INDIANAPOLIS — One of the saddest months of his life with the loss of his wife of 68 years, A.J. Foyt has reason to smile at the Indianapolis 500 this year thanks to Santino Ferrucci and rookie Benjamin Pedersen.
Lucy Foyt passed away on April 5 and her memory continues to hang over the team in its Gasoline Alley garages at this year’s 107th Indianapolis 500.
A.J. Foyt, the 88-year-old living legend and the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, has been dealing with the grief of the loss of his wife.
But Ferrucci and Pedersen have given him tremendous satisfaction with their efforts at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway heading into Sunday’s 107th Indianapolis 500.
Ferrucci qualified fourth fastest, the inside of Row Two at 233.661 miles per hour in the No. 14 Home For Our Troops Chevrolet. Rookie Benjamin Pedersen made the Fast 12 and will start 11th, the middle of Row Four, after qualifying with a four-lap average of 232.671 mph in the No. 55 A.J. Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet.
“This is so special,” Pedersen said. “Obviously, I am wearing the A.J. Foyt tribute suit from the 80s, which has just been a huge favorite this month. It turned out really cool and the details are tremendous.
“The whole month has just been so special to be a part of. Super-fast, and we were the fastest rookie of all time for one lap speeds and second fastest on four lap average. And to make it into the Fast 12 for a rookie is a great effort from the whole team.
“Everything this month has been a first for me. Fast Friday was a first, qualifying was a first, so just taking it one day at a time and embracing every tradition. I milked a cow out here.”
Pedersen also broke Tony Stewart’s rookie record for fastest average speed in qualifications. Stewart’s record was 233.179 miles per hour for a four-lap average set in 1996.
“It’s been very humbling, and I had no idea that we had achieved it until after I got out of the car and was in a press conference or doing the interviews,” Pedersen said. “When they told me I was like, ‘holy cow’.’
“That is a massive to have a record here in anything. So, just very humbling, and special to be a part of.”
Pedersen got off to a humbling start of the season on the opening lap of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 5. He was involved in a massive crash when he came around at full-speed and rammed into the cars on the blocked track, sending Devlin DeFrancesco flying into the air.
Since that time, Pedersen has run around the back of the pack.
But that has changed this month at the Indy 500 as the driver has raced with confidence and authority.
“Obviously, the caliber of this event is like no other,” Pedersen said. “It’s just a really cool experience in being a rookie and being where I am and doing what we have achieved as a team.
“More of it is just driving for a team like A.J. Foyt that is so iconic here and to have two cars in the Fast 12. And the little touches like the suit as a throwback.
“I tell you; he has woken up a lot this weekend and his eyes started to not water, but he got emotional when he saw the suit.
“His smiles on pit lane when we made it into the Fast 12 were just really special to be a part of something like that.”
Pedersen has a starting position in the first four rows at the Indianapolis 500 and that will give the rookie a shot to at least contend for a very good finish by the end of the race.
He certainly loves the speed that comes with a fast race car.
“As soon as we turned the boost up you can feel it on Fast Friday, but I have never had a sensation in this car, and maybe it’s because it makes so much grip, of being like ‘holy cow, it’s moving,’” Pedersen said. “I haven’t experienced that once.
“I just find it very natural and oval racing is very feeling based and I am a very feeling-oriented driver. More than most people.
“So, it just makes sense to me.”