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Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Foyt IV Celebrates 19th Birthday with 18th Place Finish in Indy 500

Driving the No. 14 Conseco Dallara/Toyota, A.J. Foyt IV became the youngest driver to ever compete in the Indianapolis 500 Sunday afternoon. The teenager, who turned 19 on race day, had plenty to celebrate at the end of the race with his 18th place finish.

Earlier that day, a birthday cake, made as a replica of the No. 14 Conseco Indy car, was presented to A.J. IV by Carol Sewell, Vice-President of Brand Management for Conseco. The crew and Foyt family sung 'Happy Birthday' with grandfather A.J. joining in the merriment.

A.J. IV's first Indy 500 got off to an unusual start when his earplugs failed and he ran the first 11 laps in 23rd spot without radio communication. The Conseco crew switched the plugs during a pitstop under caution, however the new set did not fit as well. He spent the next 36 laps without benefit of radio contact with his team or spotters. The problem was fixed on the next pitstop on lap 46 but the fix cost nearly six laps under green. From then on, he worked to run consistent laps, stay out of trouble and gain as much experience as he could.

"It was definitely a long day," the 19-year-old said afterwards. "We had radio problems the whole day and ended up having to run these old-style ear plugs and tape them in. After a couple of hours, those things didn't feel too good on my ears. It was a long day but I stayed out there and learned a ton."

Indy's first four-time winner was happy to see his grandson finish the race.

"We just told him to stay out of trouble," Foyt said. "He had a big handicap with no radios at the beginning. We weren't going to run without a radio and endanger his life and somebody else's, and that was the big problem that got us down. Then after that, we were just trying to finish and give the leaders that were racing for the lead - since we were five or six laps down - just get out their way and let them go. The big thing is he got this race under his belt and he learned a lot."

Young Foyt hung tough throughout the race when many of the veterans did not. Unfortunately, one of the vets was Foyt's teammate, Airton Dare who drove the No. 41 Conseco G-Force/Toyota.

Dare, who started last, had moved into second place early in the race through pit strategy, electing to stay on the track when most of the leaders pitted during a caution period. He ran in the top three until he had to pit under green. Pitting out of sequence proved costly as he lost a lap and faded back to 24th. He was able to regain his lap and was running 17th until his mishap going into turn one.

Dare moved high to allow the leader to pass him but he got too high and drifted into the loose rubber marbles which caused him to slide into the wall. The contact on lap 126 ended his race. He placed 24th.

Gil DeFerran won his first Indy 500 for team owner Roger Penske, who visited Victory Circle for the 13th time in his illustrious career.

Team Conseco heads to Richmond (Va.) International Raceway this week for a test session in preparation for the race scheduled there Saturday night, June 28.

The next race for the Indy Racing League is the Bombardier 500 at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night, June 7th. The race will be televised live at 8 pm eastern time on ESPN.
 

In the Show

Shigeaki Hattori and Airton Dare qualified for the Indianapolis 500 Sunday in cars fielded by A.J. Foyt. Teammate A.J. Foyt IV will make his Indy debut while Hattori will compete in his second Indy 500 and Dare in his fourth.

Hattori went out first in the No. 5 Epson Dallara/Toyota and put together four consistent laps for an average speed of 224.589 mph. He will start 30th.

"I talked to A.J. this morning," Hattori said, "and he told me, ‘Right now, we don't have to take a risk.' Our car is obviously not set up for qualifying. All four laps, my car was pretty consistent, and that's good for the race."

Dare drove the blue and silver G-Force/Toyota which carried Conseco on the sidepods and will be numbered 41 for the race. The 25-year-old driver was disappointed with his speed average of 223.609 mph which puts him 33rd in the field but also earns him the Sony Survivor Award, good for an extra $20,000 and a Sony big-screen TV and home theater system.

"There was a miscommunication with me and the team when I went out to qualify," he said afterwards. "We ran 225.3 (mph) this morning, and I thought we could pick up a mile an hour, and instead we slowed down three. I wanted to waive off, but I didn't get an answer back from the team, so I kept it in the gas and we completed the other laps. We are in the field, but it's really frustrating to be that slow.

"It was a long day. We were chasing rumors all day long to see what was going on and who was going to put a car on. A.J. has been cool all day. Since I got the checkered flag, I've been upset that we didn't wave off, but he was like, ‘Easy, we're going to be in the show.' Who knows better than him?"

For the first time since 1947, there was no bumping on Bump Day. However, Brian Barnhart, Vice-president of Operations for the Indy Racing League is optimistic about the potential for this year's race.

"We're going to have some of the best competition and the best racing ever seen here," Barnhart said. "One of the things that jumped out at me was that we have an IRL race winner in each of the 11 rows. I think that's pretty neat how that works out. It's the ninth-closest field in history and the third-fastest field in history. And the quality – the race wins, the championships, the Indianapolis 500 wins that are represented – makes a great race for next Sunday. We've got as much quality as we've ever seen."
 

Post-Qualifying Report

At age 18, A.J. Foyt IV became the youngest driver to ever qualify for the Indianapolis 500 Sunday afternoon amidst some of the worst-ever qualifying conditions in the history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Defending Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves won his first pole position at the Speedway with a four-lap average speed of 231.725 mph.

With winds gusting in the 40-50 mph range and temperatures in the 50's, young Foyt qualified the Conseco Dallara/Toyota at an average speed of 224.177 mph. The speed places him 23rd which is the same position that his grandfather A.J. Foyt started in his final race at the Speedway in 1992. The senior Foyt is the oldest driver to ever compete in the 500.

