Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2023, and we are republishing it part of our coverage of this year’s race. Some references may be out of date.
No, Sting Ray isn’t a nickname.
Sting Ray Robb, a 24-year-old driver for Dale Coyne Racing, has Sting Ray on his birth certificate — and he’s not named after the fish, either. His parents, who are Chevrolet enthusiasts, named him after the sports car Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.
Ironically, the IndyCar rookie is driving the No. 51 Dallara-Honda for Dale Coyne Racing — straying from his Chevrolet roots. He is in Sunday’s :Last Chance Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, competing with three other drivers for the final three spots in the race.
But as Robb realizes his dream on the IndyCar circuit, his parents have been supportive.
“That’s a tricky question,” Robb said of his parents’ love for Chevrolet. “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. I’ll be in a Honda car and I’m assuming it’ll go pretty quick, so I’m okay with all of that.”
And he doesn’t need to change his name to NSX, another sports car with a Honda engine.
“My name is my name,” Robb said. “I don’t need a rename. Thank you.”
After transitioning from the developmental Indy NXT league, Robb began his career as an IndyCar driver. He got into the No. 51 seat by chance in 2023, taking the offer after he found out Linus Lundqvist wasn’t going to take it.
“I think the driving style is fairly similar moving from Indy Next to IndyCar,” Robb said. “My first day in the car it felt very natural. It felt like it was an Indy Next car that did what I wanted it to do. I didn’t have to wrestle it around as much. But at the same time, you had more tools at your disposal. Obviously more speed, more power, better handling, the tires are much grippier. I think the biggest thing for me to learn would be on the strategy side, pit stop side of things, because that’s nothing what we’ve had to do before.”
Sting Ray Robb Indy 500 driver profile
Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing − IndyCar driver profile
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Yes, Sting Ray Robb is his real name. Get to know the Indy 500 driver
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Scott Horner and Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
