Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indy 500

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Race Report: Indianapolis 500

The ABC Supply crew fixes the 14's suspension midway through the 500.

The ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt Racing team fielded three cars in the 89th Running of the Indianapolis 500 but only Felipe Giaffone was there at the end in the No. 48 ABC Supply Panoz/Toyota. Both A.J. Foyt IV in the No. 14 Dallara/Toyota and Larry Foyt in the No. 41 Dallara/Toyota were eliminated before the halfway mark.

The misfortune started early for the Foyts. Larry complained about his car being loose and made an early pitstop so the crew could make adjustments. They gave him new tires and adjusted the front wings.

"At the start of the race, I was very happy with the car," said Larry. "Then it went bad loose quickly. I thought I had a tire going down and I was going to try to make it to a yellow. But I couldn't cause I was saving it in every corner, so I pitted for new tires. I knew something was wrong because the new tires didn't help at all. I was only running 200 mph when the car just snapped going into [turn] one."

A.J. taps son Larry on his helmet moments before the engines are fired up.

The 41 car backed into the SAFER barrier which resulted in Foyt sustaining an injury to his lower spine. He was transported to Methodist Hospital where he was diagnosed with a compressed vertebra and a chipped disk. He was kept overnight, fitted with a back brace and released on Monday. He is expected to make a full recovery but it may keep him out of the cockpit for at least five weeks.

The crew is downloading the data information to try to determine the cause of the accident but the preliminary investigation rules out mechanical failures.

A.J. Foyt IV also experienced handling problems when the leaders caught him and began lapping him on lap 39. Moving aside for the leaders, Foyt IV was out of the groove several times which caused him to get rubber build-up on his tires, adversely affecting the handling. He pitted early for adjustments but with race cars circulating at speeds over 225 mph, Foyt IV found himself constantly moving over, making it difficult to get into a rhythm. Unlike Larry, the new tires did help his handling.

On lap 76, A.J. IV was being lapped by Bruno Junquiera who shot underneath him in entering turn two. Junquiera didn't turn in early (as drivers were warned to do in the drivers' meeting) so when Foyt IV was turning in to make the turn, he clipped Junquiera. Both drivers were going for the same piece of real estate and they made contact. Junquiera backed into the SAFER barrier while Foyt IV continued to the pits with a broken left suspension.
Junquiera was taken to Methodist Hospital where he was operated on the following day to repair several broken vertebrae in his back. He is listed in fair condition.

"It happened so quick," said Foyt IV immediately afterwards. "I was slow coming out of turn one because I had a car underneath me in that corner. Bruno came up on me real quick and went underneath me. We just hit left front to right rear. I don't really know what happened. I feel sorry for him because he was running a lot better than I was so it was a lot more unfortunate for him than it was for me.

"Now we're out of another race here in the 500 two years in a row," he continued. "It's disappointing for our new sponsor ABC but we'll be back next year and see what happens."

Foyt was asked if his spotter notified him of the faster car.

"The spotter said ‘Inside.' He was pretty much by when we touched. I don't know if I tried to turn in to stay out of the marbles or he waited a little bit late to turn in. But when you get passed in the short chute, you can't get up and give up too much room ‘cause you'll get in the marbles and hit the wall yourself. It's just unfortunate for the whole team."

Foyt's team repaired the car in the garage and he returned to the track but he dropped out several laps later and called it a day.

Felipe Giaffone (in white) on the grid. He started last and finished 15th  to gain the most positions of any starter.

Giaffone, the 30-year-old Brazilian driver, started last, having bumped his way into the field on Bump Day. He was shopping at a children's store with his wife Alice when he got the call to come to the Speedway to driver for Foyt. With very little practice, he qualified the No. 48 car at over 217 mph to take the final spot in the grid.

Giaffone finished 15th and gained the most positions.

"It's just too bad that in the beginning we lost so many laps," said Giaffone. "I couldn't really get up to speed. Every time the guys would go by, I would have to lift, and it would take two laps to get up to speed again. We lost a few laps there. Toward the end, we changed the car, and I was very happy with the balance. I could hold flat for most of the lap. The only problems were when other people would go by and I would have to lift and it would take a few laps to get up to speed again. We finished the race, and that was my goal. Unfortunately we didn't finish the way I wanted to finish, but it was much better than watching it from Brazil."

Dan Wheldon won the race after passing rookie Danica Patrick for the lead on lap 194. Patrick, who was conserving fuel finished fourth behind teammate and runner-up Vitor Meira and third place finisher Bryan Herta. Buddy Lazier rounded out the top five. The top finishing Toyota-powered car was Helio Castroneves in ninth.

