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Larry Foyt Finishes 28th
in First Daytona 500
 Daytona
Beach, Fla. Feb 15--Larry Foyt finished 28th in his first Daytona 500
Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway driving the No. 14 LPGA Dodge
owned by his father A.J. Foyt.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first Daytona 500
in his fifth attempt. The bittersweet victory came three years after his father
was killed at the Speedway in the final lap of the race and six years to the day
that his father won the race for the first and only time in his career. Rounding
out the top five were Tony Stewart, rookie Scott Wimmer, Kevin Harvick and Jimmy
Johnson.
Foyt started 41st in the race but
began moving his way through the pack in the opening laps. By the time of the
first caution he had moved up to 34th. Taking just two tires in his
first pitstop, he gained six spots despite losing time when an errant tire from
another car rolled into his path on pit road.
Foyt moved up to 23rd before the
pit strategy back-fired on him. He began to lose ground and faded towards the
rear of the field. On his second stop he took on four tires under green but an
untimely yellow put him a lap down when the other half of the field pitted under
caution.
On the restart it was quickly evident that
the engine had a misfire and Foyt pitted. The crew directed him to take it
behind the wall. There the problem turned out to be a spark plug wire that had
come off. The crew fixed the problem and Foyt returned to the race 21 laps down
in the 39th position.
 Logging
laps, Foyt stayed out of trouble and avoided the "Big One." That accident was
triggered by rookie Johnny Sauter who moved up on Brian Vickers who broadsided
Michael Waltrip. Waltrip hit the wall and spun in front of the field, and was
t-boned by Robby Gordon. Waltrip flipped several times before coming to a stop
on his roof. He was finally extricated once the emergency crew flipped the car
over on its wheels. Waltrip sustained only bruises.
The melee saw Foyt gain 11 spots, an
advantage he kept until the race's end.
"We're glad we finished," said Foyt after
the race. "My guys worked really hard to get us here, and although we had some
problems in the race, they didn't give up. We were able to get a better finish
than if we had just packed it in when we had the problem. It was a pretty neat
day because I got to shake hands with President Bush who met with the drivers
briefly before the race. That made the day even more memorable."
"Larry did a good job today," said A.J. Foyt
afterwards. "I was hoping for him that we'd have a better day but with
everything that happened, I can't complain. I'm happy we were able to roll it
back onto the trailer."
The Ladies
Professional Golf Association, which is headquartered in Daytona Beach, signed
on as a sponsor for the race. Top golfers Laura Diaz and Sophie Gustafson were
in attendance as well as LPGA Commisioner Ty Votaw.
LPGA car to race in this weekend's Daytona 500
Larry Foyt's No. 14 car to feature LPGA player images, logo
DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla., Feb. 14, 2004 – When the green flag drops this weekend at Daytona
International Speedway, the women of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)
will be out front, emblazoned on the hood of the No.14 A.J. Foyt Racing Dodge
driven by Larry Foyt. The LPGA will be the primary sponsor of Foyt's car during
the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series' most prestigious race of the year, the Daytona 500
on Sunday, Feb. 15.
The LPGA is the first women's sports property to be the
primary sponsor of a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series car. Coincidentally, Foyt is
competing in the Daytona 500 for the first time in his driving career. Foyt will
start 41st Sunday afternoon.
"The LPGA is very excited about the opportunity to participate in one of the
world's premier sporting events, bringing images of some of our brightest stars
to millions of fans around the world," said Ty M. Votaw, LPGA commissioner. "The
Foyt family name and the LPGA brand stand for excellence in their respective
industries, and given the fact that NASCAR and the LPGA are neighbors here in
Daytona Beach, this is a perfect fit."
Images of LPGA tournament champions Laura Diaz and Cristie Kerr will appear
on the hood of Foyt's car. Rising star Natalie Gulbis will be featured on the
rear deck lid. The LPGA logo is also displayed prominently in several locations,
including the quarter panels and hood. Additionally, the LPGA.com logo will be
featured on the TV panel.
"The LPGA is headquartered here in Daytona Beach, and since we were looking
for a sponsor, we were hoping we could make this work," said team owner A.J.
Foyt, who won the Daytona 500 in 1972. "Larry is a huge golf fan and loves to
play, so this was a great opportunity to be affiliated with the LPGA."
The Daytona 500 will be televised live on NBC at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
About the LPGA
Featuring the world's best women golfers, the LPGA's membership includes
touring, teaching and club professionals. The LPGA Tour in 2004 features 33
events, with nearly 250 hours of television coverage, and total prize money of
more than $42 million. Since 1981, the LPGA and its tournaments have raised
approximately $150 million for charity. From the dreams of its 13 founders in
1950, the LPGA has evolved into the world's preeminent women's professional
sports organization. The LPGA has grown from its roots as a playing tour into a
non-profit organization involved in every facet of golf. The LPGA Teaching and
Club Professional (T&CP) membership boasts a total of nearly 1,200 women golf
professionals who serve as teachers, golf professionals, club managers and
coaches. Through the LPGA T&CP membership, the LPGA is working to increase the
involvement of women and youth in golf, as well as contribute to the growth of
the sport overall. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla. For more
information on the LPGA, log onto www.LPGA.com.
Larry Foyt to race in his first Daytona 500
 Larry
Foyt will compete in the Daytona 500 driving A.J. Foyt's No. 14 white Dodge
Intrepid. It will be young Foyt's first start in the stock car classic which
opens the NASCAR NEXTEL Series 2004 season. Foyt will start 41st Sunday
afternoon. The race will be televised live on NBC starting at 1:30 p.m.
Foyt came to Daytona without benefit of having tested at the 2.5 mile
superspeedway in the off season. He qualified at a speed of 182.567 last Sunday.
The pole was won by Greg Biffle with Elliott Sadler winning the outside pole.
According to rules unique to this race, those two positions are the only two
locked in for the 500. Everyone else must qualify through the Gatorade Twin 125
Mile races which took place Thursday afternoon.
The top 14 finishers in both events (excluding the Daytona 500 front row
competitors who are already locked in) comprise the top 30 on the grid. The next
eight positions are determined by qualifying speed while the final five
positions are determined by provisionals.
Foyt started 22nd in the first Twin 125. He was as high as 17th but fell back to
19th at the finish. He is using an owner's provisional to start the race. Other
drivers using provisionals are previous Daytona 500 winners Jeff Gordon and
Derrick Cope. Jimmy Spencer, who won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in 1994, will also
use a provisional to start in Sunday's race.
A.J. Foyt won the Daytona 500 in 1972 driving for the Wood brothers.
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