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Texas
By A.J. Foyt
 By
many accounts, the Bombardier Learjet 500k was a success for Texas
Motor Speedway. The crowd was terrific; with attendance estimated at
over 105,000, it was one of the best ever for the IRL IndyCar Series
at this track since it began running here in 1997.
The weather was hot but clear and the same could be said for the
racing. Wheel to wheel action is what defines IndyCar racing at TMS
and the sparks were flying Saturday night with lots of close calls
but very few accidents. There were 18 cars running at the end which
saw Tomas Scheckter win by five hundredths of a second over Sam
Hornish and Tony Kanaan.
The race weekend in Texas could have gone better for us because we
were the 18th car. Following our final practice, I would have
predicted a much better finish. Unfortunately, a little patience on
my part might have made all the difference.
We started 22nd because the engine blew on a warm-up lap in
qualifying; there wasn't enough time to install another before
qualifying had ended so we had to start last.
 No
problem, I figured, because with the three-wide racing at Texas you
can redeem yourself in the race. But you do have to have a car that
handles to your liking which A.J. IV had in final practice. He could
run high or low in the ABC Supply Dallara/Toyota.
In the race, however, the handling went away early and he complained
that the car was loose when I asked why he was dropping back. I was
afraid he'd fall behind the pack and lose the draft. Then nothing
short pf a caution would get you back up there.
We did have several early cautions but the minor adjustments we made
on those pit stops didn't help the loose condition as far as A.J. IV
could notice. So I made a more drastic change and the crew
over-compensated a bit which made it too much. We not only lost the
draft, we lost a lap. I brought him back in to put the car back
where we started.
By then the track must have changed because he started running
competitive lap times. Problem was that the pit stops were costly
and we were two laps down. I don't think A.J. IV ever worked so hard
with so little to show for it. You could see it in his
disappointment after the race.
Our next race is the SunTrust Challenge at Richmond International
Raceway in Virginia's state capital. High-banked and only
three-quarters of a mile long, RIR is the smallest track on the
IndyCar circuit. The action is fast and furious but A.J. IV usually
runs well there. With any luck at all, we can score another top-10
in the ABC Supply Dallara.
The race will be televised live Saturday night, June 25th at 7:30pm
eastern time on ESPN. If you can't go, I hope you can tune in. This
race is the IRL's version of NASCAR's Bristol where even the
participants would pay to watch! |
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