The next IRL IndyCar Series race is the Bombardier 500k at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night, June 11. It will be televised live on ESPN starting at 8:30 p.m. eastern time.
 

Notes & Quotes: Indianapolis 500

A.J. Foyt IV: No. 14 ABC Supply/Dallara/Toyota
Larry Foyt: No. 41 ABC Supply/Dallara/Toyota
Felipe Giaffone: No. 48 A.J. Foyt Racing/Panoz/Toyota

Foyts at Indy: For the second straight year there will be two Foyts competing in the Indy 500. A.J. IV will be competing in his third Indy 500 just four days after his 21st birthday while Larry will be competing in his second Indy 500 and second Indy car race ever. Having qualified on the second weekend, both drivers will start from the tenth row in 28th and 30th respectively.

A.J. Foyt IV: "We're going to run hard and run consistent all day to hopefully put ourselves in a position where if everything goes our way we'll have a chance for a good finish in the ABC Supply car."

Larry Foyt: "I'm excited to be back. I learned a lot racing here last year so I'm going into this race with a lot more confidence because I know what to expect. We don't have the speed we need so our goal is to finish the race. I think if you can survive, you can get a decent finish."

Felipe Giaffone: "It's going be tough because I have a new crew and the communication may be difficult at first. But as a driver I'm going to push as hard as I can and get to the end as quick as I can. It's tough starting last but this whole thing has been so crazy that if I have the luck that I had on Sunday, we might finish in the top 10!"

Number 48: This year marks the 48th straight Indy 500 in which A.J. Foyt has participated as either an owner, driver or both. All of the Foyt-owned cars will carry a small decal commemorating the event.

Never Too Late: A.J. Foyt made a senior citizen's wish come true earlier this month when he invited Ray Parish, 87, to his garage on May 17th. Parish, a former midget owner, had attended every Indy 500 from the 1930's through 1964, the race that A.J. won and the race in which Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald were killed. Parish continued to come to the Speedway for practice and qualifying. The meeting was a great hit with Parish and his family. However, it took an ironic turn when the Never Too Late organization, which arranged the meeting, notified Foyt that Parish passed away in his sleep on May 20. "I was amazed at how much Ray knew about me and we had a nice time talking about the old days," said Foyt. "I was shocked to learn that he died but I've always said that life is short and you should do what you want because you don't know what will happen tomorrow. I'm glad that we got the chance to meet."

The Youngest and the Most Mature: Both A.J.s hold the age records for the Indy 500: A.J. Jr. is the oldest (57) driver and A.J. IV the youngest (19) to compete in the 500.

ABC Supply Enters Sponsorship with Foyt Racing

-- A.J. Foyt IV will drive ABC car No. 14 --

Beloit, Wis. -- American Builders and Contractors Supply Co., Inc. (ABC Supply) has entered into a sponsorship agreement with racing legend A.J. Foyt and A.J. Foyt Racing. ABC Supply will sponsor the No. 14 car in the Indy Racing League® Series, whose premier event is the Indianapolis 500®. The car will be driven by A.J. Foyt IV, grandson of racing legend A.J. Foyt.

"This is a fun and exciting opportunity for us to really connect with both our current and future customers," says company founder and CEO Ken Hendricks. "Our people are really energized about our association with the Indy Racing League and A.J. Foyt Racing."

"The values and work ethic that have served this racing dynasty are the same values that fuel ABC Supply," says Hendricks, "and we feel that our involvement in the IRL and the world famous Indianapolis 500 is a great way for us to reach out to our customer base and enhance the ABC Supply brand image."

Both Foyt and Hendricks come from humble beginnings where they learned the value of hard work and determination. Hendricks, who began his business roofing homes in Southern Wisconsin, is now listed in the Forbes 400 Richest People. He has built a national network of wholesale distribution centers specializing in servicing the professional contractor.

A.J. Foyt, whose father was an auto mechanic by trade, learned many valuable lessons working for his father while growing up. Foyt, who had a tough start in racing has since become one of the nation's greatest racing legends. He is the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and holds the record for most victories (67), most national championships (7), most victories in one season (10), and most consecutive starts in the Indy 500 (35). Both Hendricks and Foyt have risen to become leaders and legends in their respective industries.

ABC Supply, based in Beloit, Wis., with more than $2 billion in sales, is the largest wholesale distributor of roofing and siding in the United States, and one of the largest distributors of windows and other select exterior products. Founded in 1982, ABC Supply currently employs more than 5,000 people and has more than 288 branch locations in 45 states and the District of Columbia.