There's good news, and there's Bad News.
The good news is that Sting Ray Robb made it as one of four rookies and one of the youngest competitors to participate in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 motorcar race.
The bad news is that during lap 92 of the 200 that make up the competition, Sting Ray was involved in an incident causing his vehicle to crash into the high wall, eliminating him from contention.
This was 21-year-old Sting Ray's first trip to the race, where the average age of the racers was 31.8 years, and the average number of starts drivers have been to "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" is seven.
Even though it may not have ended up the way he wanted, Sting Ray was part of one of the greatest shows yet.
Country singer Jewel, decked out in a white outfit dawning a black and white checkered flag hair scarf, opened with an acoustical arrangement of the National Anthem. Some loved it, some not so much .... all agreed it was memorable.
Four F-16's from the 49th Fighter Wing out of Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico provided the fly-by to finish the anthem.
The honorary starter of the race was Adam Driver, tasked with waving the starting flag. Not everyone can say they were in a race started by Kylo Ren.
The race, itself, was action-packed. There were multiple pit incidences, anywhere from spin-outs to teammates unintentionally bumping into one another. As expected, there were several bumps and crashes. One crash actually caused a tire to fly up into the air over spectators.
Of the 33 drivers who started the race, only 17 actually completed all 200 laps.
Sting Ray was part of the two-man Dale Coyne Racing team with Rick Ware Racing. His teammate, David Malukas, also 21, was a rookie in 2022. Malukas crashed out this year in lap 160.
Regardless of how it ended, the Payette native made Idahoans proud, simply by making it to the race in the first place.
RELATED | "It's a dream come true." Sting Ray Robb will race in the Indy Car Series
Congratulations Sting Ray! Such an outstanding accomplishment, already looking forward to next year.
