Race Report: Richmond
 A.J.
Foyt IV turned in his best performance of the season in the No. 14
Conseco Indy car Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway in
Richmond, Va.
The young driver ran as high as 15th after starting 21st in the
250-lap SunTrust Indy Challenge on the three-quarter mile banked
track. Unfortunately, on lap 130 he spun out while trying to lap Buddy
Lazier for the third time.
"I went low to get around Buddy and when I gave it the gas coming off
Turn 2, the car jumped out on me and I spun," Foyt IV said.
Foyt's grandfather was pleased despite the early exit.
"He drove a helluva race," the legend said afterwards. "I think he has
turned a corner in these cars. He was able to pass cars, and even
though he got lapped, he ran with the leaders. He looked good, real
good."
 Teammate
Jaques Lazier also had his share of problems, starting with a
disappointing qualifying run in the No.5 Dallara/Toyota when he
qualified 20th. In the race he had moved as high as 12th but an
admitted driver error cost him some positions.
"The car was running good and then I went too hard into Turn 2 and
pushed up into the marbles which gummed up my tires," the former
Richmond pole winner said. "I lost time there for about 15 laps
because the car got real loose. Then it happened later when a lead car
dive-bombed going into the corner and put me in the marbles again. It
was a tough night but we finished the race and now we can go to Kansas
where I believe we'll run really strong." Lazier finished 16th in the
rain-shortened event which was won by Scott Dixon.
Foyt IV had problems earlier in the weekend when he lost control of
his car in practice and brushed the wall in turn 2, damaging the right
side suspension and losing valuable practice time. In qualifying, he
was extra cautious and his lap time reflected that caution because he
qualified 22nd. He started 21st because third place qualifier Tora
Takagi went to a back-up car after wrecking his primary car in final
practice. Takagi, second-place qualifier Sarah Fisher, her teammate
Robbie Buhl and fourth place qualifier Sam Hornish all crashed in
final practice in separate incidents on the tricky Virginia oval.
In the race, Foyt IV kept pace with the field and then began passing
cars. He was running just behind his teammate Jaques Lazier when Foyt
IV finally got lapped by pole winner and eventual winner Scott Dixon
and second place Gil DeFerran. The yellow came out two laps later for
Vitor Meira's crash in Turn 2.
Foyt IV pitted with the leaders and due to the 8.5-second pitstop by
Team Conseco, he didn't lose a position on track. He ran with the lead
pack lapping cars and running his best race of the season until his
misfortune on lap 130 when he spun exiting Turn 2 while trying to lap
a slower car. He finished 21st.
"Coming out of Turn 2, the car in front of me checked up," Foyt IV
explained. "I saw a chance to pass, and I went low and got on the gas
too quickly and it came around on me. It was pretty disappointing
because I was having a lot of fun out there. I did radio in a few laps
before to let the guys know that the car was getting loose.
"The good thing is I gained a lot of confidence and we have some
momentum going into Kansas where I won my first race in the Infiniti
Pro Series. It would be great to win my first Indy car race there too
like Airton Dare did with my grandfather's team last year."
The Kansas Indy 300 will be televised live on ABC Sunday, July 6th
starting at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Last year Foyt Racing enjoyed
doubleheader victories at the 1.5-mile track in Kansas City. Foyt IV
won the inaugural race of the Infiniti Pro Series after starting from
the pole and Dare won his first Indy car race there.
 WEEKEND
NOTES: Larry Foyt stopped by Richmond to watch A.J. IV race. The
Winston Cup driver had to leave the race early to fly to the Hamptons
in New York for a photo shoot for a major magazine which will come out
in the fall...The Team Conseco transporter was scheduled to travel to
Kansas on Sunday morning but got a late start because of engine
problems shortly after leaving the hotel. The tractor had to be towed
to a repair shop to have the turbocharger replaced and the engine
repaired. Team owner A.J. Foyt and crew were also delayed on their
departure as they made alternate plans which include having the
Winston Cup team's tractor take the Indy car to Kansas while the Team
Conseco tractor is repaired. Once repaired, that tractor will take the
Winston Cup car to Daytona for this weekend's race under the lights.
The tractors will then switch to their regular trailers next week.
NOTES
&
QUOTES: SunTrust Indy Challenge at
Richmond
A.J. Foyt IV: Conseco No. 14 Dallara/Toyota/Firestone
Jaques Lazier: No. 5 Dallara/Toyota/Firestone
 A.J.
Foyt IV tested briefly at Richmond International Raceway last
Thursday, June 19th in a private session. A combination of factors
resulted in Foyt IV getting only 12 laps of testing in the Conseco
Dallara/Toyota that day. Rain washed out the morning session but the
track was dried in time for teammate Jaques Lazier to run about 60
laps to find a comfortable set-up for Foyt IV. Unfortunately
mechanical problems surfaced during Foyt's run which cut short the
one-day test session.
Foyt IV on Richmond: "Richmond is different from any track I've
been to with the Indy car because it is so small and tight. It's like
a go-kart track for Indy cars. I didn't get a lot of laps in the
Conseco car because of our mechanical trouble but I did get up to
speed pretty quick, maybe just 2-tenths off Jaques' time. I felt
comfortable straight off plus I like racing at night so I'm really
looking forward to running there."
Jaques Lazier makes his third start in the No. 5 Dallara/Toyota
at Richmond International Raceway where he tested briefly last week.
"I'm real glad that we got a chance to test last week because it
allowed us to learn what we needed in the 60 or so laps we ran to give
us a good baseline going into this race. We have some other ideas we
want to try in practice. I love racing at night, and the lighting
technology that we have today makes the track lighting a purer light
source than the sun, at least for the drivers. The lighting is so even
that it eliminates shadows and it has the right brightness for us to
see perfectly. Overall, I am very optimistic about our chances this
weekend."
Lazier won his first pole position at the inaugural Richmond event
in 2001. Lazier, driving for Sam Schmidt, was dueling for the lead
with his brother Buddy Lazier when Jaques was tagged by a car they
were lapping just 23 laps into the event. Buddy went on to win the
race, while Jaques finished 19th.
Past performance for Foyt Racing at RIR: A.J. Foyt Racing has
two top-10 finishes (7th with Donnie Beechler in ‘01 and 6th with
Airton Dare last year) and one top-10 start (7th with Eliseo Salazar
who also led 26 laps before crashing out with Eddie Cheever in '01).
Airton Dare traveled home to Brazil last week to continue therapy
on his right arm and right leg. "The trip home went pretty well," said
Dare. "I took some pills to help me sleep and they worked, which is
good because it is a 9-hour flight from Miami. It feels good to be
home and I think I will recover much faster." Dare has a therapist
come to his house every day for at least a half-hour of therapy which
he repeats later that same day. The 25-year-old was injured in a crash
when the right front suspension failed in practice at Texas Motor
Speedway June 5th. Dare is expected to make a full recovery.
Ed Carpenter, who drives Foyt's No. 14 in the Infiniti Pro Series,
will compete at Richmond in the USAC Silver Crown Series in the
No. 69 Hoffman Racing car. Driving for Sinden Racing last year,
Carpenter finished second to Dave Steele here for his best career
finish in Silver Crown cars.
The SunTrust Indy Challenge will be televised live Saturday
night at 8 p.m. eastern on ESPN.
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