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Learning Lessons
 My NASCAR Busch Series career is less than 18
months old so naturally I experience a lot of "firsts." Saturday
night at Nashville Superspeedway I had another "first"--my first trip
to the Principal's Office, a.k.a. the NASCAR Officials' trailer. And
it wasn't to congratulate me on what a fine race I had run.
In fact, after I was invited in, I was told to
leave and come back when I cooled down. I have never been as angry
in a race car as I was that night. I hope I never have reason to be
that angry again.
But first I need to provide some background to
make my level of frustration somewhat understandable. We came to
Nashville hoping to get our second top-five start of the year in my
Harrah's Chevrolet and our first top-five finish.
Being we were in the Music City, we had country
star George Jones's headshot on the hood of the race car along with
his June 30 concert date, which is when he's appearing at the
Harrah's Metropolis casino.
Believing we had a decent qualifying set-up, we
focused on a race set-up in the early part of our practice session.
We planned to do the qualifying set-ups in the last 30 minutes but
two cars wrecked during that time, effectively wiping out practice.
During qualifying the car was too loose which
means the rear end wants to swap ends. That can be unsettling for a
driver because you are on the verge of losing control. With a a
tight car (the opposite of loose because the front end heads towards
the wall), the driver still feels he is in control. He may still
spin or hit the wall but at least he'll see it coming.
I qualified 32nd.
We made some changes before final practice and
the car felt much better to me. I was confident about our chances in
the Inside Traxx 300. It was 225 laps around Nashville's 1.3 miles
of concrete, which are the type of tracks that I'm starting to like.
Plus, it was our second night race this year and I've always liked
racing at night, so I was pumped.
The changes to the car worked because we moved
into the top-20 inside of 30 laps. As the night closed in, the track
changed but my Harrah's crew kept up with it by adjusting air
pressure in the tires during the pitstops. Our pitstops went off
flawlessly for the second straight week, meaning we didn't lose
positions due to long stops, and in some instances we gained spots.
Towards the end of the night I was 13th
and with about 20 laps to go, I was heading for a top-10 finish and
some points to boost me into the top-15 in the driver standings.
Then I had my problem.
I was trying to lap Jamie McMurray who was
intent on not giving me room to pass. It was particularly
frustrating because there wasn't much time left, and, he was five
laps down.
A caution came out so I beat him back to the
line. I cut it close just to let him know I didn't appreciate his
tactics. He thought I hit him. I didn't, I didn't want to wreck my
car because I was still hoping to get my top-10.
Well, he drove into me on purpose during the
caution period! I was floored. He hit me hard enough to take off my
right front fender and give that tire a slow leak.
I stayed out because if I pitted to change it,
I'd be done. I gambled it would be okay. As the laps wore down, so
did the air pressure in my tire and the car got tighter and tighter.
Instead of looking at a top-10, I started hoping for a top-20.
I finished 17th but I wasn't
finished. I decided to give McMurray some of his own medicine. My
front end was already wrecked, so I just shoved it under his rear,
hard enough to lift his car off the track and mess up my George
Jones hood (I felt bad about that).
I got my point across.
That's when the NASCAR officials decided to
make a point or two of their own and told my crew chief to send me
to the trailer. I was still so upset when I got there they told me
to come back when I cooled off.
When I returned in a more reasonable frame of
mind, they told McMurray he was a bonehead and that my behavior was
unacceptable.
They were right on both accounts.
I called my dad later that night – he was
pretty happy because his driver Airton Dare had finished third in
the Harrah's Indy car at Texas in the closest finish in Indy car
history; the top three were separated by five hundredths of a
second!
He was in a good mood when I told him about my
race, including my trip to the NASCAR trailer.
He didn't give me the speech that a parent
should give his son in that situation. And I know it's because he's
a race driver first, and a parent second. In other words, he
understood how I felt in the heat of that moment.
He also knows that I learned losing control in
racing-- whether it's your car or your temper-- is not smart. It
happens but if it happens too often, you won't be racing for very
long.
I intend to be around for a long time.
Fast Facts:"Redemption"...That is what Larry Foyt is
looking for when he returns to Nashville Superspeedway. Foyt
qualified fifth in his Harrah's Chevrolet there in April and was
running in the top-five when a lengthy pitstop dropped him to the
rear of the field. "Redemption is the keyword for Nashville," Foyt
said. "We're taking the same car back. We have a good set-up for
that track. Our pitstops have gotten better so I'm looking for a
good showing there. Last time we got behind early with a bad stop.
We tried to make it up by short-pitting but it backfired on us
because the caution came out two laps later. We were two laps down
and the leaders pitted during the yellow, ensuring we would stay two
laps down. What started out as a good day turned into a very long
day for us. But going back there with a strong car and a stronger
pit crew, I'm optimistic about our chances."
$100,000...That is what a lucky Harrah's Total Rewards player
at the Harrah's Metropolis Casino could win if Larry Foyt wins the
Inside Traxx 300 at Nashville this weekend. The casino is running a
promotion to sign up new Total Rewards members but all Total Rewards
players can enter the contest at the casino on June 7th which is
when the name will be drawn prior to the race. You can bet that
lucky player will be cheering for Foyt.
Not set in stone...."I was not too crazy about concrete tracks
but this year I am becoming a fan of them. I love Dover now. There
were two grooves and you could really race. We had a solid day there
and I think if we had had a little more time, I could have gotten a
top-10 finish. I was really pleased with our pitstops because we
actually made up spots in the pits. Ben Holm has joined our team as
a front tire changer and he's made a difference. As for the
handling, we kept freeing up the car and it got faster and a little
tougher because it's more wearing on the driver, but that's okay."
Observer...In his role as general manager of his father's
Winston Cup team, Foyt accompanied Team Conseco on their test
session at Kentucky Speedway Tuesday. Foyt is scheduled to run there
June 15th. "We won't have enough time for me to take some laps in
the Conseco Pontiac but I'll go around in the rental car to get a
feel for the track and see what they've changed if anything." Team
Conseco was scheduled to test at Michigan Speedway on Monday and
Tuesday but bad weather changed their plans.
Gaining...With his 14th place finish at Dover, Foyt gained four
spots in the NASCAR Busch Series standings and is now 16th.
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