Sting Ray Robb heads into his third NTT IndyCar Collection season in a little bit of a compromise. All through his time in motor racing, the Idaho native has by no means been in a rush to maneuver up the ladder, and he’s been rewarded for that persistence. However that notion shall be put to the check as soon as the following championship will get beneath approach.
His important accomplishment to this point in successful the 2020 Indy Professional 2000 championship with Juncos Racing was an ideal demonstration of how Robb, on a extra relaxed schedule, might get the perfect out of himself in his third yr in a class, and that’s the place he finds himself as the most recent driver for the Juncos Hollinger Racing crew in 2025.
Set to embark on this third season of IndyCar competitors, the 23-year-old is coming into the yr the place the perfect model of himself tends to be revealed, nevertheless it gained’t be simple, not after transferring to his third crew in as many seasons. His IndyCar 2023 debut with Dale Coyne Racing was one-and-done, adopted by a 2024 spent with A.J. Foyt Racing and attending to know an all-new crew of mechanics, engineers, and leaders in this system.
Robb’s first stint with Juncos yielded a USF Professional 2000 title in 2020.
And regardless of his familiarity with Juncos from their years collectively within the USF championships and one season of Indy NXT, Robb is beginning over but once more with the outfit owned by Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger and an all-new crew engaged on and engineering his Chevy-powered automotive.
In a sport that rewards consistency and momentum, Robb has but to expertise such issues in IndyCar, which can conspire in opposition to starting subsequent season with that third-year magic in full movement.
“You’re 100-percent proper,” Robb instructed RACER. “That was one of many greater struggles for me this final yr. I used to be switching to a brand new crew, however a number of the crew itself was brand-new as nicely. It’s laborious to get everybody on the identical web page. And we had a number of points all year long that weren’t your typical errors that you simply wish to see in any automotive; having your steering wheel fall off at Barber and the brakes fail at St. Pete is clearly the worst potential state of affairs.
“Our aim was to have some continuity going into subsequent yr for the third yr, and so when David Malukas obtained introduced (at Foyt), it was a little bit of a shock, as a result of we thought that that’s the place I used to be going to be, so we went looking after that. We knew that Juncos was one of many choices at the moment, as a result of we have been beginning to talk about the next season with individuals, simply in case. So after we first talked to Ricardo, clearly he and I’ve some historical past, which is nice.
“That continuity is there just a little bit. He really sat within the engineering room fairly a bit in 2020 after we gained the championship, and once more in 2021 after I moved to Indy NXT with him. So I perceive who he’s, I perceive his ardour, his dedication, and that’s why he’s gotten to the place he’s at. That’s why we’re right here, and we expect that that’s the best choice for me, simply because I wanted somebody that was going to purchase into me — not simply as a crew proprietor, but in addition with the fervour and dedication to get me to the place I have to be. I would like a breakout season.”
Robb thought he was constructing a strong basis at AJ Foyt Racing earlier than discovering obliged to look elsewhere late within the foolish season recreation. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Pictures
Robb has a singular perspective on the upcoming season with JHR.
“The place the final two years I felt like, actually, 2024 was my second rookie season, I believe that it’ll be considerably like that once more,” he stated. “It’s difficult not having that continuity as a crew going into the season, however that is the earliest I’ve signed, and so I believe that’ll be actually, actually useful for simply having the ability to go into the store and go to with the blokes and constructing relationships there. That goes a great distance.
“Motorsports is constructed on the relationships that you’ve got along with your crew. For those who can’t have a relationship and have that communication and construct these individuals expertise throughout the crew, you’re going to fail. So having recognized a few of these guys for so long as I’ve, I believe that that’s already constructed up loads, and that’ll be useful in the long term. And in addition being my third yr in any automotive, I sort what to anticipate from the automotive. I do know what to search for.”
After studying he wouldn’t be returning to Foyt, Robb was confronted with restricted choices on the place he may proceed his IndyCar profession. A return to Coyne was a chance, and whereas there have been different vacancies in the marketplace, essentially the most practical possibilities stood with going again to his first IndyCar crew or attempting to rejoin Juncos. The latter state of affairs was tough as their Indy Professional 2000 championship in 2020 turned bitter when Juncos Racing was largely uncompetitive in 2021 in Indy NXT.
