“The speedway is tricky. It always gives you one warning and one chance to react,” Santino Ferrucci reflects, capturing the essence of racing at the highest level. At speeds of 240 miles per hour—covering a football field every second—the margin for error is razor thin, and survival in a race is never guaranteed.
“It’s a very long race. It’s very difficult to survive,” he admits, underscoring the relentless challenge of motorsports.
Santino’s journey began in childhood, surrounded by the hum of engines and the camaraderie of racing families. “When I was a kid, we started go-karts when I was five, but I didn’t start traveling till about seven. At the time, my dad owned a go-kart track and had a massive team. We had two 53-foot long haulers on duallies, and we used to drive them across the country. So I started road tripping at a very young age.” Those early road trips were more than just travel—they were formative experiences. Santino vividly remembers the Chevrolets with beds laid down, mattress toppers, a TV and PlayStation set up, and trips to Blockbuster for movies. “You’d be on the road for two weeks during the summer and make trips out west,” he recalls, painting a picture of a childhood spent chasing dreams on highways as much as on racetracks.
The path to professional racing is “grueling,” Santino admits. “You need to be good at all times or be lucky.” Sponsorships came and went, and at one point, he was part-time in IndyCar, hoping for a full-time ride that didn’t materialize. “I drove for a team part-time, thought I was going to get the full-time ride, and they ended up going a different direction.” The setbacks were tough, but Santino’s mentality kept him moving forward: “Not getting frustrated, not getting upset, always knowing there’s more race left.” It’s that mentality that saw him earn IndyCar’s Rookie of the Year award in 2019, as well as top 10 finishes in all 7 of his appearances at the Indy 500—a feat accomplished by no other driver in history. It’s also what led him to that coveted full-time spot with AJ Foyt Racing, where he’s been working with the team for the past three years to bring the team back to its former glory, when 4-time Indy500 Winner and 7-time IndyCar Champion AJ Foyt led the team. “It took two years, but we’re there now—bringing a team from out of the championship to fighting in the top ten, fighting for wins.” This year, Santino had two podiums with the team, a 2nd-place finish in the Detroit Grand Prix and 3rd-place finish at Road America. The journey is ongoing, with the next challenge always just around the corner: “The next challenge is definitely to win a race. I’ve been so close yet so far. I want to win Indy. That’s definitely a lifelong career goal.”
For Santino, roadtripping and RV living aren’t just practical—they’re a way of life. “This is the first time I’ve had my own rig. I love it because being able to go on the road, stay in my bus at the racetrack, it’s a lot easier.” The RV offers a “very chill way to live life,” free from the pressure of flights and traffic. “I can load up, take it where I want, stay where I want, go see what I want. I can drop the bus and take off in my truck to go to the grocery store.” Living at the track means more time with mechanics, engineers, and—most importantly—his dogs. “You’re with the dogs consistently. Dogs love you unconditionally. If you have a bad day—racing’s 99% disappointment—you come home to get licked in the face. It’s a really cool mental reset.” Santino says that many drivers take a similar approach. “Staying in RVs at the track makes it easier for them to travel with their families and simplify a hard season on the road.”
Roadtripping is deeply rooted in sports culture, especially racing. “People travel the country to see athletes play—football, baseball, basketball, racing. The amount of people that travel the world to come see AJ, my boss, is unbelievable.” For fans and drivers alike, it’s a family tradition, a form of tailgating that lasts for days instead of hours. “For many people, it’s a tradition that’s been passed down for generations. You come out to the racetrack and you camp.” Many tracks on the IndyCar circuit, especially its road courses, have campgrounds alongside the track. “If you want, you can go to grandstands to watch the race, or, you can sit and watch from the comfort of your RV—it’s an experience unlike any other in professional sports.”
Santino’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and a love for the open road. Whether it’s chasing podiums or embarking on a 5,000-mile road trip out west, he’s always looking forward to the next adventure. “For our next stint of races, I’m doing all the driving myself, so I’m a little nervous, but it’ll be fun. That’s the next challenge.” Santino Ferrucci’s journey to becoming a race car driver is as much about the miles traveled off the track as the laps completed on it. Roadtripping and RV living are woven into the fabric of his racing life, offering freedom, family, and a sense of home wherever the race may take him.
At all three places, you can literally camp around the track. There are grandstands for viewing, or you could watch the race right from your campsite. They’re beautiful, scenic tracks, especially Barber and Road America.
I don’t leave home without a full set of tools. You never know what’s going to happen and if you’re prepared, you can control your own destiny. I always carry around a jump box, too.
I carry a lot of throwaway carpets to help them get up and down the stairs or in and out of the bed. It can be tough on bigger dogs, who are older, to land on the hard flooring, so rugs help a lot. I also bring an electric leaf blower to blast out all the hair they leave behind.
Garage
