NASCAR may be world-famous for its on-track skirmishes and heated rivalries, yet Santino Ferrucci’s most notorious disciplinary episode didn’t occur in stock cars; it unfolded in Formula 2 back in 2018. During the Silverstone sprint race weekend, Ferrucci deliberately collided with his teammate Arjun Maini on the cooldown lap, refused to attend the stewards’ hearing, and was subsequently handed a four-race suspension, disqualified from his result, and fined heavily. His behavior prompted Trident Racing to formally denounce him and his father for “unsportsmanlike and above all uncivilized behavior”.
Ferrucci eventually transitioned to NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, where a heated incident with Josh Berry at Phoenix Raceway became a defining moment in his stock car journey. The clash, unintentional yet intense, culminated in Berry’s frustrated response that quickly became NASCAR lore. It’s a memory Ferrucci recently recounted during a candid discussion with Josh Berry’s former boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., reflecting on how the aggressive competitiveness of stock car racing differs from his IndyCar experience, and the rookie mistakes that marked his early career.
Penske’s IndyCar star Santino Ferrucci opens up on rookie mistake
When Dale Earnhardt Jr. casually brought up Santino Ferrucci’s infamous run-in with Josh Berry at Phoenix, the Penske IndyCar driver didn’t shy away from it either. “I hadn’t realized what I had done,” Ferrucci said, starting to explain the run-in. “When I was racing and passing these guys, I didn’t realize that if you commit underneath, you’ve got to run the bottom. So, in IndyCar, if you’re passing someone, you just take the preferred line. I totally passed him and took the PJ1 on the top on the preferred line and put him out in the marbles. I had no idea what I did.”
It’s like an unwritten rule in NASCAR, especially on short tracks, that you stay in the lane if you overtook the racer from the bottom. This is followed so that the driver doesn’t slide up on them, causing a crash, and both drivers can ride side-by-side competitively. On the other hand, in IndyCar, you’re free to change lanes on passing, which is what Ferrucci was used to, and that’s exactly what he did. “I totally passed him and took the PJ1 on the top on the preferred line and put him out in the marbles,” Ferrucci confessed, recognizing how that move rattled Berry early in the race.
He recalled how his spotter, Chris Lambert, warned him that Berry was about to give him a “one-finger salute.” But instead, Berry’s frustration went beyond that as Ferrucci recalled Lambert telling him, “He (Lambert) said, it looks like he’s going to come give you the one-finger salute. And I got the double bird. And I was like, wait, that was for me?”
Ah yes, that time Santino got the double birds from Josh Berry. @DaleJr | @SantinoFerrucci pic.twitter.com/WqCAAl95zq
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) August 7, 2025
Taking full responsibility for his actions, Ferrucci didn’t dodge the blame.“I had no idea that that was wrong and not correct etiquette, especially that early in the race,” he said candidly. Despite the fallout, Ferrucci reflected on the incident with maturity, acknowledging that the crash, which ended Berry’s run, was partly his fault. “Yeah, I take some blame for that,” Ferrucci said, owning his rookie mistake in front of one of NASCAR’s most respected voices.
On the other side of the track, Josh Berry, now a full-time stalwart with Wood Brothers Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, is piloting the iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. In just his fifth race with the team, he captured his first Cup victory at the Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas, a landmark win that gave Wood Brothers their 101st Cup triumph. Through 2025, he’s posted solid results, one win, two top‑5s, three top‑10s, and 169 laps led across 23 starts, placing 21st in points. Berry’s roots run deep with JR Motorsports, where he honed his craft in late‑model racing under Dale Jr.’s mentorship, a bond that laid the foundation for his rise and underscored how guidance and grit shape true contenders.
Roger Penske’s influence on Ferrucci’s IndyCar success
Santino Ferrucci’s ascent in IndyCar gained a crucial boost when Roger Penske’s team took notice in 2022. Ferrucci was even considered as a last-minute substitute for Josef Newgarden, an invite that came after Penske’s inner circle witnessed Ferrucci’s raw potential and grit. Although he didn’t get behind the wheel that day, the call itself elevated his reputation and helped pave the way toward his full-time seat with A. J. Foyt Racing, where he now drives the No. 14 Chevrolet under a renewed multi‑year deal announced in late 2024.
The underlying force behind this momentum? A technical partnership between Foyt and Penske, which Ferrucci credits with transforming his performance: “Working with Penske had a big help,” he said, pointing to improved setups, engineering support, and the results that followed, including a career‑best ninth in the standings and 13 top‑10s in 17 races in 2024.
Today, Roger Penske’s influence offers more than just technical advantages; it shapes Ferrucci’s trajectory and the team’s future. Foyt continues to benefit from stability and confidence gleaned from the Penske alliance, giving Ferrucci a platform for breakthrough performances, including his first career pole at Portland and steady podium contention. As IndyCar evolves under Penske’s leadership, most recently seen through his sale of a third of the series to Fox to fuel growth and visibility, this infrastructural strength could unlock even greater opportunities for drivers like Ferrucci in the seasons ahead.
Even with Roger Penske’s support and growing IndyCar experience, Santino Ferrucci is still navigating the challenging transition between racing worlds. The shift from IndyCar’s precision to NASCAR’s raw aggression isn’t easy, but Ferrucci’s openness to learning and owning his mistakes sets him apart. It’s this grit and willingness to adapt that keep pushing him forward, proving that talent combined with resilience is the real winning formula on and off the track.
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