Carb Day
By A.J. Foyt


Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the final practice before the Indianapolis 500. The name is shortened from Carburetion Day which was when teams would check the engines—either brand new or rebuilt-- that they installed for the race. We still do that but it is also a time to figure out if our race setup will work because the one hour practice means there will be a lot more cars on the track in that practice than there has been at any time during the month.


I always sweat out Carb Day. A lot can go wrong in that hour and if it does, it means a lot of late hours and tired crews.


We didn’t qualify well here at all. We’re starting 30th with Vitor Meira and it is his worse start ever for this race. I think we spent a little too much time on getting our race setup down because when we unloaded we were in the top 10 so we were pretty confident about qualifying. Then teams that weren’t running close to us all week pulled out some speed for qualifying that was surprising--to say the least.


We missed the show with our second car so it will be just the No. 14 ABC Supply car in the race. I can’t remember the last time I had only one car in the 500. Maybe it will work to our advantage this year.


Our final practice today went pretty smooth and Vitor likes the car so we have a couple options for race day depending on the weather.


I hope the time we did spend on race setup will prove us right on race day. Vitor is going to have to be really careful because when you’re that far back in the field, any little thing that happens can eliminate you pretty quick. He is really going to have to watch his p’s and q’s but that is one thing Vitor is very smart about. I think that is why he has had so much success in this race.


It should be an interesting race this year. Lots of rookies and a record number of lady race drivers. They’ve all shown that they are capable behind the wheel but I think they are going to be surprised come race day. It’s hard to tell someone what Indy’s like the first time you race here, you just have to experience it for yourself.


Helio Castroneves is going for his fourth win with Roger Penske. Reporters have been asking me if I think he can do it. I think with the technology they have today, the reliability of the engines and the safety of the cars and tracks we have today, that it’s possible to see a six or seven time Indy 500 winner. Helio is a fast driver who runs hard all day long and he has a good team behind him, so I think it is very possible. Hell, I’m the only four-time winner who didn’t win here driving for Roger.


Yesterday I had the chance to visit Camp Atterbury which is a training center for our troops before they go overseas. My driver Vitor Meira and son Larry Foyt went as did team members from Sarah Fisher Racing (including Sarah) and Panther Racing.


We flew down in a couple of Blackhawk helicopters and I have to say, it was really neat! It is a high performance helicopter and the pilots gave us a great ride. I don’t really like helicopters and I’ll tell you why. Years ago, I was testing tires for Goodyear in California and I took an L.A. Airways helicopter from the main airport to one near the track where I was testing. It shook so much that one of the windows fell out! That helicopter took off with some other passengers headed for Disneyland and it crashed --killing everyone on board. I told Goodyear I would drive from now on.


But I have to say I felt very safe in the Blackhawk.


It was my first time meeting troops on an Army base and I was very impressed with everyone I met from Major General Bednarek, who is in charge, to the men and women who were training for missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan. They were a super bunch of people. One lady I spoke to told me she and her two sisters were in the military and they loved it. Dedicated soldiers.


Some Americans don’t know how lucky they are that there are people who are willing to fight overseas to protect our freedoms here in America. I hope the government doesn’t cut back on the wages and benefits for our military because they deserve a helluva lot more than they’re getting right now.


It meant a lot to me to see these soldiers and thank them for what they are doing for me and my family. I really enjoyed my visit and if I’m around next year, I hope to be invited back.


Memorial Day weekend is about honoring those servicemen who sacrificed their lives protecting our country. That sacrifice is not only made by the soldiers but also the family they leave behind. Take a little time this weekend to remember them all.