Notes & Quotes: Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey
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This season we have profiled Veterans who have received specially adapted custom homes that are mortgage-free from Homes For Our Troops whose mission is to "Build Homes. Rebuild Lives." Getting to know these brave men who served our country, and sacrificed dearly for it, has been both a privilege and an inspiration for our team. It is our mission to spread awareness of these individuals in the belief that fellow Americans will donate to HFOT.org once they learn of these honored members of the military who live every day with the consequences of war.
U.S. Army Specialist Geoff "Geo" Quevedo cites his brother-in-law (and Geo's hero), who served in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004-05, as the reason for enlisting at the age of 18 in 2010. The 20-year-old soldier lost both his left arm and leg when an IED exploded while on patrol, but it didn't stop him from his passion for running. He has competed in half-marathons and often competes on Team HFOT. Born in Reedley, Calif., Geo currently lives in Temecula, Calif. along with his four children and three dogs: two German Shepherds ("Pepper" and "Penelope") and a Belgian Malinois ("Rebel"). We asked him a few questions...
Where did you serve in the military?
GQ: "Afghanistan: Arghandab Valley and Kandahar Province, April-Nov 2011."
How did you become injured?
GQ: "Dismounted IED in Maywand District, Afghanistan, 30 NOV 2011."
What were the extent of your injuries?
GQ: "Left Arm and Left Leg amputations, multiple facial fractures, broken left knee cap, collapsed lung, died 7 times while being worked on, medically induced coma for a week post-injury."
How many surgeries did you undergo and what was the length of your recovery?
GQ: "After my injury, I had over 40 surgeries. I was hospitalized until SEP 2013."
What was the most difficult part of your journey?
GQ: "Coming to the realization of living with life-altering injuries. I am reminded daily when I have nerve pain or bump my nub that I am double amputee."
Do you have any advice for other Veterans who may be struggling to adapt after suffering serious injury while serving?
GQ: "I say always stay in the fight, don’t let the bad days win, and reach out to your fellow combat brothers because they are there for you and we are the only ones who can relate what you’re going through."
Who are the heroes in your life?
GQ: "I look up to my brother in law – my sister’s husband, he served in 04/05 Fallujah, Iraq. He is the reason I joined the army."
Please describe the impact on your life and that of your family of getting a specially adapted home from Homes For Our Troops.
GQ: "I now have the capabilities to take care of my four kids in my wheelchair because of my home. In a normal home I wouldn’t be able to be present whether it’s chasing after my kids, cooking dinner with them, bathing them, getting them ready for bed. If I didn’t have the option to do those things in my wheelchair, I’d miss out on everything being a dad is. I am an amputee but I never want my kids to say, “My dad can’t” do anything because of that."
What are you most looking forward to seeing/doing at the race this weekend?
GQ: "I am looking forward to seeing how fast the cars go and how they maneuver.
What are your hobbies or interests?
GQ: "Shooting, fishing, golfing, hunting, running, soccer, snowboarding, racers/quads."
What are the top three things on your Bucket List?
GQ: "Attend a good UFC event, meet the Raiders team, travel to Barcelona/Spain and see a soccer game."
Santino Ferrucci's 9/11 and America's 250th commemorative helmet (which he paid for and helped design), raised $16,200 for Homes For Our Troops in the auction that closed on Monday. The winning bidder is a Connecticut resident. Ferrucci will wear the helmet in the final race of the season this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway/Laguna Seca. We appreciate all of the bidders who participated in the auction.
CAIO COLLET was fortunate to escape injury when his No. 4 Chevrolet car was punted into the wall by another competitor in the completion of Race 1 at the Milwaukee Mile Sunday afternoon. The Combitrans Amazonia crew spent the evening and the next morning preparing the backup car for this weekend's event. Collet is looking forward to returning to WeatherTech Raceway/Laguna Seca where he tested in July along with teammate Santino Ferrucci. Last year in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, Collet swept the doubleheader at Laguna Seca winning both poles and races driving for HMD Motorsports.
After testing at Laguna Seca earlier this summer, do you feel more prepared for this weekend?
CC: "Definitely. Having the test here earlier this summer was really valuable. Hopefully we can use everything we learned at the test and have a strong weekend."
Being the last race of the season, will you attack or be conservative in your approach?
CC: "I’ll definitely attack. It’s the last race of the season. The team deserves to finish the season on a high note. I will try to take everything I’ve learned this year into the final weekend and fight for a strong result."
What are two of the most important things you learned in your rookie year in the NTT INDYCAR Series?
CC: "I would say patience and adaptation. In IndyCar, things can change very quickly, and you have to be able to adapt to different tracks, conditions and situations. Also learned that you have to be patient and trust the process. Those are two things I’ll definitely carry with me moving forward."
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 time with family and friends.
SANTINO FERRUCCI closes out the 2026 season aiming to score a strong finish in the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway/Laguna Seca. Ferrucci's best start at the track is 12th (2019) and his best finish to date is ninth (2024).
