Phoenix Race Report
 Phoenix
International Raceway, a one mile oval, is one of the shortest tracks
on the Indy Racing League circuit but also one of the toughest that an
Indy car driver has to face.
Rookie A.J. Foyt IV learned just how tough the track can be in the
Purex Dial Indy 200 Sunday as did Indy car champions Sam Hornish,
Michael Andretti and Gil deFerran. Shigeaki Hattori proved how tough
he is by notching his first top-10 finish in the Epson Dallara.
Hattori started 18th and finished 10th in the brand new Dallara/Toyota
that saw the track for the first time on Friday. Working through some
different combinations, Hattori and team owner A.J. Foyt were able to
find a race set-up which was then modified throughout the race on pit
stops as the track conditions changed.
During one fuel stint in the race, Hattori was closing in on second
place despite being a lap down. The Epson team put him on a different
fuel strategy hoping to give him an opportunity to unlap himself, but
the caution periods never worked in his favor unfortunately. However,
Hattori was able to avoid the troubles of others which triggered six
of the 10 caution flags.
 "In
the beginning of the race, the car slid around a lot. We made some
changes on the pit stop, and the EPSON car got better," Hattori said.
"The top guys tested here, but we got our long-run testing in the
race. The EPSON team did a good job. It was a tough race, and we're
glad to get a top 10 out of it."
Driving the No. 14 Conseco Dallara/Toyota, Foyt IV started 21st and
finished 18th after completing just 64 laps of the 200-lap event.
Earlier in the race on lap 31, Foyt's car was tagged in the right
front by Hornish as he attempted to pass in turn three. The contact
sent Hornish spinning into the wall (he wasn't injured) and Foyt into
the pits to check out damage on his car.
Initially the Conseco crew did not find anything bent and they sent
Foyt back into the race after changing tires. However, the car did not
feel right to the young driver and he made one more pit stop to change
tires again.
When Foyt's pace did not improve, he was told to pit again; this time,
the car was taken back to the garage for a closer inspection. It was
determined that the front wheel alignment was out of whack causing the
handling problems.
"It was disappointing because we tested here pretty good," Foyt IV
said afterwards. "The car didn't feel that good to me right from the
beginning and after the contact with Hornish, it was really hard to
turn. We will just focus on the next race and go from there."
The most spectacular accident of the day occurred on lap 187 when de
Ferran and Andretti, dicing for the fifth position, made contact going
through turn one, resulting in both drivers making heavy contact with
the wall. Andretti walked away but deFerran suffered a minor fracture
in his lower back and a mild concussion. He is taking treatment in
Florida and has not been cleared to drive yet in Motegi, Japan.
Tony Kanaan, who drives for Andretti, won the race. Helio Castroneves,
teammate to Gil deFerran, finished second. Rounding out the top five
were: Felipe Giaffone, Al Unser Jr. and Kenny Brack. There were 10
caution periods, six of them for accidents.
 Driving
the No. 14 Futaba/Delphi/Dallara, Ed Carpenter started 12th and
finished 13th in the Phoenix 100 Infiniti Pro Series race. Carpenter
made contact with the outside retaining wall in turn 2 on lap 42. The
next race for the Infiniti Pro Series will be May 18th when they make
their debut in the inaugural Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway.
 A.J. Foyt IV: Conseco No. 14 Dallara/Toyota/Firestone
Shigeaki Hattori: Epson No. 5 G-Force/Toyota/Firestone
Infiniti Pro Series Phoenix 100
Ed Carpenter: Futaba No. 14 Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone
A.J. Foyt IV on Phoenix: "The first time I ever tested at
Phoenix was in my Conseco Silver Crown car because we were testing for
last year's Copper World Classic. Donnie Beechler and Eliseo Salazar
were testing the Indy cars there, and I got to drive Salazar's car
after they finished. I didn't go real fast, but I got very comfortable
in the car and realized for the first time that I could do this. I
think Phoenix is the type of track that if you start out doing well,
you'll continue to do well. If you start out struggling, you'll always
struggle. As it turned out, I was too young to compete in the Copper
World because USAC passed a rule that you had to be 18, and I was just
17 then. I was very disappointed. Phoenix is one of the toughest
tracks in the series, but I was pretty comfortable with it after
testing there a couple times. We've had some good tests there in the
Conseco G-Force chassis, but we'll be going back with a Dallara, which
should have more downforce. My goals are to definitely be more
competitive than I was in Homestead. I think I will be because we
weren't that far off in testing. If I run all day, I think we can
finish in the top 10 in the Conseco Number 14."
Shigeaki Hattori will drive a brand new Dallara at Phoenix.
Hattori said, "This EPSON Dallara/Toyota will be a totally new car for
me--I was just in Houston last Friday getting the seat fitted. We
didn't have time to test it but I am looking forward to driving it at
Phoenix. It looks very different from the EPSON/G-Force/Toyota car I
drove in Miami so I'll be interested to see how different it is to
drive. One thing I do know is that it will have good power." omesteH
Hattori on Phoenix: "I really like the short ovals like Phoenix
because I think they are more challenging for a driver. You are very
busy all the time."
Ed Carpenter on Phoenix: "I really enjoy racing at Phoenix. I
think it will be easier there than at Homestead. We'll have high-downforce
wings on our Futaba/Delphi Dallara and the track is shorter, so I
think it'll be a lot of fun, close racing. Because the track changes
so much throughout the day, the biggest challenge is getting the car
to handle throughout the day and ultimately throughout the race. I've
been racing there four years in the USAC Midget and Silver Crown cars,
so I've got a lot of laps there. You have to have a good-handling race
car to run a full race there and be fast. We're just going to focus on
getting a good car that's going to last 100 miles. Phoenix is a place
I always look forward to going to."
Carpenter will be doing double duty at Phoenix. In addition to running
the Futuba Dallara, he'll be driving in the USAC Silver Crown Series
for the Hoffman Racing team. "I'll be racing a Silver Crown car there,
too, so it's going to be a big weekend. It should be a lot of fun.
It's harder time-wise because the practice sessions are one after the
other, so I have to rush from one car to the other. After that, I
think it's an advantage for me. I'm on the track more than the guys
I'm going to be racing with, so I'm always ready to go, and I think I
stay more focused. It's not too hard to jump back and forth between
the two types of cars because they are so different."
A.J. Foyt(s) Autograph Session: A.J. Foyt and his grandson A.J.
Foyt IV will sign autographs Friday evening at two different
RadioShack store locations.
5 – 6 pm A.J. Foyt IV
RadioShack
10685 Indian School Road (on the corner of 107th and Indiana
School Road)
Avondale, AZ
623-877-8299
6:30 – 7pm A.J. Foyt
RadioShack
Desert Sky Mall
7611 West Thomas Road (and 75th Avenue)
Phoenix
623-849-2701
The Foyt Family is promoting the RadioShack Xtreme Fan Contest which
is seeking racing's most extreme fan. The winner receives an
all-expense paid trip for four to the Indianapolis 500 (where A.J. IV
will race) and immediately afterwards they will be flown by private
jet to the Coca Cola 600 Winston Cup race in Charlotte where Larry
Foyt will compete. The contest runs from March 1 through April 30.
Entry forms may be obtained from RadioShack stores or online at
www.radioshack.com.
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