Great racer, father, friend: Jason Leffler remembered

By Jun 19, 2013, 2:59 PM EDT
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One week after he tragically was killed in a dirt track racing crash in New Jersey, the motorsports world said goodbye to Jason Leffler on Wednesday.

An overflow crowd packed Grace Covenant Church in Cornelius, N.C., for Leffler’s funeral service. About 600 miles to the north, Indianapolis Motor Speedway paid tribute to Leffler by illuminating the scoreboard atop the track’s famous pagoda with the number 50 — the number Leffler’s car carried when he ran in the 2000 Indianapolis 500 — as well as the years 1975 and 2013, marking his birth and death.

Many of Leffler’s fans as well as friends within the racing world took to Twitter after the one hour-plus memorial to share their grief and feelings.

Here is a sampling of those testimonials:

Santino Ferrucci will drive No. 14 for AJ Foyt Racing full time in 2023 IndyCar season

By Oct 6, 2022, 12:31 PM EDT
Santino Ferrucci AJ Foyt
James Gilbert/Getty Images
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Santino Ferrucci will return to full-time racing in the NTT IndyCar Series next season, joining AJ Foyt Racing.

Ferrucci had made eight IndyCar starts with three teams since his last full-time season in 2020 while also racing part time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year.

He will drive the storied No. 14 Dallara-Chevrolet for four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt’s team, which will field the car from its Waller, Texas headquarters.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be back in the INDYCAR Series full time,” Ferrucci said in a team release. “Being a part-time driver over the last two years has been hard for me, personally. I’m a race car driver, and I want to compete. Working with different teams has been exciting, and I’m proud that no matter which car I’ve raced, I’ve always shown speed and consistency. I couldn’t be more excited to join AJ Foyt Racing in the 14 Chevy. I can’t wait to make the best of it.”

Ferrucci, 24, had finished a career-best fourth in IndyCar four times, including the 104th Indy 500 in 2020. He was the 2019 Indy 500 rookie of the year with a sixth.

In nine Xfinity starts since 2021, Ferrucci has a career-best finish of 13th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“I am thrilled to welcome Santino to the team,” Larry Foyt said in a release. “He’s shown a knack for getting toward the front of the field, and I think he is a racer who moves forward on race day. A.J. sees the fire in him and has enjoyed their meetings together. I think Santino’s experience will help his rookie teammate as well, so he is a great addition to our roster.”

Ferrucci will be teamed at AJ Foyt Racing with Benjamin Pedersen, who finished fifth in the 2022 Indy Lights standings. The team has yet to specify the number for Pedersen’s entry, which will be fielded out of its Indianapolis race shop.

Foyt’s two full-time drivers last season were Dalton Kellett and Kyle Kirkwood, who is moving to Andretti Autosport.