"I know what this place has done for my grandfather," said Foyt IV. "It really made his name, like he says, and this place has done a lot, not only for him but for my whole family and just to come here and try to carry on the name and carry on the tradition is just a great opportunity for me that Conseco and that my grandfather have given me. To have confidence in me to go out here on such a tough racetrack like this and qualify for the race, well I just feel very fortunate to be a part of it."

Foyt IV's day started off with a qualifying attempt earlier that ended with a gust of wind sending him spinning coming off turn two. Through skillful steering (and luck by his own admission) he managed to keep it off the wall and coasted to a stop along the backstretch.

"There was a lot of luck involved with that, especially a spin," Foyt IV said. "I looked on the computer and I was going 168 mph backward, so it was pretty much a wild ride and I was surprised I didn't hit anything."

When asked if he thought his grandfather was impressed, he replied, "Well, I don't think so, but I think it was a big relief for him that I didn't hit anything also."

There were 24 cars that qualified for the 87th Indianapolis 500. There are nine spots that remain to be filled in the 33-car field before the bumping begins on Bump Day, May 18th. The Indy 500 will be televised live Sunday, May 25th on ABC starting at 12 noon with the pre-race show starting at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
 

NOTES & QUOTES: INDIANAPOLIS 500

A.J. Foyt IV: Conseco No. 14 G-Force/Toyota/Firestone
Shigeaki Hattori: Epson No. 5 Dallara/Toyota/Firestone


A.J. Foyt IV on Indy Test: "We tested at the Speedway [April 21-23] and overall the test went well. The most important day for me was the 21st because that was when I passed my Indy 500 rookie test. That day went really smooth. The next day we had a little accident when I brushed the wall in turn 1 and damaged the suspension on the Conseco Dallara. I learned a lot from it though--especially that I need to be more patient in getting up to speed and bringing the tires up to temperature. The third day went really well. I had some quick laps in the G-Force car." He reached a speed of 228.0 and was 4th fastest overall.

Foyt IV on qualifying for Indy: "It would mean a lot to me and my whole family because the Indianapolis 500 has meant so much and done so much for my grandfather and our family. To be able to qualify well for that race, our biggest race of the year, would also mean a lot to our sponsor Conseco because they are based in Indy. I am thrilled to be here and I want to make the most of it."

Ten years ago, A.J. Foyt retired from driving Indy cars on Pole Day, May 15, 1993. Foyt holds the Indy 500 record for most starts (all consecutive) at 35, having run from 1958 through 1992. He is also the oldest driver to ever compete in the Indy 500. This year he will watch his grandson attempt to become the youngest driver ever to compete in the 500. A.J. IV turns 19 on May 25, the day of the race.

Advice from Grandpa A.J.: "He keeps telling me to make sure I am ahead of the car, that I should be driving the car and not have the car driving me. He tells me to make sure that the car is doing what I want it to do, make sure it feels good every moment and if it doesn't, to come into the pits right away. At these speeds, too much can happen too quickly to take chances. After I turned that 228 mph lap in testing, though, he told me over the radio, "Congratulations, you finally went faster than I did at Indy."

Kentucky Derby bound: Despite being around Churchill Downs as a youngster, A.J. Foyt IV will see his first Kentucky Derby from his grandfather's box seats this weekend. "It was too congested to bring the kids to the Derby," said his mother Nancy Foyt whose husband Tony (A.J. III) was a race horse trainer. "We always hired a sitter for them and they had their own Derby Party. It worked out better for everyone." Young Foyt plans to suggest his picks to win, place and show for his grandfather to bet in this year's Derby. At 18, he is too young to bet.

Shigeaki Hattori on Indy Testing: "We had an excellent test at Indy. At the start, my car was pretty good and when we made a couple changes, they were the right changes because the Epson car was even better. It is very comfortable. I drove the Dallara for most of the test and only drove the G-Force for a couple laps so I didn't have enough time in it to compare the two chassis.omesteH The test went so well that I am very confident going back to Indy." In the two-day test, Hattori was second quickest overall (of 12 drivers) with a speed of 228.9 mph.

Hattori on Indy: "Indy is one of my favorite tracks because it is so different from all of the other tracks we race on. It has speed and style. I love the speed and it has all that history which is what makes it so very special. This year I am working with A.J. who knows that place so well that he is a big help to me. This year I am also driving with the Toyota engine and the engine feels very, very strong. Those are the two biggest differences from last year. Last year we had lots of mechanical problems so I wasn't able to qualify on the first day. Then it rained the next day and qualifying was cancelled so I had to wait until Bump Day to get in the field. We ran 228 but if that was on Pole Day, we would have started much better than 27th. But I am very confident about this year because we had such a good test, the car's good and the engine is so strong. The key is to be consistent, get the car consistent, have good pit stops and if we can do that, we'll have a good race."

The winner of the RadioShack Xtreme Fan Contest will start out at the Indy 500 as they (winner and three friends and/or family members) do Racing's Daily Double. As part of their prize package they will meet A.J. Foyt and his grandson A.J. Foyt IV before the 500. Then after the race, they will fly by private jet to Charlotte, N.C. to attend the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and time permitting, meet A.J.'s son and Winston Cup driver Larry Foyt before the race. The contest ran from March 1 to April 30; the winner will be selected by mid-May.