A.J. Foyt Racing is gearing up for the 2026 IndyCar season with Chevrolet power, marking another chapter in a longstanding partnership that dates back to 1985. This alliance has resulted in numerous starts, wins, poles, and podiums over decades, and the Chevrolet IndyCar 2026 preview highlights renewed optimism for the team as it prepares to compete at the highest level once again.
Driver Lineup and Profiles: Youth and Experience Combined
The team features two distinct drivers with unique trajectories: Caio Collet, a promising rookie from São Paulo, Brazil, and veteran Santino Ferrucci, with multiple seasons of experience in the series. Both drivers will pilot Chevrolet-powered cars, aiming to build on the performance and legacy of the team.
Caio Collet, aged 23, enters the 2026 season as a fresh face in the IndyCar field. His rookie status extends across several performance metrics, including starts, wins, poles, and podium finishes with Chevrolet. Hailing from São Paulo, Collet reflects on the rich heritage of Brazilian drivers in the sport.
“Yeah, for sure. It’s a lot of proud to be representing Brazil. Like you said, a lot of good names that represented the country so well. A lot of wins, championships, Indy 500s. It’s a country with a lot of history, and hopefully I can be the next one carrying the flag,”
he said.
Looking ahead to the competitive rookie season, Collet acknowledges the talents he will face, notably fellow rookies Dennis and Mick.
“Definitely, consistency. It’s what you need to win any championship or especially the rookie championship. I think the level this year is quite high. Dennis is someone that I’ve been racing since 2016 in go-karts, so I know him quite well, and obviously last year we had a pretty good battle all season long and have a lot of respect for each other,”
Collet explained. He added,
“Mick for sure is a driver that has a lot of experience and is very good and talented, so I think this year will be a nice battle between the three of us. Hopefully we can come out on top.”
Santino Ferrucci, 27, from Woodbury, Connecticut, with current residence in Dallas, Texas, is entering his fourth year with A.J. Foyt Racing. His experience brings stability to the team, with 52 starts running on Chevrolet power. Although yet to secure a win, Ferrucci achieved his first pole position in 2024 at Portland International Raceway and his initial podium at the 2023 Indianapolis 500 on the IMS Oval.
Ferrucci’s recent season showed mixed results, despite strong performances later in the year. After an engineering change promoting Adam Kolesar to race engineer, Ferrucci achieved four consecutive top-five finishes and ascended from 15th to 9th in points. A slight miscalculation related to driver ballast at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix cost the team 26 points, while contact during a morning warm-up at Toronto led to a missed race and additional lost points. Had those 28 points been retained, Ferrucci would have finished 10th overall.
Team Dynamics and Strategic Improvements
The strategic and engineering staff behind both drivers play pivotal roles. For Collet, Michael Armbrester serves as strategist and race engineer, with Steve McKenzie acting as crew chief. Ferrucci’s team includes Adam Kolesar as strategist and race engineer, alongside crew chief Nick Cooper.
Ferrucci reflected on last season’s inconsistencies and the newfound stability within his team.
“Yeah, I think some of the inconsistencies are kind of more on my side of things than anything else. I think the team really straightened everything out come the 500 to the end of the season. I kind of made some enforced errors in a couple of races, which kind of put us on a back foot,”
he said. He emphasized the importance of improved consistency moving forward:
“Being able to go through those and get everything sorted going into this year will be a big deal. I think having a more consistent platform this year with the team will be a big help and a big change for us as far as a steadier pace.”
Addressing the progress of his relationship with A.J. Foyt Racing, Ferrucci expressed enthusiasm about the current trajectory.
“Yeah, obviously every year we continue to build the team with Larry. I think me coming back and working with the engineers and mechanics, like I said, this is the first year — I talked with Larry, I think it’s one of the first years in a long time the team has had almost zero turnover, if any at all, year after year as far as mechanics and engineers go. So it’s a really big deal,”
Ferrucci noted.
He highlighted the significance of sponsor stability:
“We’re building something consistent, something that is competitive, and I’m just really happy to be a part of it, and with now the full-time sponsor of Homes For Our Troops, the livery won’t change all year, which is another big thing. Less work for the mechanics, less things to worry about come race weekends.”
Summing up his optimism, Ferrucci said,
“Very excited about all those things.”
The Historical Context and What Lies Ahead
Chevrolet’s engagement with IndyCar spans more than four decades, contributing to an extensive list of starts, victories, pole positions, and podium appearances. A.J. Foyt Racing’s integration with Chevrolet engines has been intermittent throughout these years, including key periods in the late 1980s, early 1990s, and during recent seasons since 2017.
Ferrucci’s upcoming 100th start in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at the Indianapolis 500 marks a personal milestone and is a notable highlight for the iconic team. The last long-term driver tenure at A.J. Foyt Racing was with Takuma Sato between 2013 and 2016, setting a precedent for the current continuity with Ferrucci.
With a talented rookie in Caio Collet showing promise and a more seasoned Santino Ferrucci refining his consistency, A.J. Foyt Racing and Chevrolet are poised to make a competitive impact during the 2026 IndyCar season. The combination of solid engineering support, stable team structure, and experienced leadership provides a firm foundation for this next stage. How these elements translate on track will be closely watched, as the team seeks to build momentum and challenge for victories once again.
