Notes & Quotes: XPEL Grand Prix at Road America

Steve McKenzie joined AJ Foyt Racing last November as the chief mechanic/crew chief on the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet. Born in Wisconsin where he lived until age eight, he moved to Ironwood, Mich. where he lived until graduating from the University of Northwestern Ohio with an Associate degree in Automotive Technologies (specializing in high-performance motorsports). With the No. 14 having earned three straight top-five finishes, McKenzie is working to continue that streak this weekend at Road America, his "hometown track." We asked him a few questions...

How did you become interested in motorsports? 

SM: "I always liked racing video games and cool cars. I started out as a street car mechanic in high school and realized that race cars don’t have rust on them to deal with. Being a street car mechanic anywhere there is snow can be challenging with the snow and rust.

When and where did you start your professional career in racing?

SM: "My first race as an intern in college for the race club was at VIR with a sportscar team based out of Ohio. I was still in school and they had people go from the school to go races to help out and gain experience at the track."  

When did you realize you could make a career out of it? 

SM: "I realized I could make a career out of it when I started to meet more and more people that have been working in racing for most of their lives. I saw how much fun it could be and be able to travel to different parts of the country, see some awesome racetracks and see different types of racecars."

Have you ever raced cars yourself?

 SM: "No racing. Did a weekend in an F1000 car at a skip barber racing school at Road America. That was a blast!"

Please list major series you've worked in (year/series/ team/job)

2010-2013 seasons: Grand Am Series/Team Sahlen/1st Mechanic on Daytona Prototype 

2014-2016 seasons: IndyCar/Dale Coyne Racing/Rear-end Mechanic/Damper Specialist (2016)

2018-2019: IndyCar/Juncos Racing/Fly-in Mechanic/Damper Specialist

2020-2021: IMSA/JDC-Miller Motorsports/Fly-in Mechanic for Cadillac DPi program and mechanic on P3 car

2020: IndyCar/Dale Coyne Racing/Fly-in Mechanic for Indy 500  

2021 IndyCar/AJ Foyt Racing/Fly-in Chief Mechanic for Indy 500

2022-2023 seasons: IndyCar/RLL Racing/Rear-end Mechanic

2024 season: IndyCar/RLL Racing/Chief Mechanic

2025 season: IndyCar/AJ Foyt Racing/Chief Mechanic

What is your most significant achievement to date?  

SM: "Either second place in Detroit this year with Santino or getting 3rd at the Daytona 24 Hour race on the lead lap. Over 3,000 miles of racing and still on the same lap as 1st and 2nd place." 

McKenzie congratulates Ferrucci after finishing second in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

How did you come to work for AJ Foyt Racing?   

SM: "I was referred to the team by a friend in 2021 to work the Indy 500 and got to know some of the people on the team and kept in touch with them while working at other teams. I made the transition to the team this year because I saw that there is real room for improvement with the team and they are showing a competitive drive to accomplish good results."

What is your job on the team? 

SM: "Chief mechanic on the No. 14 car. I am responsible for making sure the car is put together correctly to match the standards of the team's chosen setup parameters and technical regulations of the series. During the weekend, I communicate setup changes to the mechanics from the engineers. During pit stops, I change the outside front tire."

McKenzie tosses his gun after changing the tire and adjusts the front wing during a pit stop.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

SM: "Doing everything that needs done to these cars in the amount of time that we are given."

What do you love most about working in the IndyCar Series? 

SM: "I like the cars, the tracks, and that the racing can be very exciting, but I also like the people. There are a lot of people in the series that are just great people. We are all competitive on and off track but all want to have fun."

What would you change, if you could?

SM: "The schedule. It is too condensed to appreciate each race. With such little time in between races, there is too much work that needs to happen to only have 1-2 days to make the cars ready for the next event." 

What is your favorite track and why?  

SM: "Road America. It is a beautiful track that is close to my home. I get to see all kinds of family there every year as they are my biggest supporters. It’s a great place to relax and watch some good racing."

What interests/hobbies do you have outside of racing?  

SM: "I have a project truck that I work on when I can (1979 Chevy K10 4x4). That keeps me pretty busy.

"I also love to be outside. Hiking, camping, riding my motorcycle. Anything to enjoy nature and unwind."

McKenzie took a trip to Iceland last fall. Here he is at Skógafoss, the famed waterfall in the southern part of the country.

What are the top 3 things on your bucket list?   

SM: "Scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef; Visit all 50 states; Take a road-trip in my project truck when it’s done."

 What is the best advice you've ever received?

SM: "Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life. My dad always reminds me of that saying."

The McKenzie family celebrating patriarch Jim's 70th. 

SANTINO FERRUCCI is on a hot streak of three straight top-five finishes (5th at Indy, 2nd at Detroit, 5th at St. Louis) which is a career first for him. He is currently 11th in the standings despite losing 26 points for a technical infraction in post-race inspection at Detroit. He names Road America as one of his favorite tracks. Last year, he was up to fifth (after starting 19th) when he got a drive-through penalty after a pit stop for a pit speed violation due to a software malfunction. He rallied to finish 15th.

 Why is Road America one of your favorite tracks?

“Road America and Portland are two of my favorite tracks, just because they really are very rewarding when you get the lap correct. Also, I really like the flow of Road America. I like the fact that it's a really fast track with the big break zones. You can race on it very hard and I just think it's an all- around incredibly solid racetrack.”

With it being four miles long, does that add some challenges?

“I think that's one of the reasons why that when you put a lap together, it's very satisfying, because it's such a long lap. Every corner you have the big risk to reward ratio, and when you get the lap correct it's just really cool.”

Qualifying has been a little bit of challenge for you. What are you focusing on to improve that?

"Well, qualifying has been more of a challenge just because, honestly, in the last two races, we haven't unloaded very well. In the first practice, we are still trying to find a good balance before we get to qualifying. So, it's hard to be perfectly on the limit when you're still struggling with the car. Luckily, we've been able to overcome those deficits in the race. If we can start FP One (free practice 1) competitive, we'll stay that way for qualifying."

FERRUCCI FAST FACTS: Age 27...Born in Woodbury, CT...Lives in Dallas, Texas...Married Renay Moore in January, 2024...Began racing karts at age 5, moved to cars in 2013...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...made his INDYCAR debut in Detroit in 2018...moved to NTT INDYCAR Series fulltime in 2019 finishing 13th in standings for Dale Coyne and won Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after finishingseventh...13th in standings again 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)...Scored career-best finish at Indy with his 3rd place finish in the 2023 Indianapolis 500; with his fifth place finish at Indy this year, he continued his string of consecutive top-10 finishes in the 500 which now stands at seven..Competed part-time in NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021-22. Earned 2025 NTT P1 Award at Portland, Ore....posted 11 Top-10 finishes for 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 of second in the 2025 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

DAVID MALUKAS has qualified in the top seven for the past three events (7th at Indy, 2nd at Detroit, 4th at St. Louis). Currently 12th in the standings, he finished a career-best second in the Indy 500. He was running strong at St. Louis (led a race-high 67 laps) but brushed the wall trying to pass eventual winner Kyle Kirkwood. He finished 12th. Malukas did not compete at Road America last year because he was still recovering from an off-season mountain bike accident which injured his left wrist. In his past two races there, he qualified 13th as a rookie and 14th the following year; he placed 16th in 2022 and did not finish in 2023.

You've qualified in the top 10 in the last three races and four of the eight so far. With that momentum, what are your expectations for Road America, a track you haven't raced since 2023?

“We’ve had a strong run lately, and I'm really happy with how the cars been feeling. With the speed we've shown recently and how the team is clicking, I think we can be solidly in the front and in the mix for something bigger if everything goes right. I didn't race here last year, but I was able to go on the sim last week, so I feel prepared. I've had speed but haven't been able to put together a strong race performance the past couple of years, so that will be the focus this weekend. I consider Road America as a home track to me in some ways, and I grew up coming here a lot. Through the feeder series, I have had a handful of podiums, so I'm not worried about settling back in with the track. "

Now that we're halfway through the season, how do you feel about the progression? What’s the focus moving forward?

“The start of the season had its ups and downs, but we've really started to find our stride. The car is competitive so we just need to execute clean weekends. The focus now is consistency and maximizing every opportunity from here on out.”

Is Road America a place where Chevy's horsepower can shine?

“Definitely. Chevy's done a great job giving us that straight-line speed. If we get everything dialed in, we should be in a strong spot.”

MALUKAS FAST FACTS:  Age 23...Born in Chicago...Lives in Indianapolis...Single...First generation Lithuanian American...Father gave him his first go kart launching his multi-time championship karting career including the 2015 IAME International Final World Championship (Junior division) in LeMans, France...Scored poles and victories in the USF2000 and Pro Mazda series before becoming Vice-Champion in the 2021 INDY NXT by Firestone series ...Joined Dale Coyne Racing with HMD to advance to the 2022 NTT INDYCAR Series scoring a 2nd place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR)...Came back with Coyne in 2023 and scored another podium at WWTR finishing 3rd...In 2024, a wrist injury in a dirt-biking accident in the off-season led to a partial 10-race season with Meyer-Shank Racing where he posted two Top-10s and qualified in the Firestone Fast 6 five times. Finished 2nd in 2025 Indy 500 after starting seventh. Qualified second in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix for best start to date in 2025.

The No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet will carry a special all black livery in honor of Marlyne Sexton who passed away June 11th. Atop the sidepod will be the gold inscription "In Honor Of Marlyne Sexton." Mrs. Sexton has been a marketing partner of the team since 2015 and became a primary in 2022. Santino Ferrucci will wear a black firesuit with the same inscription in gold. The suit was donated by Impact Racing which has been Ferrucci's firesuit manufacturer of choice since he entered the NTT INDYCAR Series in 2018.

 Texas Roadhouse Restaurant will provide the meals for AJ Foyt Racing this weekend. The restaurant chain has entered into a limited marketing partnership with the team which includes entertaining guests from the company at this weekend's event.

The XPEL Grand Prix at Road America will be broadcast live by FOX this Sunday starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.