Race Recap
What a week!!
 When the mid-point of your week features a trip to Las Vegas where
your sponsor tags you with your own special night of tribute and a new
nickname like "Mr. Top 10," I'd say it's a pretty good omen.
Unfortunately, for the Harrah's Racing Team, Lady Luck got lost
somewhere between the Strip and Las Vegas Motor Speedway and we
struggled during the Busch Series race, dropping from our 16th-place
starting spot to a 27th place finish.
We maintained our goal of improving our qualifying and finishes at
every track we return to in 2002, last year we qualified 19th and
finished 31st; however, what we really wanted to do at Vegas was start
a new trend Top-10 finishes.
Before I get to my Vegas rundown, I want to take a second to thank all
the fans, friends, family and Harrah's folks who called, Emailed and
sent notes of support and congratulations after we ran to our first
NASCAR Top-10 in Rockingham. As if the great finish wasn't a perfect
birthday present, I had several birthday gifts waiting for me at the
shop when I returned. Thanks!!
Back to Vegas.
The first two days of the week preparing for Vegas were awfully busy;
from the media interviews about the run in Rockingham, to the
scheduling of all the sponsor and media activities for Las Vegas, to
meetings with my dad, A.J., and the team in preparation for the race.
The team worked long hard hours to get the car ready for our big week.
At the airport, I got a final congratulation from former Busch Series
champ Jeff Green. We beat Jeff to the checkered flag for the Top-10 in
Rockingham, and he stopped to tell me that he appreciated the fact
that I gave him a hard, clean race, which meant a lot coming from a
peer with so much experience and success. After a long day of
traveling on Wednesday, I checked into my suite to catch some sleep to
get ready for all the activities Harrah's had planned the next day.
This job I have certainly isn't without its perks; and Thursday
morning was one of the most rewarding off-track experiences I've had
in the sport. My day started with brief radio and TV interviews, on my
way to the corporate offices of Harrah's Entertainment, where I got to
personally thank all many of the people who allow me to race stock
cars for a living. With camera crew in tow, I visited hundreds of
employees beginning in the lobby and ending on the top floor meeting
Harrah's executives as they left their weekly board meeting.
Back on the ground, hundreds of people were waiting for our press
conference announcing Harrah's role as the primary corporate sponsor
of Meals on Wheels of America. Immediately after the press conference,
I was led by police escort to deliver a meal to our first senior, John
Lacey. John is a big racing fan and it was really special to hear his
old racing stories about my dad. We then met Floyd Ackerman, who is a
former Formula Ford racer. Floyd had old racing photos of my dad and
other famous race car drivers and even had an old Formula Ford still
sitting in his garage. Meeting John and Floyd, and knowing that I'm
part of a commitment by Harrah's to feed many seniors just like them
was an experience that I will never forget.
On the track, I'm going to do my part to aid Meals On Wheels as best I
know how; Harrah's will feed one senior for every lap I run this
season, 10 for every lap we lead and an additional 10,000 seniors for
a Busch Series win. It was a busy morning, but my day was just getting
started.
Back to Harrah's we drove, where I put on a clean uniform for a behind
the scenes photo shoot, where I got to pretend to be part of the
Harrah Team -- inside the casino. One guest even placed a pretty
sizable bet because he said I was his good luck charm. Unfortunately,
we were moving so fast I didn't get to see how he made out. You'll be
able to see the promotional photos at Harrah's properties across the
country over the next few months.
After a brief break, the fun began as the casino hosted Foyt /
Harrah's Racing Night in the Carnaval Court area of Harrah's. The team
and I got to meet loads of race fans that showed up to support
Harrah's Racing, and get autographs from the entire team. People
sometimes forget that that I'm just part of large team at Foyt Racing
and it was great to see the fans get autographs and congratulate the
guys that turn the wrenches and go over the wall.
Friday began bright and early at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We came in
with high expectations, but we got a quick dose of disappointment in
our first practice run we were 40th. The good thing about having
been through a season together is that this team doesn't panic. Jon
Wolfe took the information I was able to give him about how the car
was handling and we moved up to 19th on the speed charts by the end of
our only practice. The Harrah's team gave me a solid car for
qualifying and we posted the 16th fastest time, even though we had a
very early draw and the track got faster for the cars that ran late in
the day. We ran fairly well in Happy Hour and left the track feeling
like we had a shot at contending for another Top-10, or better.
Harrah's planned another great event for racing fans that night, the
Harrah's Fan Fest Party. My Winston Cup teammate Stacy Compton, Kenny
Wallace, Robby Gordon, Greg Biffle, Shane Hmiel and Jason Jarrett
joined me in a night of fun and music and signing autographs on
everything you can imagine. All the race fans were having so much fun
that they didn't notice that us Busch Series drivers ducked out early
to get some rest before the race.
When you're in your sponsor's back yard, there's plenty to do before
the green flag drops on race day, and Las Vegas was our turn to give
back to the people who make this possible for us. Our transporter was
busy with visitors from Harrah's, and we went to see the folks that
didn't come to the garage signing autographs at the merchandise
hauler and visiting more Harrah's guest in their infield suite.
