Hy-Vee to sponsor Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for 3 IndyCar Series events
Hy-Vee is once again on the track. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced today that Hy-Vee will be the primary sponsor of Graham Rahal’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES entry at Road America on June 20 and World Wide Technology Raceway on Aug. 21. Hy-Vee also will be the primary sponsor of the No. 45 entry for Santino Ferrucci for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, on May 30. In addition, Hy-Vee will be a full-season associate sponsor on Rahal’s car.
Hy-Vee first joined the team as the primary sponsor of Graham Rahal’s entry for Race 2 at the Iowa Speedway in 2020 where he finished third. The company was also the primary sponsor of the team’s entry for Spencer Pigot at the Indy 500 and an associate sponsor of Rahal’s entry for the legendary race.
After two full INDYCAR SERIES seasons in 2019-2020 and a partial one in 2018, Ferrucci will join RLL for the Indy 500, where he has been a contender for victory. He was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 2019 after a seventh-place finish, and he finished fourth to race winner Takuma Sato and third-place finisher Graham Rahal in 2020. To date, his best Indy car start is second place at Mid-Ohio (Race 2) in 2020 – he has finished in fourth place four times. In 2021, Ferrucci competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving for Sam Hunt Racing. He will join Rahal and Sato at an open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, April 8-9.
The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, which will be broadcast live on NBC on April 18 at 3 p.m. EDT. RLL won the previous HIGPA race from pole with Takuma Sato in 2019 and Graham Rahal brought the team its first 1-2 start since 2004 there, challenged for the win but retired with mechanical failure. The pandemic led to the cancelation of the 2020 race. All future on-track action can be seen on NBC, NBCSN or NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service.
Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman of the board, CEO and president: “The excitement and energy that the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team brings forth to our partnership is like none other. The team truly cares about its fans just like we care about our customers at Hy-Vee. Since signing on as a sponsor last year, we’ve heard from people all over the country about our involvement in racing. We know we have a fantastic season coming up that fans across the country, as well as our employees, will enjoy.”
Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “It is great to have Hy-Vee as a partner of our program again. My family and I live in the Midwest and it’s exciting to see Hy-Vee continue to grow. The sense of pride their employees have in their company and what Hy-Vee does to support their local communities is inspiring and something that we work to emulate every day within our team. We look forward to creating special moments for Hy-Vee customers and employees this season while promoting the Hy-Vee brand on a national stage.”
Graham Rahal, driver of the No. 15 Hy-Vee entry at Road America and World Wide Technology Raceway said, “It’s great to have Hy-Vee back once again. I took a lot of pride in representing them last year and felt that the Hy-Vee car performed so well at Iowa and helped get our relationship off to a good start. It’s nice to see a company with such high standards like Hy-Vee consider Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and consider the INDYCAR SERIES as a great platform to spread awareness of their brand, the quality of their product and their stores. We’re excited to work with them and grow the partnership.”
Santino Ferrucci, driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee entry at the 105th Indianapolis 500 said, “I am excited to be competing in the Indianapolis 500 with Hy-Vee and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. It’s a great opportunity and I cannot thank the team, owners and partners enough for believing in me. I’m super excited to start spending some time at the shop in Indianapolis and preparing for an incredible run this May.”