MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Santino Ferrucci is departing the NTT IndyCar Series to focus on NASCAR after announcing on Friday he’s joined Sam Hunt Racing to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Ferrucci, will contest in a partial NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule in the No. 26 Toyota Camry this year after spending the last two season competing in the NTT IndyCar Series for Dale Coyne and Vasser-Sullivan Racing.

Proud to announce I will be racing for @Team_SHR26 and @ToyotaRacing this season in Xfinity! #teamtoyota #letsgoplaces pic.twitter.com/OtcvyqWTAZ

— Santino Ferrucci (@SantinoFerrucci) January 8, 2021

The 22-year-old native of Connecticut is scheduled to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on Feb. 27 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Ferrucci’s move to NASCAR is the second major career shift the young American has made in recent years. He was previously a test and reserve driver for the Haas F1 Team from 2016 through 2018 and he competed in open-wheel events in Europe during that time frame.

However, a controversial moment during a Formula Two race in 2018 that saw him make deliberate contact with another competitor resulted in a four-race ban, leading him to depart Europe and return to America.

He eventually landed in the NTT IndyCar Series, making his debut in 2018 with a four-race stint with Dale Coyne Racing. He would spend the next two seasons racing full-time in the series, earning the 2019 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award after finishing seventh while driving for the Coyne team.

He shifted to a combined Dale Coyne Racing and Vasser-Sullivan Racing effort in 2020, but could only muster a best finish of fourth during the 2020 running of the Indianapolis 500. He finished 13th in the series standings in 2019 and 2020.