Laguna Seca is a pretty unique track with elevation changes and the famous Corkscrew. What do you enjoy most about racing here, and what makes it such a challenge?
SF: "As far as road courses go, it's probably one of the better ones. There are a little bit more cautions. It's less of a parade. I think the races are always a bit more entertaining. The track is also just a lot of fun to drive."
What makes it a challenge?
SF: "It's a very technical track because of the layout, and it's very easy to go off. There are no runoffs -- it's very old school in that way. Tough braking zones, a lot of blind corners, and a lot of good mid-speed corners, third gear corners. Normally, the faster the corners, the easier it is to make a mistake, so why we probably see more cautions there with people going off. Also, with it being the final race of the season, I think people drive a little bit harder.
How do you approach the season finale differently, knowing you want to finish the year on a high note?
SF: "Obviously you kind of keep the same racing approach, but we haven't had a great season. But we've been really good on the road courses, so I think that we can have a good weekend. Having tested here, I feel really good about the car, and obviously we want to end the season on a high note just so we go into the off-season happy."
How did testing help?
SF: "The test helped us confirm a few things that we've been working on with our road course car. Also, it's just nice to get some extra laps around this track. This is a technical track, and it's harder to get up to speed here. So having run a test here does help with that."
What has it meant to you to carry the Homes for Our Troops livery the entire season?
SF: "It's been awesome. Getting to meet the veterans, getting to raise money, and do all these really cool races, surrounded by America's 250th birthday as well. I really think we've had a good impact on not just the Veterans for HFOT, but all the veterans in our country and all of our military personnel. Hopefully, the partnership continues on because I think it's something that we need as a country."
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.
BETTING ON BELOIT returns for Season 2, premiering Saturday, Sept. 12th at 12noonET/11CT on A&E. The reality TV show chronicles entrepreneur Diane Hendricks and her driven, accomplished daughter Konya Hendricks Schuh's mission to revitalize Beloit, Wisconsin. The show follows Konya and her dynamic team as they purchase, restore and reimagine historic homes throughout Beloit's storied neighborhoods.
The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey will be broadcast on FOX this Sunday, Sept. 6 starting at 2:30 ET.
INDY NXT BY FIRESTONE SERIES
NICHOLAS MONTEIRO drives the No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing entry in the series. The rookie's best start is 11th at the season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla. and his best finish is 14th in Race 1 of the Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsport Park outside of Birmingham. He is currently 22nd in the standings.
What’s been your favorite memory of the season?
NM: "My favorite memory has definitely been experiencing all the new tracks and challenges throughout the season. Every race weekend has given me something to learn, but being able to compete at this level and represent AJ Foyt Racing has been really special."
What’s your biggest takeaway/lesson you’ve learned from this season?
NM: "My biggest takeaway has been how important it is to constantly adapt and keep working, even when things don’t go exactly as planned. INDY NXT is extremely competitive, and the small details make a huge difference. I’ve learned a lot about myself as a driver and about how to work with the team to keep improving every weekend."
What makes Laguna Seca such a challenging track?
NM: "Laguna Seca is a really challenging track because it’s very technical and leaves very little room for mistakes. The elevation changes, high-speed corners, and especially the Corkscrew make it a track where you need a lot of confidence and precision. It’s also a track where finding the right balance in the car is really important, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do there."
Would you like to thank anyone specific for helping you get here?
NM: "I’d like to give a special shoutout to the entire AJ Foyt Racing team. Everyone has put in a huge amount of work this season, both at the track and behind the scenes. I’ve learned a lot from the engineers and mechanics, and I really appreciate how much everyone has supported me throughout the season. It’s been a big learning year for me, and I couldn’t have done it without the whole team."
ALESSANDRO DE TULLIO drives the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry; he is currently fifth in the championship standings and is in contention for the series title. He has scored two victories, eight pole positions, five top-fives and 11 top-10s. He leads all drivers in laps led with 99.
What’s been your favorite memory of the season?
ADT: “My favorite memory of this season has got to be my first win.”What’s your biggest takeaway/lesson you’ve learned from this season?ADT: “Don’t overthink, just execute.”
What makes Laguna Seca such a challenging track?
ADT: “Laguna Seca is challenging because of its blind corners, fast, long-duration corners, and lots of elevation changes.”
Would you like to thank anyone specific for helping you get here?
ADT: “Everyone has been awesome to work with this year, but special shoutout to my engineer, Joe D’Agostino, for helping me so much all year, providing me a fast car, and helping with my driving bits. Also, big thanks to my crew chief, Vince Bass, for always having the car ready 100% every weekend.”
The doubleheader weekend for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grands Prix of Monterey lists Race 1 being shown on FS2 on Saturday, Sept. 5 starting at 6:30 pm ET. On Sunday, Sept. 6, Race 2 is on FS1 starting at 12:30 pm ET.
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