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Suspension Breaks, Sends Foyt IV into the Wall
ROANOKE, TX June 6, 2009--AJ Foyt IV’s valiant effort in the
Bombardier Learjet 550k came to an abrupt end at Texas Motor
Speedway Saturday night when the left front suspension broke on the
No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda.
“The front of the car dropped going into turn one, then chattered up
the track and spun backwards into the wall,” said Foyt IV who had
gone from 22nd to 13th by lap 170. He escaped with minor cuts and
bruises to his legs and arms.
Foyt IV had his share of challenges over the race weekend. He
qualified 22nd due in part to a problem with the gearing on his ABC
Supply Dallara. In the opening laps he shot up to 16th but then the
car developed a severe push in its handling, his lap times dropped.
After a crash on lap two with Graham Rahal, EJ Viso and Milka Duno,
the race went without incident so by the time Foyt IV pitted he went
a lap down on lap 52. The crew added a turn of front wing but a
problem on the stop caused him to stay in the pits for nearly 13
seconds which was even more troublesome since the stop was under
green flag conditions.
The adjustment did help the handling but about 30
laps into the run, the car developed a push again so on the second
round of stops on lap 101, the crew added two turns of front wing.
Foyt IV radioed back that the car was good on the long run, and his
lap times showed it as he advanced to 15th on the track by passing
cars. He moved to 14th with quick work in the pits during a caution
flag pit stop on lap 150 when the ABC Supply crew got him out in
less than eight seconds. When Hideki Mutoh dropped out with
mechanical problems, Foyt IV moved into 13th.
Unfortunately, 20 laps into his last stint, the left front
suspension snapped causing Foyt IV to spin and hit the wall. The
post mortem on the car showed where a bolt had broken on the pushrod
according to team owner A.J. Foyt.
The next race for the IndyCar Series is at Iowa Speedway June 21.
Disappointment in Qualifying
ROANOKE, TX June 5, 2009--A.J. Foyt IV was
disappointed with his qualifying run in the Honda-powered No.14 ABC
Supply Dallara at Texas Motor Speedway Friday evening. Foyt IV will
start 22nd.
"It was slow; there's nothing more to say," said
Foyt IV who had the throttle pegged and ran a perfect line around
the bottom of the track but only clocked in at 211.454mph in his
four-lap qualifying run.
The senior Foyt speculated there might be a problem
in the gearing but he also spoke to the Honda engineers about the
sudden drop in speed from practice. Three hours earlier in the
afternoon session, they were 12th quick with a speed of 212.592mph.
In the first practice session Thursday evening, Foyt IV ran a speed
of 212.506mph by himself which was 14th quick oevrall.
The good news is that Texas is one track where
qualifying doesn't matter quite so much as a car that starts in the
rear can make its way to the front. Foyt IV and the ABC Supply team
will be trying to do just that when the race gets underway Saturday
evening. It will be televised live on the Versus channel starting at
9pm Eastern Time.
A.J. Foyt IV to Drive No. 14 ABC Supply Indy Car
In Bombardier Learjet at Texas Motor Speedway
HOUSTON June 2, 2009—Coming home. A.J. Foyt
IV, who began his IndyCar career as the driver of the No. 14, comes
home to Texas to drive the ABC Supply-sponsored No. 14 again in the
Bombardier Learjet 550 at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. At this
point, the deal is only for Texas.
“I’m excited to get the opportunity to run another
race,” said Foyt IV. “I really like the track, and not just because
it’s in Texas. It suits my style, it’s fast and the racing is close.
Hopefully we get the result we’re looking for.”
“Anthony has always run well at this track,” said
the senior Foyt of his decision to hire his grandson for this race.
“He hasn’t had the results but most of that was because of things
that he couldn’t help—tires going flat or problems on pit stops. He
likes the track which is good because a lot of drivers don’t care
for it. Plus we’ve worked with him so we know what he likes, and he
knows what he wants from these cars.”
When asked about the demands of the track, Foyt IV
said: “The track is pretty easy to run by yourself in practice and
qualifying but it gets much tougher in the race. The racing is real
close and the car doesn’t handle as well in the traffic but you’re
still trying to run the same speed so it gets pretty tough, but I
enjoy racing at Texas.”
Foyt IV knows what Texas-tough means--he drove for
his legendary grandfather from 2003 through 2005. His best result at
Texas Motor Speedway came with his grandfather’s team in 2004 when
he started 11th and finished 10th. This year, Foyt IV returned to
the ABC Supply team for the Indianapolis 500 where he qualified on
the second day to start 19th. He finished 16th in the race.
Foyt IV is the second driver to replace the injured
Vitor Meira whose return is not expected until late September.
The Bombardier Learjet 550 will be televised on the Versus channel
Saturday night starting at 9pm Eastern time. |
