Float like a butterfly.
The Indy 500 has hosted plenty of big names over the years. However, it's hard to imagine there will be a more unusual moniker than that of Dale Coyne Racing driver Sting Ray Robb, who will man the No. 51 car in this weekend's race.
An IndyCar rookie, Robb qualified for series' signature event in dramatic fashion, picking up one of the race's final spots courtesy of Last Chance Qualifying. Now, he readies for the Brickyard, all while sporting a name with automotive underpinnings.
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So, where did Robb's eye-catching appellate come from? Here's what you need to know.
Who is Sting Ray Robb?
Family, faith and racing have been the three tenets to Robb's life for about as long as he can remember. The Payette, Idaho, native was born to a family of car fanatics. His dad, Larry, has long coveted Corvettes, even creating a few clubs dedicated to the American-made vehicle.
That love bore out in Robb's forename. Sting Ray is not a nickname. Rather, it's a meticulously planned out tribute to the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, one of the more iconic lines of the Detroit-based manufacturer's sports cars.
The sleek exterior and eye-catching design captivated many a car owner's eye. Robb got the fortune of having that interest marked by his legal birth name.
Robb won't be driving a 'Vette when he makes his Indianapolis bow. In fact, anything but: Robb mans the cockpit of a Dallara-Honda. Still, though, he doesn't think his family will mind too much while watching him shine from the grandstand.
“Yeah, my parents are big Corvette fans, and I think that they ruled out criticizing me too badly because they know the dream is IndyCar," Robb told Indy Star's Chloe Peterson. "I'll be in a Honda car and I'm assuming it'll go pretty quick, so I'm okay with all of that.”
Robb's progression from go-kart racing to budding IndyCar talent has been impressive. The fact that he has done so while retaining that a quiet humility has only further increased his stock, earning him backing from major racing players like Andretti Autosport and, now, Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing.
Robb has long been a big fish in the small pond of Indy NXT, IndyCar's developmental league. Come Sunday, he takes it to the big time.
And he's hoping he'll leave the Brickyard a household name.
