BOISE, Idaho — On Sunday morning, the Indianapolis 500 kicks off, where many Idahoans will be locked on the Gem State's fan favorite in Sting Ray Robb. For over a decade, KTVB has covered the rise of the Payette native from go-cart racing, all the way up to the Brickyard.
"The nerves have not set in for me yet. I think by the time I get my helmet on I'll be pretty shaky. You know, after last weekend and going through the last-chance qualifiers, I think I just want to enjoy the weekend now. We had the pressure of getting into the race, but we're in it, and we're starting in the Indianapolis 500 this Sunday," Robb said. "For myself, I think this is just an experience that I want to check off my bucket list. I want to make the whole 500 miles and if I do that, do a good enough job, we can move forward in the field."
In just his rookie season in Indy car races, Robb has qualified for the sports' top 33-car field. As preparations continue, Robb told KTVB he is "still pinching myself to see if this is the real thing or not, but it's been very cool."
Sting Ray Robb – yes, that's really his legal name. In fact, he's named after the Corvette Stingray, so it can't be too surprising hitting high speeds has been a lifelong pursuit.
"I think it worked out pretty well," Robb said. "It would've probably not looked as good had I been an attorney or a financial advisor or something. Not a very trustworthy name, but it's a fast name."
Throughout his life, he's only got faster and faster. 13 years ago, KTVB took viewers out to Payette, where an 8-year-old Sting Ray was about three years into his passion, pushing his speed higher and higher.
At the time, Robb said he wanted to become a Formula 1 racer. As he became a go-cart phenom, his mom Kimmie became a little more and more nervous.
"Mom needs a medic," Kimmie Robb said at the time of the interview.
"My mom is still as nervous as ever," Robb said. "She's still got that paper bag I think to keep her from hyperventilating a little bit"
His parents have been along for the entire journey, including multiple national carting titles. At 16, he podiumed for the first time in the Indy cart development circuit. Last year, he finished second in the Indy Next Championship.
Last Sunday, at just 21 years old, Robb punched his ticket to the greatest spectacle in racing, reaching those speeds he dreamed about as a kid.
"The speed is insane. You can't even see anything out of the peripherals, but you're always looking further down the road," Robb said. "I mean, we're doing 300 feet a second. So, we're covering the blue turf in less than a second."
Despite the high speeds, he said it's not all about the adrenaline. Robb said his passion is about remaining composed in the personal pursuit of perfection.
"When you're chasing a perfect lap, everything kind of has to be in harmony," Robb said. "So, it's kind of like this organized chaotic dance that's going on between you and the car."
The Indy 500 has only seen one other Idaho driver, Davey Hamilton, who qualified for the Brickyard for the 14th and final time back in 2011.
While Robb continues to rise the ranks, he also wants to grow the sport in Idaho, even serving as a driver coach to local kids who are in the same spot he was not too long ago.
"I was in the same pair of shoes their in now, and so it's kind of cool to see where my experience, my knowledge can be passed along to the next generation," Robb said. "I want them to come up through the ranks. I think it'd be super cool to have Idaho be a plant farm for all these young American talents to come up and dominant series in."
The Indianapolis 500 begins Sunday at 10:45 a.m. on Idaho's News Channel 7.
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