May 28, 2021 | News & Press Releases
Hy-Vee, Inc. is participating in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for a second year as the retailer teams up with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) to sponsor two of their cars in Sunday’s 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. Santino Ferrucci, driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee car, and Graham Rahal, driver of the No. 15 car, both earned a spot in the Indianapolis 500 after qualifying early on May 22 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ferrucci claimed the No. 23 spot and Rahal will begin in the No. 18 spot. Sunday’s race day coverage begins at 10 a.m. (CDT) on NBC.
Hy-Vee first partnered with the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team in 2020 as the primary sponsor of Graham Rahal’s entry for Race 2 at the Iowa Speedway in 2020 where he finished third. This is the second year that Hy-Vee is sponsoring car No. 45 at the Indianapolis 500 – which was driven last year by Spencer Pigot. Hy-Vee also sponsored Rahal’s entry in the legendary race in 2020.
“The excitement and energy that the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team brings forth to our partnership is like none other,” said Randy Edeker, Chairman, CEO and President of Hy-Vee. “The team truly cares about its fans just like we care about our customers at Hy-Vee. Since signing on as a sponsor last year, we’ve heard from people all over the country about our involvement in racing. And, we know the Indianapolis 500 as well as the rest of the racing season is something that fans across the country as well as our employees will enjoy.”
“It is great to have Hy-Vee as a partner again,” said Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. “The sense of pride Hy-Vee employees have in their company and what the retailer does to support their local communities is inspiring and something that we too work to emulate every day within our own team.”
Ferrucci, driver of the Hy-Vee car, was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 2019 after a seventh-place finish, and he finished fourth to race winner Takuma Sato and third place finisher Graham Rahal in 2020. To date, his best Indy car start was second place at Mid-Ohio (Race 2) in 2020 and he has finished in fourth place four times.
For more information about the series or team, visit www.indycar.com and www.rahal.com.
About Hy-Vee, Inc.
Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 275 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $11 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America’s Top 5 favorite grocery stores. The company’s more than 86,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.
About Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and Brownsburg, Ind., is co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, former CBS Late Show host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan. In 2021, the team begins its 30th year of competition and will attempt to add to its 29 Indy car wins – including the 2004 Indy 500 from pole with Buddy Rice and the 2020 Indy 500 with Takuma Sato -- their 33 poles, 107 podium finishes and 1992 series championship. The team also competed in the American Le Mans Series from 2009-2013 as BMW Team RLL where they won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category in 2010 and swept all three GT titles in 2011 - Manufacturer, Team and Driver. In 2012, the team finished second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer Championship and in 2013, the team finished second in the Driver, Team and Manufacturer Championship. Since 2014, BMW Team RLL has competed in the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two-car program and has brought their total to 22 wins – including the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance races, 28 poles and 88 podium finishes as well as a second-place finish in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017. The team was also the 2020 Michelin Endurance Champions. For 2021, the team will compete for back-to-back Michelin Endurance Championships.
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