?

"Every time you jump in the car, you think you can win, but realistically, I think I would just like to do a good and solid race, finish in the end as the top rookie, and hopefully near the top 10. I think that will be really awesome day."

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.

KATHERINE LEGGE will be making her fifth start in the Indianapolis 500 driving the No. 11 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet, lining up 26th on the 33-car grid. The first woman to attempt The Double, Legge will practice on Carb Day at Indy, jet to Charlotte to practice and qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 on Saturday, then jet back to Indy to race on Sunday. After the Indy 500, Legge flies to Charlotte to compete in the 600 mile race around the high-banked 1.5-mile speedway.

This month has included a lot of pressure, preparation, and attention around your Indy/NASCAR “Double” attempt — how do you balance staying focused while also appreciating the history you’re trying to make? 

KL: “There’s a significance and rareness to this Double opportunity and I don’t take that lightly. There’s also so much preparation and execution required that you can’t spend too much time thinking emotionally about it. My main focus remains the Indy 500 and at the end of the day, history doesn’t help you drive the car. Preparation does. So most of my energy goes into making sure I’m physically ready, mentally sharp, and respectful of both races, both teams and my partners at e.l.f. and GM. Then hopefully afterwards I’ll have a little more space to appreciate what this month really meant, even if that comes next week on the lake looking back."

You’ve now qualified for your fifth Indy 500 — what feels different about this one compared to your first trip to the Speedway? 

KL: “Perspective. The first time you come to Indy, you’re honestly just trying to survive the experience because everything feels so massive and intimidating. Now, I have a much deeper appreciation for what it means to earn your way into this race. I also think I’m better at taking moments in now. Taking the time to enjoy the little things. Earlier in my career I was always so focused on proving I belonged. Now there’s a little more gratitude attached to it because you understand how difficult it is to get back here year after year and I’m so thankful to e.l.f. Cosmetics and Chevrolet for being such great partners. And obviously this year carries an entirely different level of intensity with The Double, so emotionally it feels bigger than any month of May I’ve had before.”

You’re the only woman in this year’s field again, but you’ve also become one of the veteran voices around here now. How proud are you of the example you’re setting for young racers watching? 

KL: “I’m very aware that visibility matters, especially for young girls coming into sports in general. When I was younger, there weren’t many women doing this at the highest level, so sometimes you had to imagine your own roadmap. It's actually a very cool full circle moment to be able to work with Sarah Fisher this year, whom I looked up to coming up the ranks. At the same time, I’ve always wanted the focus to just being a driver; not the girl driver. I don’t wake up thinking, ‘I’m representing women today.’ I wake up thinking about driving the race car as fast as possible. But if my career helps make this environment feel a little more possible or accessible for the next generation, then that’s something I’m incredibly proud of.”

Katherine Legge Fast Facts: Born in Guildford, Surrey, U.K...Lives in Atlanta, Ga....In 2025, she became the first woman to qualify for a Cup Series race since Danica Patrick’s 2012 debut, and the first woman in seven years to start a Cup race. Across 14 starts spanning ARCA, the Xfinity Series (now O’Reilly), and Cup competition, she recorded two top-20 finishes at the Cup level and was the highest-finishing rookie in her debut race...Released “Kat’s Magic Helmet’, a children’s book from Red Racer (Amazon, 2025)...Competed in the 102nd Pikes Peak Hill Climb as a rookie, reaching the 14,115-foot summit in 10:51.359 - just three seconds of the front wheel drive record (2024)...Became the first female to be inducted into the Motorsports Walk of Fame in Long Beach, California, joining legends of the sport like Mario Andretti (2024)...Spent three seasons in a factory-backed Acura GTD program, earning four wins and 11 podium finishes...Was the first female to lead the Daytona Rolex 24 Endurance race (2016)...Became the 9th female to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 (2012)...In fact, she is the fastest woman to ever qualify for the Indy 500, setting the record in 2023 with a four-lap average speed of 231.070 mph and a top single-lap speed of 231.627 mph...Became the first female to lead laps in Champ Car (now INDYCAR) when she led 12 laps at Milwaukee (2006)...Was the first female to win a major open-wheel race in North America (2005)...Bested the lap record set by eventual Formula One World Champion Kimi Raikkonen, which led to becoming the second female offered a F1 test since Sarah Fisher (2002), when she tested with the Minardi team (now Oracle Red Bull Racing)...Was the first female to achieve a pole in a British Formula Ford Zetec event (2000).

A.J. catches up with author Art Garner who delivered Vol. 2 to A.J. Shipping July 6th, the books can be pre-ordered at: https://octanepress.com/book/aj-foyt-biography-legacy-volume-ii

 The Indianapolis 500 will be broadcast on FOX on Sunday, May 24th with the pre-race show starting at 10 a.m. ET. The race broadcast will start at 12:30 p.m. ET.