Having positioned eighth within the standings with zero podiums throughout a season the place solely 9 full-time drivers have been current, a pissed off and dissatisfied Robb left Juncos and joined Andretti International, the place he took a win and eight podium appearances on the best way to securing second behind champion Linus Lundqvist. The frosty cut up with Juncos was the primary merchandise to reconcile.
“There was just a little little bit of mending that needed to occur, and actually, I had my reservations after we first began having conversations,” Robb stated. “I believe that our crew had the potential to be superb in that season, however we ended up making the change as a result of we felt that the priorities have been held extra for the IndyCar crew, which they have been placing again collectively. Ricardo was making a giant push for IndyCar and in order that’s the place his focus was. So we didn’t get to have Ricardo at his finest on that facet of issues.
“Whereas on this case, I do know that that is Ricardo at his finest. His focus is all right here. He’s absolutely dedicated. We obtained to have a very good dialog, Ricardo and I — we mentioned outdated occasions and reminisced, and have been capable of sit down and actually look one another within the eyes and see, OK, is that this going to work? Can we imagine in one another? Do we have now hope for what we will obtain? And the reply was sure. And so we had laid out each of our objectives, the place our intentions have been and the place our heads have been, and stated, ‘OK, sure, I believe that this can be a nice alignment It is a good factor. Let’s be a part of again up and make one thing occur.’ And the forgiveness was there a very long time in the past.”
Rumored to carry the largest sponsorship bundle of any driver in IndyCar, the newlywed — who spoke with RACER whereas on his Hawaiian honeymoon — can be extremely self-aware. He is aware of the funding from devoted household and associates is the principle level of attraction from the groups who’ve signed him, and there’s an internal problem to redefine himself within the years forward.
Marcus Ericsson’s evolution from sponsored driver to Indy 500 champ provides Robb a pathway to emulate. Brett Farmer/Motorsports Pictures
If Robb has a task mannequin within the sequence, it’s Andretti’s Marcus Ericsson, whose backers from Sweden bankrolled his profession in junior open-wheel by way of System 1 and his IndyCar stops at Arrow McLaren and Chip Ganassi Racing. With Ericsson’s appreciable success at Ganassi, which included victory on the Indianapolis 500, he was courted by Andretti who signed him — sans monetary assist — and made the 34-year-old one of many highest paid drivers within the sequence. Reaching the identical paying-to-paid dynamic as Ericsson is Robb’s dream.
“That’s the aim. That’s the top aim, for positive,” he stated. “We’re in a state of the game the place I’m not going to be ignorant and say, ‘Effectively, no, I’m doing this primarily based off my expertise.’ I do know the place I’m at. You already know that I’m humble sufficient to say that. However I’m gonna backtrack right here just a little bit, as a result of I’ve been very blessed with the assist group that I’ve. Once I first obtained into automotive racing, I used to be recent out of karts. My mother and father have been out of cash in karting, so we needed to have that assist group step in from Day 1. And there have been loads of occasions the place it didn’t occur.
“There have been occasions the place my mother, who I name my ‘momager,’ stated as we’re getting onto a flight, ‘Hey, have your dad name me once you guys land, and I’ll let if there’s cash within the financial institution to race.’ And positive sufficient, we might land and name, and she or he’d say, ‘So and in order that is aware of so and heard about you, they usually wish to preserve supporting you, so we manage to pay for to get by way of this race weekend, however with out the additional set of tires.’
“And that’s simply the best way that we did it throughout, and we had the best individuals step in on the proper occasions, they usually’ve grow to be our household now. We name my group of individuals ‘Staff SR2’ (Staff Sting Ray Robb) and it truly is. Everybody that’s joined this experience has grow to be a part of the crew, a part of that household, they usually’ve purchased into it. So I really feel very fortunate and blessed to be in a spot the place I get to stay the dream out, nevertheless it means much more that I’ve the individuals surrounding me which have allowed me that chance.
“As a result of it’s not simply blood household; it’s individuals from everywhere in the nation, everywhere in the world, which have been supporting me from a really early spot, they usually proceed to take action. I really feel very grateful to have these individuals step in once more on the proper occasions to permit me the alternatives, as a result of it’s a tricky sport proper now.”
