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Off
To A Good Start
By A.J. FOYT
Well, the year is starting off pretty good in the Indy Racing Northern Light Series for my Harrah's Racing team.
In the season opener at Phoenix International Raceway, my driver Eliseo Salazar started 13th and finished second. Eliseo drove a good race and my Harrah's crew gave him great pitstops. We picked up positions every time we pitted. I was very proud of the way my whole team
performed. We had a very fast car but we just didn't get any breaks in traffic. At one point, Eliseo almost made a pass on eventual winner Sam Hornish Jr.in traffic but Eliseo backed off because it was a risky move and he still had 50 laps to go. When you do back off in these cars you lose momentum, and it gave Hornish the chance to put a couple of slower cars between himself and Eliseo.
The yellow came out the next lap. When the race restarted, Hornish got a jump because Eliseo had to fight his way past the lapped cars who blocked him a little bit. Hornish got through traffic better but as the race leader, he was getting some help from the flagman. I got a little hot because the flagman didn't signal those backmarkers with the move-over flag for Eliseo and it allowed Hornish to get away.
I don't say too much on the radio, especially at a fast one-mile oval like Phoenix where the driver is lapping in less than 25 seconds. He is very busy all the time, especially since he is working through traffic at speeds over 165 mph. However, with 15 laps to go, I did warn Eliseo to step it up a little because Buddy Lazier, who is the defending series champion, was closing fast. I think Eliseo was driving a little conservatively because of the traffic but he listened to me and put some distance between himself and third place Lazier.
Hornish did a good job to win his first race. It was particularly sweet for him because Pennzoil is his sponsor and they sponsored the race. My hat's off to him.
Eliseo is looking forward to our next race in Miami because he lives there and it's always fun to race in your hometown. He's from Santiago, Chile but he's been living in Miami for a couple of years now.
People wonder how an old Texan like me who speaks only English can get along with a guy like Eliseo who speaks five languages. But when it comes to racing, I think we speak the same language. And it's starting to show
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