Santino Ferrucci shares Jeff Gordon's impressive 'rock star' story that altered his mentality

Santino Ferrucci has been racing in IndyCar since 2018 and has often countered multiple questions. He recently revealed how NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon changed his mentality towards racing and how he wants to achieve the status of being a rock star.

The 26-year-old's name had been tainted by his antics in the 2018 FIA F2 championship. Ferrucci was held liable for sabotaging his teammate Arjun Maini, which ultimately led to his departure from the series.

Ferrucci was then picked up by Dale Coyne Racing and began his venture in the American open-wheel racing scene. However, moving away from his past antics he focused on racing and even tried his hands out at the Chili Bowl nationals, where he met Jeff Gordon.

Santino Ferrucci recently asked four-time NASCAR champion, Jeff Gordon, why didn't he participate in the Super Bowl of midget racing. The 53-year-old revealed how he didn't need to take part in the race due to his status, which altered the 26-year-old's racing mindset.

Ferrucci said (via Chase Holden):

"One of the things he told me when I first met him; I want to say at at the Chili Bowl of all places, I was asking I was like why don't you run these cars man, like why not get in like Newman and Stewart and everybody else and go do this."

"He said well my goal was to be a rock star and I've achieved that status and I'm and that's it, I'm done, I retired. I was like dude that's the sickest oneliner I've ever heard, so now when people ask me what I want to be you know when I'm a racecar driver, I tell them well, I want to be like Jeff Gordon, I want to be a rock star," Ferrucci added (from 9:52 onwards).

The Connecticut-born driver will be racing for A. J. Foyt Enterprises in the 2025 IndyCar season.

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Santino Ferrucci reflects on the opportunity to continue with A. J. Foyt enterprises

Santino Ferrucci at the NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Santino Ferrucci joined A. J. Foyt Enterprises in 2023 and helped the team bag a massive podium finish at the Indy 500 during the same year. This left a big mark on the team and he was retained for the subsequent year.

Ferrucci further claimed 11 top-10 finishes during the 2024 season, a massive 10 more than his former teammate Sting Ray Robb. Moreover, due to this consistency, he is the only driver retained from the 2024 lineup.

He recently shared his thoughts on continuing with the team (via A. J. Foyt Racing):

"I think Larry's done a great job building the team so they are now in a position to win an Indy 500 and compete for championships. Everybody that's there is what made this team's amazing turnaround. We've all put a lot of time, energy and hard work into this program and I really want to see it through, not just as the driver but on a personal level too."

Santino Ferrucci finished the last year on a roll. He claimed two top-five finishes in the final three races of the season and would be hoping to continue this moment in the 2025 season.