"LOOSE" CAR FOILS FOYT'S QUALIFYING EFFORT AT BRISTOL
 BRISTOL,
TN - On a half-mile, steeply banked, racetrack where lap times hover
around 15 seconds, there is little margin for error.
So was the story today for Larry Foyt, driver of the No. 14
Foyt/Harrah's Racing Dodge, during qualifying for the Food City 500
at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Coming out of turn two during his second qualifying lap, the
back-end of Foyt's Dodge turned sideways. Foyt was able to save the
car from hitting the wall, but his hopes of making his fifth
consecutive Winston Cup race were shattered. Foyt didn't qualify in
the top-36 and by virtue of the team's standing in owner points, was
not awarded a provisional starting spot.
Ryan Newman broke the track qualifying record and was the first
driver ever to break the 15-second barrier in Winston Cup qualifying
at Bristol.
"It's pretty heartbreaking," said a disappointed Foyt. "I really
thought our second lap was going to be fast, but the car just got so
loose coming off turn two. I almost put it in the wall, but I was
able to save it. Unfortunately, it messed up my line going into turn
three.
"I thought I would at least run a 15-30 (15.30 seconds around the
track) and that would have put us safely into the race. We won't let
this get us down, though, and we'll be ready for Texas."
Qualifying for next weekend's Winston Cup race at Texas Motor
Speedway will be broadcast live on the Fox Sports Network at 4:00
p.m. EST.
Notes & Quotes:
Larry Foyt on Bristol: "Walking into
Bristol Motor Speedway will make your jaw drop. It's amazing how
they pack over 160,000 fans around a half-mile track.
"Like Darlington, the race at Bristol is another that you just hope
to survive. The 36 degree banking in the turns makes it extremely
fast, which also means that things happen quickly. If there is an
accident in front of you there is little you can do to avoid being
caught up in it. After 500 laps on Sunday there won't be one car
left that doesn't have damage of some form."
"There is a lot of side by side racing, however there is only one
real racing groove. The ideal line is around the bottom of the
track, so your car has to handle really well."
 Larry competed at
Bristol four times in the NASCAR Busch Series. His best finish was
20th in his event last year.
A.J. Foyt Racing has
experienced mixed results at Bristol the last three seasons. Their
best start was third (08/1) with driver Ron Hornaday and their best
finish was 10th (08/02) with driver Mike Wallace.
Pre-race coverage begins on FOX and PRN Radio at 12:30 p.m. EST.
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