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Bump Day Goes
Smoothly for Foyt Team
By A.J. Foyt
5/21/2001
Whew....Bump Day at Indy has its own kind of drama. It is the last chance to make the Indianapolis 500 and all kinds of crazy things happen.
After the morning practice, I felt like my cars were ready to qualify and I knew my drivers were. Some teams wait until the end of the day to qualify (when the track is cooler and the speeds faster) but I didn't want to wait. I wanted to get it over with. I also figured if I had a problem, I had time to fix it.
As it turned out, Bump Day went off without a hitch for our Harrah's team. In fact, I spent the last hour watching it from my suite as guys sweated out trying to make the race. I've been there and done that and I was glad I wasn't a part of it this year.
Eliseo Salazar qualified the No. 14 Harrah's car with a four-lap average of 223.740 mph. He made his run look pretty easy, but after what this team had been through, we didn't take anything for granted.
Last week we had two crashes, one due to a blown engine. On his second attempt to qualify, he had a 223 mph average but the engine blew on the last turn of the last lap. Talk about bad luck! But during the week his wife Kari gave birth to Eliseo Salazar VI so it looked like maybe his luck was changing for the better. He'll start 28th and as Salazar points out, the race has been won twice from that position.
But the real surprise of the day was Donnie Beechler. Donnie had been a standout in the open wheel circuit, running midgets and dirt champ cars. He ran the Indy Racing League series the last couple years but was without a ride this year. When he showed up at Indy, I told him that I might have a ride for him. But when things started going bad for Salazar, Beechler thought his chances were over.
I bought another brand new car for Salazar last week because I didn't want to go into Bump Day with just one car. That allowed Beechler to practice in Salazar's back-up car. He was fast, so I was confident he could get the job done.
But he surprised even me.
Beechler qualified at a four-lap average speed over 224 mph. It was the fifth fastest speed overall. His second lap was over 225 mph and I told him over the radio, "Slow down!" I just wanted to get him in the show. He was the fastest qualifier of the day. He'll start 27th.
Robby Gordon, who qualified on the front row last week in the No. 41 Conseco car, spent last week doing full load fuel runs. That's the good thing about having a multi-car team. He could handle race set-ups while we worked on qualifying set-ups for Salazar.
I feel we have a great shot at winning this race. I am firing three bullets at Indy's Victory Lane, and I like my odds that one of them will be on target.
Tuesday
May 22nd, 2001
Race week at Indy might look to be a slow week to outsiders because there isn't much track activity going on, but for race teams, it is as busy as ever.
With three cars in the race, my Harrah's and Conseco teams are working hard to prepare the cars to run 500 miles. That means completely rebuilding the cars, even the brand new Dallara that they put together for Eliseo Salazar last week.
Today they will take delivery on the race engines from Roush Racing's shop in Detroit. For the race engine, reliability is the key. The qualifier just needs to last four laps but the race engine needs to last 200 laps. So it is built with slightly more stout components.
I also went over the race set-ups on my cars with my team manager Craig Baranouski. Craig has been with me for years. He works closely with our chief mechanics Bill Spencer and Dave Milby. With the third car in the field, I'm drafting my old chief mechanic Jack Starne to run Donnie Beechler's team on raceday. Jack, who's been with me since '67, manages our Indy car shop just outside of Houston.
Part of my week will also be spent talking with potential associate sponsors. It is my least favorite part of racing but it is necessary because of the huge costs of running a first class operation. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working with my sponsors who are on board already because I have some great sponsors, but it's always been tough for me to sell myself to new ones.
But no one ever said racing is easy.
Wednesday
May 23rd, 2001
Today is Community Day at the Speedway. Race fans can come into the garage area from 12 noon to 6 p.m. to see the action behind the scenes. It's a little cold so the teams may just have one or two garage doors open - enough to let the fans see the teams at work.
Eliseo Salazar and Donnie Beechler, who will be driving the No. 14 and No. 84 Harrah's cars, will be signing autographs at some point for fans who stop by the Foyt Racing garage. Salazar has to duck out early to pick up his wife Kari and their new son Eliseo VI. Robby Gordon, who is driving the No. 41 Conseco car, is returning from his home in North Carolina today and will also be signing a few autographs for his fans.
I try to stay focused on what's going on with the racecars. But if I'm not too busy, I always manage to sign a few autographs myself. I still can't believe the things that fans bring for me to sign, everything from old pictures and cars to things that they handmade themselves. They tell me they just carry the stuff around hoping they see me. Amazing.
Tomorrow is Carburetion Day, which is really just a final practice and the last chance to dial in your car's race set-up. We'll do just enough laps to make sure the Harrah's and Conseco cars are performing the way we want. With the month we've had, we're saving the hot laps for race day.
Thursday
May 24th, 2001
Today is the final practice for the Indy cars before the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. The Harrah's and Conseco crews worked until late last night getting the three cars ready. I saw my driver Donnie Beechler heading to the garage as I was leaving which was pretty late. I think he is pretty excited to be a part of our Harrah's team this month and I'm glad to have him. He's a helluva driver.
Robby Gordon had to attend the Front Row Party last night. We couldn't go because we were still working on the cars. Eliseo Salazar and his family and friends had dinner in the motel's restaurant last night. I was at the next table with my race shop manager Jack Starne and his wife Betsy. Salazar is really crazy about his new son Eliseo VI. His wife Kari was teasing me about babysitting. I told her I had my hands full with my drivers, she'd have to find someone else.
The cars will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. but my drivers aren't going to be out that long. I just want them to run long enough to make sure that there are no oil leaks in our race engines. We'll also check that the gearing that we decided on is right for the conditions. My drivers have two top gears but they'll run today in the topmost gear (sixth) so there is less strain on the engine. That's the point in running a minimum number of laps too. The less wear and tear in practice, the better I feel about
raceday.
Before practice begins, I'll meet with my sponsors from Harrah's. Harrah's President Gary Loveman came in today to announce the sponsorship of an Indy Racing League event. The Harrah's Indy 200 will take place at Nashville Superspeedway July 21st.
I'll feel a lot better when we put all three cars back in the barn.
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