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Despite Setbacks, Foyt Manages Best-Ever Finish
 Larry
Foyt dodged a variety of setbacks today to finish 30th in the
Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. It marked Foyt's
best finish in his rookie year in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
Ryan Newman won the race.
The interesting day for the Harrah's team started after a caution on
lap 168. Foyt reached down for his gear shifter to slow the car down
only to find out that it wasn't there. He managed to slow the car
down enough to bring it onto pit road to replace it, but lost a lap
in the process.
"I was pretty surprised when I reached down and grabbed a handful of
air," said Foyt, driver of the No. 14 Harrah's Dodge. "It was
interesting trying to explain that one to the crew. I think everyone
was at a loss for words, but they stepped up and made the repairs
pretty quickly."
 Next,
Foyt tangled with Sterling Marling while trying to avoid a multi-car
accident on lap 235. The incident left damage to the left side of
Foyt's Dodge, which took several trips to pit road to repair.
"I guess with everything that happened today, we should feel pretty
good," said Foyt. "The car was really tight and hard to drive early
on and then we had the problem with the shifter and the accident.
"But, we stuck it out and came away with our best finish of the year
so we should be happy with that. I think we learned a lot this
weekend and we can take away a lot of positive things."
The Winston Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway next weekend
for the Aaron's 499. Pre-race coverage begins on FOX and MRN Radio
at 12:30 p.m. EST
 Fun
Texas Facts:
. Eight Texas Stadiums will fit in the infield of Texas Motor
Speedway. . Texas Motor Speedway has enough permanent lighting to
illuminate 11 NFL football stadiums. . If all the hamburgers served
in one year at the speedway were stacked, it would be taller than a
74-story building.
. Larry Foyt on Texas:
"The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Texas Motor
Speedway is that it is extremely fast. It's very similar to Atlanta.
Aerodynamics and handling in the turns are the most important
factors here.
"I'm really excited to get back to my old stomping grounds. I've
been honored by the Meals on Wheels Association of Tarrant County to
be their honorary spokesman. On Wednesday I'll be delivering meals
in my Harrah's racecar and then giving a speech at a luncheon. On
Thursday I'll be at a ground breaking ceremony at Louisiana Downs -
the new Harrah's property in Shreveport, Louisiana."
. Larry competed at Texas twice in the NASCAR Busch Series. His best
finish was 16th in 2002.
. Aside from an early race accident in 2001, A.J. Foyt Racing has
been very consistent at Texas. In 2000, Rick Mast finished 20th and
last year Stacy Compton finished 19th.
. Pre-race coverage begins on FOX and PRN Radio at 12:30 p.m. EST. |
