Notes & Quotes: INDYCAR Grand Prix

Conor Daly and Carlos Munoz tested at the Speedway in early April. They will be going the opposite direction at the INDYCAR Grand Prix this weekend. 

A.J. Foyt’s ABC Supply team switched to Chevrolet this season with 25-year-old drivers Carlos Munoz (No. 14) and Conor Daly (No. 4). Munoz finished 10th and Daly 14th in the April 29 Phoenix Grand Prix. Following are their thoughts about racing on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.

CARLOS MUNOZ (#14) ON:        

• Indy road course: “The Indy GP track is one that I think a lot of people like. You can

   

  overtake but at the same time it’s really tricky because you’re going with low downforce, so you need a lot of mechanical grip on the car.”

• Competing in the IndyCar GP: “I think we have to keep the momentum going after a good test in Gateway. We still have to be more competitive, but I think we have improved quite a lot in the testing we have done. Last year this team qualified pretty good. This year it’s a new package, so we haven’t had a lot of time on the track with it.

• His past races there: “I haven’t been really good result-wise in the Indy GP. I think we had the overall speed there, but the results have not come my way. That said, I am looking forward to this year’s race and I hope we can keep the momentum going from the last couple tests.”

CONOR DALY (#4) ON:

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  IndyCar Grand Prix: “I love the GP of Indy, I think it’s an awesome way to kick off the festivities of the Month of May.  It’s a home race so it means a lot to me and we came very close to being on the podium last year so I hope to be in contention again this year!

• The IMS road course configuration: “I think it’s a great track for IndyCar racing because of the long straights.  I really enjoy the configuration.”

• Last year’s race: “We had a great car last year and chose to run a pretty trimmed out so we raced well.  I hope to be able to do the same this year just a bit better!”  

• Opening up the month of May with this race: “I think it’s awesome because it gets a lot of fans out to the track early in the month to get ready for the BIG race at the end of it.  Start the month with a big show and end with the BEST show in Mifficulty of passing here:otorsport.”

• Difficulty of passing here: “I passed a lot of cars last year so I never found it to be difficult to pass.”

A.J. Foyt made it to another Kentucky Derby, along with son Larry and grandson A.J. IV. This year Foyt owned a horse running in one of the earlier races.  Colonelsdarktemper started 7th in the eighth race, The Pat Day Mile Stakes. According to Foyt, “He ran a good race. He got boxed in at the start and dropped back to about 11th, he didn’t like the slop getting kicked up in his face. But coming for home, he ran wide and had clear track, so he started coming back through the field. He finished seventh. It was only his fourth race and it was against some pretty stout competition.”

Past Performance: In Conor Daly’s only start in the IndyCar Grand Prix, he started 22nd and finished 6th.  Carlos Munoz’s best start in three races is 17th and his best finish is 12th (2016). The Foyt team’s best start is 4th (Jack Hawksworth-2016) and their best finish is 9th (Takuma Sato – 2014 & 2015).

L&W Supply, a subsidiary of ABC Supply, selected national account Associated Drywall Partners, based in Indianapolis, to be featured on the engine cover of Conor Daly’s No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Guests will receive the VIP treatment this weekend along with a Meet and Greet with Daly.

ABC Supply roofing customer, Majestic Homes, located in Lafayette, Ind., won the ‘Your Name Here’ contest for the IndyCar Grand Prix. The company name will be on the engine cover of the No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Guests will receive the VIP treatment plus a Meet and Greet with Carlos Munoz.

ABC Supply celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. The company was founded in 1982 by Ken and Diane Hendricks with just three stores. The company now has over 700 stores and topped $7 billion in sales in 2016. ABC Supply began sponsoring the AJ Foyt Racing team with the 2005 Indianapolis 500. The company has leveraged its involvement by entertaining over 84,000 associates and customers over the past 12 racing seasons. At Indianapolis, the company will entertain over 160 guests.

A.J. Foyt’s iconic career is honored in an extraordinary exhibit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. A.J. Foyt: A Legendary Exhibition presented by ABC Supply Co., Inc. runs through October 31. With additional support from Alfe Heat Treating and Chevrolet, the exhibit features nearly three dozen race cars that Foyt drove plus rare memorabilia from his personal collection.

The IndyCar Grand Prix will be televised live on ABC-TV Saturday, May 13, starting at 3:30 p.m. EDT. The radio broadcast will be on Sirius XM radio on the following channels: Sirius 212, XM 209, SXM 970.