The eyes of Santino Ferrucci are wide open as he prepares to make his official debut on Wednesday night in the Chili Bowl Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Center.

“It's definitely a different way to start off the 2020 season,” Ferrucci said.

The 21-year-old Connecticut native is bracing for an upcoming sophomore season in the NTT IndyCar Series but became intrigued by the concept of branching out after a conversation with David Byrd, team owner of Jonathan Byrd Racing. The two were already familiar with each other after being virtual teammates at Dale Coyne Racing during the Indianapolis 500.

On this particular occasion, they found each other while flying out of the Indianapolis airport during Brickyard 400 weekend. The topic of choice was about how IndyCar veteran Conor Daly had handled adapting to USAC level dirt-track racing, which Byrd aided by sponsoring his opportunities.

“He had asked me about, 'Hey, how's that deal with Conor? How's that working out for him racing that Midget and how'd that come about?” Byrd said. “So, I give him the background and I told him what the deal was, that we want to find IndyCar guys that are willing to jump into a Midget—maybe a sprint car because I have sprint car access as well—to try it out and kind of bridge that gap between Indy and the short tracks.”

While there are a limited number of drivers willing to do it, Ferrucci was amongst the few ready for the challenge. In December, he flew out to Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Arizona, and got his first taste by piloting a 410 Sprint Car for a day.

Fast-forward a month later and Ferrucci is among 355 entries battling through a week of endless features, heats and qualifying races in north Oklahoma. There is also added pressure since he is also stepping into a Midget for the first time.

“To come here and step into a Midget, from what I've heard after talking with these drivers—(Kyle) Larson and (Christopher) Bell and everybody—probably the most difficult track in Midget racing because of its ever-changing condition,” said Ferrucci, who finished 13th as a rookie in the IndyCar championship standings in 2019.

“Basically, walking into their Super Bowl is something that I am not quite sure what I was thinking when I said 'Yes,' but I'm glad I did.”

Fortunately, Ferrucci was allowed a chance to log five laps on Monday during practice.

“Oh man, five laps around here took all of about 35 seconds,” Ferrucci said. “I was able to learn a little bit about the car—absolutely nothing about the track other than go left. But it's tough because we get so much practice, we get so much testing, or what feels like we do, in IndyCar and other series compared to this. Then again, these guys race so often and they are so well versed with the car that it shows. For me, when you look at me out there, I look like I've never driven anything before. It's hilarious.”

A lack of experience combined with a profound respect for the level of talent throughout the field has Ferrucci tempering expectations as he aims to “just have fun.”

“I really hope I draw a medium number,” Ferrucci said. “I really do not want to start pole in my heat. I'd love to start mid pack and just learn the lines. It'd be the most laps that I've ever got in a Midget and hopefully, I just keep it out of the walls, keep it out of a wreck and stay clean. I'm going to have fun either way I do it, but I'd just like to not tear anything up.”

Even without knowing how the process will unfold, Ferrucci is already bubbling over with anticipation and eagerness for next year.

“Just the atmosphere here wants me to come back,” Ferrucci said. “I just want to come back and do this again. I'd love to have a goal of doing a couple more Midget races this year so I can come back to Chili Bowl in 2021 and actually do well.”

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