When the green flag dropped, we were ready to enjoy the result of all
our hard work, but a few laps into the race, we began losing speed at
the end of the straightaways fading back to join the rear of the
field. I was frustrated to see cars that I knew we could beat run by
us, but I held my composure until our first pit stop on lap 64. We
changed all four tires and were able to free up the car, but bad luck
struck again and I pulled out of the pits with a wedge wrench stuck in
the car. NASCAR ordered us back to pit road for a stop-and-go penalty
and just like that, we were two laps down.
We battled to keep Harrah's Chevrolet competitive and tried to be
patient, but were frustrating because the car was just as fast as the
leaders and I couldn't show it on the board. The two lap deficit was
too much to overcome on a track like Vegas where there are long runs
and few cautions and we settled for 27th place. We learned quite a bit
about our set-up, gearing, and how the car will handle on flat, fast,
wide tracks like California and Kansas City, and we'll look forward to
applying our lessons there.
After an off-week for the Busch Series we'll attempt to tame the "Lady
In Black" on our visit to Darlington the following weekend. The last
time I was in Darlington, I had the kind of weekend that makes rookies
look for another line of work. We had a REALLY fast car, but suffered
penalties for visiting pit road on the pace lap before the start (tire
problem) and passing on the left (like I said, we were REALLY fast)
before the start / finish line when the green came out. After an hour
rain delay, I returned to the car and was involved in an accident
during the caution laps when Steve Park's car veered into my lane as I
was headed to form up on the leaders.
Despite all that, I like Darlington it's got a lot of character,
it's challenging and you'll never see another track built like it. We
had cards that we never got to play on our last visit hopefully some
of that good fortune that got lost on the way to Las Vegas will find
us again at the track racers claim is "Too Tough To Tame."
FAST FACTS: Sam's Town 300
High Roller... Larry Foyt, driver / owner of the Harrah's
Chevrolet, rolls into Las Vegas on the heels of his top-10 finish at
Rockingham the first of his NASCAR career. It might be young Foyt's
lucky number, as the stellar performance also placed him 10th in both
the Drivers and Owners Championship Points races, just 20 points out
of the top-five.
The Driver that Never Sleeps...This week Foyt makes the transition
from the high banks of "The Rock" to the smooth, wide, fast surface of
Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Off the track, Foyt will be running just as
fast, with a full schedule of promotional activities for hometown
sponsor, Harrah's Casinos. On Thursday, Foyt's first full day in the
"Diamond in the Desert" will feature a press conference and charity
event in support of Meals On Wheels of America, followed by a
sealed-tight photo shoot at Harrah's Casino. Later that evening, Foyt
will be the guest of honor at a gala event featuring the Harrah's
Racing Team from 6-9 PM outside the "Carnival Court" area of the
Harrah's property. The event is open to race fans of ALL ages.
Rewarding Experience...On Friday, Foyt will join fellow racers:
Kenny Wallace, Robby Gordon, Stacy Compton, Greg Biffle, Shane Hmiel,
Steadman Marlin and Jason Jarrett for an over-21 "Fan Fest"
celebration exclusively for Harrah's Total Rewards Members. Race fans
who would like to become Total Rewards members, may register at any
Harrah's property.
Fast Food...After a press conference (Thursday @ 11 AM) featuring
Foyt and executives from Harrah's and Meals On Wheels of America, the
second generation driver will load up his Harrah's Chevrolet and
deliver meals from the Harrah's headquarters to senior citizens in the
metro area. The event kicks off Harrah's national initiative as the
primary corporate sponsor of Meals On Wheels of America. Foyt will go
to work for America's seniors on the track as well. Harrah's has
pledged to feed one hungry senior for each lap Foyt runs during the
Busch Series season, 10 for every lap the Harrah's Race Team leads,
and an additional 10,000 seniors should Foyt win a race in 2002.
Jon Wolfe..."Rockingham is a tough place for a young driver to
earn his stripes, so the team is really pumped about bringing home a
top-10 there with the car in one piece. It was a credit to this team
and to Larry's progress as a young driver in the Busch Series, and
we're anxious to carry that momentum into our sponsor's back yard.
We're bringing a new car to Harrah's hometown, and we have high
expectations. Vegas is flat, fast and refined; so there's a tendency
to overdrive the car. Larry was pretty impressive there last year
because he's so smooth and you can't rely on the banking to turn the
race car."
Larry Foyt..."Las Vegas is flatter than the other 1½-mile tracks,
like Atlanta and Charlotte and the speed you carry can be deceiving
because it's so wide. I was pretty happy with our performance last
year; we were trying for a top-15 with about eight laps to go, and I
got loose and hit the wall. Going back I know I've got to stay
consistent and not press too hard. I'm just excited to be racing in
front of all the people from Harrah's that have given the Foyt family
so much support over the years."
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