Open-wheel racing was Robb’s choice, but his parents had taken him as far as they could financially and he needed backing to continue his journey.
“That’s when Pieter Rossi, my manager, stepped on board with the investment program that we put in place to fund my racing career,” Robb said.
Rossi, the father of 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi, became Robb’s manager. From there, Robb started his Road to Indy climb, beginning with the Pro Mazda Championship (now USF Pro 2000).
Robb remained in the USF Pro 2000 Championship for four years, skipping the USF 2000 Championship due to increased costs with a new race car in the series.
Looking back, Robb believes the lower series may have been beneficial to his development.
“Hindsight being 20-20, I probably regret that a little bit, because I wasn’t ready for it,” Robb said. “I wish I would have started in that lower level and worked on race craft and developing those basic skills and then work my way up.
“But I got thrown into the deep end and then kind of had to learn on the fly and got set back a couple of years because of it.”
Robb adjusted, scoring the USF Pro 2000 title with Juncos Racing in the team’s second year of competition.
“I didn’t have a lot to build off of. But the one year that we did build from was 2019, and then 2020, won the championship. So it was really good,” Robb said.
A step up to Indy NXT (formerly Indy Lights) was on deck for Robb with Juncos Racing. A dismal season during his rookie campaign brought a new opportunity with one of the top teams in open-wheel racing — Andretti Autosport.
Aboard the No. 2 car for Andretti, 2022 was Robb’s breakout season. Eight podiums, along with a victory at California’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, boosted the 21-year-old’s stock significantly.
“We had really good consistency,” Robb said. “I think larger in part was to the team that I was with. Andretti knew what they were doing.”
With a successful Indy NXT campaign behind him, Robb began searching for options at the highest level of American open-wheel racing.
Less than two months before the season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., a deal was struck for Robb to drive Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Honda for the full NTT IndyCar Series slate.
In his IndyCar Series debut during the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Robb was caught up in a lap-one accident but recovered to finish 16th.
Robb believes one thing will be crucial in his development as an Indy car driver.
“I think ultimate pace. IndyCar is a very dynamic sport, because there’s a lot going on behind the scenes,” Robb said. “Not only off the track, but on track is what I mean. You have to have really good race craft, get lucky, make the right strategy calls, have good pit stops, have good in and out laps and have a good team around you.
“The hardest thing to nail down is that ultimate pace I feel like, at least currently. I think that’s going to come with a little bit seat time and working with the team. But you look at St. Pete, there were I think eight drivers within a couple tenths of a second.
“So, you got to break into that,” Robb continued. “Even then you’re still not guaranteed a higher position. I think for the nearest future, our focus is going to be getting quicker, and getting there quicker.”
With a tight field of 27 cars all within a narrow margin, Robb knows the importance of finding speed. Now, it’s all about finding that solid pace.
“I’m just going to keep learning and, hopefully, that ultimate pace, that light switch comes on shortly,” he said. “That’s like the hardest thing I feel like. Fighting for that last one percent of speed that the other guys have been working on for the last 15 years, some of them.
“It’s hard to make up for that time, but it’s important.”
This story appeared in the April 12, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
