Pike's Peak International Raceway
HONDA INDY 225

Conseco Race Report:

A.J. Foyt IV and Team Conseco had a tough weekend at Pikes Peak International Raceway, the one-mile tri-oval on the outskirts of Colorado Springs, Colo. Sunday afternoon. Dario Franchitti won the Honda Indy 225.

With just an hour, 15 minutes of total practice time before qualifying, the pressure is on all the teams to find the right set-up quickly. The thin air at the track compounds the problem because there is less overall downforce and less horsepower. Finding the right combination is critical to having a good result at PPIR.

The problems for A.J. Foyt's Indy car team began on Saturday. A wheel bearing went in the right rear wheel which cost A.J. IV valuable time in the second practice. Rain washed out qualifying later that afternoon. In the final warm-up Sunday morning, A.J. IV brushed the wall in turn two which curtailed his session and the chance to dial in his race car.

Foyt IV started 21^st, the starting grid was based on the practice times from Saturday. The race barely got underway when Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice spun on the backstretch and hit the infield concrete barrier bringing out the first yellow.

Foyt IV struggled with the Conseco car right from the start. After he went a lap down, he pitted to make some adjustments to the car. Foyt IV rejoined the race but could never find his rhythm. His grandfather finally told him to pit for good. He placed 21^st.

"We just had no grip with the car," Foyt IV said afterwards. "When I started getting lapped, I had to move out of the way and my tires got rubber build-up on them which just made the handling ten times worse."

Defending IRL IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and Tora Takagi also parked their cars due to poor handling.  

The next event is the Firestone Indy 225 at Nazareth Speedway in Nazareth, Pa. It will be televised live Sunday, August 29th at 2:00 pm Eastern time by ABC Sports.

NOTES & QUOTES: Honda Indy 225 at Pikes Peak Int'l Raceway
A.J. Foyt IV: Conseco No. 14 Dallara/Toyota/Firestone


• A.J. Foyt IV on PPIR: "Last year at Pikes Peak, we didn't run well at all but we've learned a lot since then. It's tough with the two day shows because you have to practice and qualify your first day on the track. Hopefully we hit the combination with the Conseco car right off the truck. We've had some good runs lately but the results don't reflect how well the car's been running. I'd like to change that this weekend with a good finish."

• At the Kentucky Indy 300: A.J. IV started 15th and finished 18th due to an untimely yellow which came immediately after Foyt IV had pitted under green. He lost two laps. Prior to that, Foyt IV had run a strong race, coming from last to 12th twice by the halfway mark. "The car was good all day," said Foyt IV, who didn't require any adjustments to the chassis during the race. "We didn't get the fuel mileage we should have, so we were the first car to the pits. With the yellow coming out when it did, it killed our chances of a good finish. We had a top-10 car but just didn't have the luck we needed. I'm disappointed for my team because they gave me a great car and great stops all day. We just need to have some better luck."

• A.J. IV's past performance at Pikes Peak: Last year Foyt IV finished 22nd when team owner A.J. Foyt decided to park the car after just 41 laps due to handling problems. Foyt also parked his second car with Jaques Lazier driving, also due to handling problems.

• Foyt Racing performance highlights at Pikes Peak: Won poles in 1997 & 1998 with drivers Scott Sharp and Billy Boat; won race in 1998 with Kenny Brack.

• The Honda Indy 225 will be televised live Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.