Frustrating Night in Kentucky
By Larry Foyt
The Kentucky race weekend started out with a trip Thursday to
Metropolis (Illinois), the home of Superman. It's too bad that
I didn't get some of his super powers while I was visiting on
behalf of Harrah's. It might have helped me in preventing one
of my best races from turning into one of my most frustrating
races of the season.
I went to Metropolis to deliver some meals to several elderly
people as part of the Harrah's campaign to raise awareness for
Meals on Wheels. Believe me, when I drive up in my No. 14
Harrah's Chevrolet race car with TV cameras and news media
everywhere, it raises the awareness level, especially of the
person receiving the meal. I sometimes worry it may be too
much excitement for the person who is expecting the friendly
volunteer in the Meals on Wheels van, but it is fun to see
their expressions. I have met some very nice people through
the program.
Afterwards, I flew to Kentucky Speedway to take part in the
Kroger 300. The Harrah's Chevrolet was fast right off the
truck. We made minor adjustments throughout practice and were
second quickest on the speed chart.
Unfortunately I drew the pole position for qualifying which
hurt us because the track had dirt and grass on it from the
All Pro cars which had been on the track before our qualifying
session. Despite that handicap, we still qualified fifth
quickest which ties my best qualifying to date in the Busch
Series.
In the race I got off to a good start but there was an
accident early. On that restart, I was tucked in behind Jason
Keller who missed a shift, forcing me to brake. I lost several
positions. I had another problem a little later when someone
brake-checked me and I had to get on the brakes hard. I braked
so hard that I bent something in the brake assembly which
wouldn't allow the brake pedal to return. So when I braked
(for practically every corner) I had to pull the pedal up with
my foot. The top of my foot was raw after the race.
Our one pitstop went well. We lost a couple positions because
my Harrah's crew gave me four tires while other teams put on
two tires. Then I lost some more positions when Jack Sprague
and I got together. I was on the outside and he drifted up in
front of me and I clipped his right rear. It didn't do too
much to my car; in fact Stacy Compton, who drives my dad's
Winston Cup car (and is also doing the full Busch Series),
pulled alongside to inspect the damage and he said it was
light. So I stayed out while others pitted and I went from
22nd to 14th.
I got a really good restart and within three laps I was up to
ninth and catching the leaders. That's when Sprague and Bobby
Hamilton Jr. got together and spun in front of me. My spotter
told me to go low and I did. I was going to try to make the
pit lane but I was too late for that so I opted for the
infield.
Bad choice.
As soon as I hit the grass it launched the car which started
bouncing. I had forgotten that the grass was so tall and
thick. I had noticed that earlier when I walked across it for
driver introductions. I tried my best to catch it (that's when
I could have used some super powers) and almost did but the
car veered onto the track, wherein it headed straight for the
wall. Seeing that braking was not going to slow it down fast
enough, I got off the brake and turned it left so the car hit
with the rear first. It hit so hard that it swung around and
was facing the wall.
I wasn't really hurt, just a little sore and very frustrated.
My car had substantial rear end damage so we loaded it on the
trailer.
Then the rains came, hard and fast. The race was postponed
until the next day. Todd Bodine won and I finished a
disappointing 41st. It was really disappointing for our team
because we were looking at our first top-five finish of the
season. The Harrah's Chevrolet was that good.
We have next weekend off. The schedule break will give us the
time needed to prep the cars for two very different tracks,
Milwaukee's 1-mile flat track and Daytona Beach‘s 2.5-mile
high-banked super speedway.
In fact, our team was in the Foyt/Harrah's race shop on Sunday
working on the cars. There is no such thing as a day of rest
when you are competing in NASCAR, at least not for the teams
trying to win races.
We are not a "super power" yet, but we're working on it--every
day of the week.
Notes & Quotes: Kroger 300 presented by Oreo
 Larry
Foyt did not test at Kentucky Speedway with his Harrah's
Chevrolet this year but he did accompany his father A.J.'s
Winston Cup team when they tested there June 4th (hastily
arranged after being rained out at Michigan Speedway June
3rd). "I rode around in the rental car with Stacy Compton,"
Foyt said. "The new surface is super smooth and it looks like
you can run right around the bottom. Because it is so smooth,
we can be more aggressive on our shocks and get our car low on
the track without having to worry about bottoming out. I'm
looking forward to going to there."
Special Delivery takes on new meaning for senior citizens when
it is made by 25-year-old race driver Larry Foyt. Foyt will
use his No. 14 Harrah's Chevrolet to deliver meals to two
seniors in the area of the Harrah's Metropolis casino in
southern Illinois on Thursday morning. Foyt will also deliver
one of several new vans that Harrah's Entertainment Inc.
purchased for local Meals on Wheels chapters. This event is
the second of 10 such trips that Foyt will take as part of
Harrah's campaign to raise awareness of the Meals on Wheels
program throughout the country.
Favorite memories of Dad..."At Indy, I used to love going with
him from the Speedway Motel to the garage on race morning,"
Foyt said of his father who was the first to win Indy four
times as a driver. "I also remember when he gave me my first
motorcycle, it had training wheels on it –I was about five at
the time -- and he taught me how to ride it. He was a little
more patient with teaching his ‘drivers' back then, I guess
because he could still get in the car and show us."
Nashville Race Recap: Foyt was running 13th with 20 laps to go
in the Inside Traxx 300 when he was hit during the caution
flag period by Jamie McMurray, who was several alps down. The
contact damaged the right front corner of the Harrah's
Chevrolet and caused a slow leak in Foyt's tire. Instead of
snaring another top-10 finish, he slipped to 17th.
Foyt is 16th in the NASCAR Busch Series standings; he has
earned $267,775 to date..
Kentucky 2001: Foyt started 22nd and finished 19th despite
being short on "horses." He avoided several ‘close calls'
enroute to his top-20 finish. At that point in the season he
was 25th in the standings.
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