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Race Recap
 Wet weather was the story of the NASCAR race weekend at
Atlanta Motor Speedway. Qualifying was washed out so we
started according to owner's points which meant 24th on the
grid for the Harrah's Chevy.
We did get a little practice in before the race –
approximately eight laps. I wasn't real happy with the car in
practice so we put on a different package for the race. The
car was better but we really didn't have the track time we
needed to dial it in to my liking.
In the race, the car handled well but it just wasn't very fast
and we weren't really sure why. There might have been too much
drag in the car's set-up or it could have been a problem in
the engine. If it was an engine problem, then our chief engine
builder David Evans will have it figured out and fixed before
the race at Rockingham this weekend.
Our biggest problem happened on the final restart when we got
cut off by the No. 6 car which was driven by a rookie. We made
contact and as a result, my right front fender was caved in
causing the car to push really bad.
My Harrah's crew figured we could go the rest of the race
without pitting for fuel which was our best chance for a
top-15 finish. Unfortunately, they were a bit optimistic in
their fuel calculations because I ran out just as I passed the
pit entrance with five laps to go! I had to coast around the
1.5-mile speedway to get back to my pit for a splash of fuel.
Before the pitstop, I was in 15th place but I finished 27th in
the race. I'm not sure how they figured I had enough fuel to
go the distance but I am sure they won't figure the fuel that
way in the future.
As it turned out, I did jump back up a spot in the points so I
am now 19th and not too far out of 18th.
This weekend we return to Rockingham, N.C. where we got a
top-10 finish in February. We're looking forward to getting
another good finish there which will certainly improve our
standing in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Notes &
Quotes:
 Larry
Foyt on Atlanta: "We're taking the same car to Atlanta
that we ran at Charlotte. Atlanta is smoother than Charlotte
and has more grip so the speeds will be faster, which I like.
I didn't think we were going to qualify that great at
Charlotte because when we tested there last month, we worked
primarily on our race set-up. Then we qualified ninth! Going
into Atlanta, I know we have a good race car but – I'll say it
again--I'm not sure that we'll qualify that well. If we do
great, if we don't I won't be too discouraged because I
believe the car will race really well. "
A Playboy in "Playgirl" – Foyt, 25, single and
possessing "smoldering good looks," is one of the 10 Hottest
Hunks of NASCAR according to Playgirl Magazine. He is featured
in the November issue. Since there was no formal photo shoot
(he was unaware of the "honor"), we are assuming he appears in
his Harrah's Racing uniform. Other drivers included were Jeff
Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmy Johnson and
Ryan Newman.
Foyt is 20th in the NASCAR Busch Series standings; he has
earned $520,535.
Last Race (Memphis): "We didn't qualify too well, our
car was real loose of the corner with the set-up we had. In
fact I almost spun out during my qualifying run so we ended up
taking a provisional. We finally figured out a good set-up by
going in a completely different direction for Happy Hour and
that worked. In the race, I was passing Jay Sauter and he
pinched me a little bit and the car got loose and I did a
half-spin. I flat-spotted the tires but not enough in the
NASCAR official's opinion which would have allowed me to come
in and change tires. It was frustrating because we had been
out-running a lot of the guys that finished in the top 10. But
we did dodge most of the wrecks and brought the car home in
one piece." Foyt finished 21st.
Best 2002 Start: 5th at Nashville (Apr. 13)
and Kentucky (June 15)
Best 2002 Finish: 8th at Talladega (Apr. 20)
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