The AJ Foyt Racing driver qualified a lowly 18th and opted for an alternative strategy, which was aided by early cautions.
Despite being one of the first to stop in the final sequence, Ferrucci was able to stave off Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood and secure third.
After the race, his car ground to a halt outside the first turn next to a rowdy group of fans – at which point he was offered a beer.
“I just did the one shotgun down in Turn 1. Felt great at the time,” said Ferrucci.
“They offered, and I had asked for (US beer brand) Spotted Cow since we’re here, but they gave me… I believe it was a Miller.
“I’ve been learning my shotgunning skills from the Chili Bowl, so if I did okay I’m happy with that. Giving my dirt racing guy some credit.”
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Ferrucci said the final stanza of the race was nerve-racking, knowing full well his fuel situation relative to the likes of eventual race winner Alex Palou and runner-up Felix Rosenqvist, who were also tight on fuel.
Ferrucci was gifted the final place on the podium when race leader Scott Dixon in the #9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda pitted with just two laps to go.
“I’m not going to lie, I was stressed. I was really stressed out,” said Ferrucci.
“I saw Felix come out of the pits in front of me, and they were like, ‘Yeah, there’s your fuel target’.
“Lifting at like the 800-foot mark going into [Turn 5] going, hmm, this is going to be a long 15-something laps.
“Then I could see on the dash the #27 car coming and know that he’s quick. I just tried to put my head down and do what I do best and hold him off.”
Santino Ferrucci chugs a beer from a fan after a podium finish at Road America. pic.twitter.com/5YlNGu6O0e
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After a miserable Saturday of qualifying, Ferrucci revealed the set-up swing that revived his #14 Chevrolet.
“Obviously starting 18th, not ideal,” he said.
“We had a really fast race car all weekend long. We didn’t get to run on the red (soft compound) tyres on Friday and one of the setup changes we made in FP2 we weren’t sure about.
“Obviously we were really quick on the prime (hard compound) tyres in qualifying, and we were just way too tight for quals.
“But warmup was awesome. Small changes overnight. We knew we’d come through the field, so at the start of the race, I was just unlike myself, trying to be super patient and not make mistakes, not get into too many people because it was mayhem back there.
“The way the strategy unfolded, I stalled in the pits on one of the stops. Thankful for the hybrid so I could fire back up and only lose four or five spots.
“We had a massive fuel target for the last two stints, so kudos to Chevrolet for giving me the tools to do that and honestly to my engineering team for giving me a car that can fuel save.”
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