August 22, 2026
Sting Ray Robb has one of the most unforgettable names in American motorsports. It sounds like a nickname created for a racing driver, a marketing invention designed to stand out on a leaderboard.
It is neither.
“Sting Ray” is his real legal first name, and the story behind it is almost as unusual as the driver himself. Robb's parents were Chevrolet enthusiasts and named their son after the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Years later, their choice of name would prove remarkably fitting when their son became a professional racecar driver.
Now 24, Robb is preparing to race his No. 77 Chevrolet for Juncos Hollinger Racing in Sunday's Freedom 250 Grand Prix, the inaugural IndyCar race on the streets of Washington. The temporary circuit covers 1.7 miles and the race is scheduled for 147 laps, or 250 miles.
For Robb, the Washington race is another chapter in a career that began with a name seemingly destined for the racetrack.
A name chosen by Corvette fans
Robb's parents did not name him after the ocean creature commonly called a stingray.
They were passionate about Corvettes.
According to Robb's own account, his parents were big Corvette fans, and the Chevrolet sports car inspired his unusual first name. The decision meant that from birth, he carried a name associated with speed, performance and American car culture.
There was also a second connection to the name.
The “Sting” portion has family significance connected to Stirlingshire in Scotland, where his father's ancestors came from. Robb later visited Scotland with his wife, Molly, and made a point of visiting the area connected to his family history.
So although his name is closely associated with the Corvette, it carries more than one piece of family history.
Racing started remarkably early
The name alone did not make Robb a racecar driver.
His interest in racing began when he was a child growing up in Payette, Idaho.
Robb's official biography says he asked for a racecar when he was only 3 years old. His first vehicle was a red pedal-powered Corvette, and by age 5 he was already racing go-karts.
That early start eventually developed into a serious competitive career.
Robb raced through several junior categories before reaching the IndyCar ladder. He won the 2020 USF Pro 2000 championship and later competed in Indy NXT, finishing runner-up in the 2022 championship.
The progression eventually brought him to the biggest level of American open-wheel racing.
From Idaho to IndyCar
Robb made his full-time IndyCar debut in 2023.
Since then, he has driven for several teams and established himself as a regular competitor in one of the world's most demanding racing series.
He returned to Juncos Hollinger Racing for the 2025 season, reuniting with team owner Ricardo Juncos, who had been part of Robb's championship-winning 2020 campaign. He is continuing with the team in 2026 in the No. 77 Chevrolet.
The connection with Chevrolet is particularly appropriate given the origins of his name.
As a child, Robb was named after a Chevrolet icon.
Now he races a Chevrolet-powered IndyCar professionally.
The name can be both advantage and burden
Having an unusual name can attract attention before a driver has even completed a lap.
Robb has embraced that attention rather than trying to escape it.
His name is instantly recognizable on entry lists, television graphics and merchandise. In a sport where drivers compete for attention alongside some of the biggest names in international racing, that kind of recognition can be valuable.
But the name also creates an expectation.
A driver called Sting Ray Robb sounds almost too perfectly designed for motorsports. There is an obvious temptation to reduce his story to a novelty: the man whose parents named him after a sports car eventually became a professional racer.
His career, however, is more substantial than the name.
He has spent years climbing through the racing ladder, competing against increasingly experienced drivers and building a place for himself in IndyCar.
His breakthrough came at Long Beach
Robb's career has included setbacks, but it has also produced important breakthroughs.
In 2025, he recorded his best IndyCar Series result at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, finishing ninth after leading 12 laps. That performance represented a significant step forward for the young driver and Juncos Hollinger Racing.
A strong result in IndyCar is difficult to achieve because the field is packed with drivers who have extensive experience in the series and other forms of international motorsport.
For Robb, the Long Beach performance provided evidence that he could compete near the front when circumstances and performance came together.
Washington brings a new challenge
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix gives Robb another opportunity in a highly unusual setting.
IndyCar is racing on a temporary street circuit in Washington for the first time. The course winds through the nation's capital rather than around a traditional permanent racing facility.
Robb will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet for Juncos Hollinger Racing, alongside teammate Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76.
The event has attracted attention because of its location as much as its racing.
Instead of watching IndyCars roar around a conventional track, fans in Washington will see the series compete on city streets.
For a driver whose identity has always been closely connected to cars and racing, it is another unusual setting for an already unusual career.
More than a novelty
The easiest story about Sting Ray Robb is that his parents gave him a racing name and he eventually became a racer.
But that version leaves out the years of work required to reach IndyCar.
Robb progressed through karting, junior formula racing and Indy NXT before earning his place in the premier American open-wheel series. He won championships before reaching IndyCar and has continued developing through difficult seasons and team changes.
His story is therefore not simply about an extraordinary name.
It is about a childhood interest that became a profession.
A Corvette name on a Chevrolet
There is an almost cinematic quality to Robb's current situation.
His parents were Corvette enthusiasts.
They named him Sting Ray after the Corvette.
He began racing with a pedal-powered Corvette as a child.
And now, at 24, he drives a Chevrolet-powered IndyCar with “Sting Ray Robb” printed on the official entry list.
The coincidence is almost too perfect.
But behind the memorable name is a driver who has spent his entire life trying to turn an early childhood fascination into a career at the highest level.
The ballad continues
Robb has yet to win an IndyCar race or claim a championship, but his career remains a work in progress.
He enters Sunday's Washington race as part of a 25-car IndyCar field, carrying the No. 77 for Juncos Hollinger Racing.
For the fans watching, his name will almost certainly be one of the first things they notice.
For Robb, however, the name is simply part of who he is.
The Corvette connection may have given him one of racing's most memorable introductions, but every lap since then has had to be earned.
And as Sting Ray Robb takes his Chevrolet onto the streets of Washington, the driver named for a car gets another chance to prove that he belongs behind the wheel.
Also Read: Olivia Miles Leads Lynx Past Mystics in 94-84 Victory