THE MODERATOR: Joined now by Devlin DeFrancesco who is returning driver of the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, beginning his third season in the NTT INDYCAR Series with his first obviously with RLL.
I don't think we've heard from you since the announcement, since the big deal. Do you care to tell us how that came together and how excited you are about this.
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: I'm very excited to get going. Steinbrenner management and the Steinbrenner family and Sean Jones really put a lot of work into making this deal happen. They started talking to Bobby late last year, and very, very happy to get a deal done. It started there, and very excited to be back and get going.
Q. For a person in your shoes, you want to be in the car so last year was not fun at all, to watch fellow drivers out there competing and you not being out there. How difficult was that?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: Definitely very tough to watch, but also good to be able to reflect and really analyze on what I need to work on and improve on. I've really been able to use this time sitting with the 30 team and everyone and what I need to work on, what we need to improve on and how we're going to have a good, strong, consistent year and be fighting at the front.
Q. Not only is it a contract, it's a multiyear contract, so how important is that for you?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: It's very nice to have stability. It's a great group of people. The team are very, very ambitious. They've been working very, very hard during this off-season, even since I've been there. I've been at the shop almost every day, and it's nice to have stability. I'm very much looking forward to getting going.
I think we're going to have a good few years together.
Q. Talk about the relationship inside of the walls of Rahal; obviously Bobby, Graham has been around. You bring also a new perspective, I feel, with Louis Foster. How has that camaraderie been, and what made Rahal the fit for you?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: I think Rahal is a very strong up-and-coming team. They're a team that have a lot of resources and that have been really, really working hard. I think together we both have a big, big point to prove this year and for the few years that we have together.
I think we have a great camaraderie inside between Graham's experience -- he's someone to really be able to lean on and learn from, and we have a very fast rookie in Louis Foster.
Q. How much do you go back and watch races that you were in two years ago and last year to kind of learn and get ready? I think of Devlin DeFrancesco and Rahal, the IMS road course comes to mind; you've been great there; Rahal has been great there; Toronto even, and you've spent a lot of time. But how much have you focused on going back and watching what those tracks do and how the tracks change and continuing to relearn and learn some of the newer tracks this year that you'll be on for the first time?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: It's funny you say this because I spent a lot of this year especially during training sessions doing those long cardio sessions, watching previous races, previous qualifying sessions, just analyzing the last time I was in the car and also the current season, was also watching through that. So I spent quite a lot of time doing that.
I think there are a lot of tracks we're going to be quite strong, and this team has been working very hard on their oval package, as well, so I think we're going to be quite strong across the board this year.
Q. I've got to ask about last year. I know you ran a few races in IMSA. Are you planning to run more endurance races in the future?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: The future is always open, of course, but right now all I'm focused on is the 2025 NTT INDYCAR season with Rahal.
Q. What did you learn from this past year being out of the race car and going into this new season with a new team?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: You know, being able to analyze on what I really needed to work on in the driving, on the driving side of things, on what I think is really going to unlock quite a bit of performance once we get our season going, and being able to have a much, much more consistent year and have those highs that we had in '23 a lot more often.
THE MODERATOR: One of those new things, it's almost like a rookie year when it comes to getting used to the hybrid power unit. Your thoughts on that, getting up to speed on that.
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: I've spent quite a bit of time in the sim and in the shop most days with the 30 team and my engineering group, so I've been able to analyze quite a bit on how it works, how we operate it.
For sure it'll be a new element and a new variable for me to be worrying about, but I don't think it'll take me long to get up to speed.
Q. Is there something about the steering wheel, new? You got a new wheel this year?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: Yep, we're definitely running the new wheel to my understanding, so a few more buttons to play with while we're driving around.
Q. What have the last 12 months looked like for you when you did miss out for a seat in 2024? Were you confident you would find an opportunity? And now that you've got that opportunity, how relieving is it to prove yourself again?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: Very. I'm over the moon. The day I actually found out, I actually had the flu laying down and I got a call from Bobby on the couch, you know, welcome to have you aboard.
It was one of the best days I've had in a long time. So just very, very excited to get going and getting to work, to be honest.
Q. I was wondering, many drivers talk about confidence dips during the challenging seasons. How was it when you found out when you got the seat with Rahal, and how did you maintain belief in yourself despite having a season off?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: Very good question. Obviously racing is a big mental game, but obviously I always believed in myself, always had the confidence in myself that I can get the job done, and the team of people I have around me, I have belief in them, they have belief in me.
I've always been able to believe in myself and have confidence that when I'm thrown into the deep end, I'm able to swim and get the job done.
Q. Since EVTEC is also sponsoring you when you were in the Andretti seat, do you think we'll see some of the same sponsors from the Andretti seat at Rahal?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: For now, for the time being, we have EVTEC automotive on board, and that's really all I can comment on.
Q. Since the Rahal Letterman Lanigan shop is in Indianapolis, what's the status on moving to Indiana to be closer to the shop?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: So I've already moved. I'm here, and I actually move into my new place in Indy February 1st, but I'm already based out of here.
Q. Just your thoughts, what are you looking forward to the most in getting back in the car and getting back into the series this year?
DEVLIN DeFRANCESCO: Getting back into the routine with the great group of people that I have around me at Rahal. I think we have a strong group of people. I think we have a strong package. I'm looking forward to getting going to the track week in and week out.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports