DPR Sports & Racing News

 A J Foyt Racing

NOTES & QUOTES: Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway

Ryan Hunter-Reay: ABC Supply No. 14 Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Photo By Joe Paolella

Ryan Hunter-Reay on the key to Sonoma:

“I think the key to getting around Sonoma is having a very well-balanced car, no big surprises. It’s a track with a lot of fast corners, a lot of steep ascents and descents so you need a car that’s going to stay under you for the most part. The undulations in the track definitely make it more challenging—and fun.  I think the most fun section of the track is the first four corners—there is so much going on. I don’t know the exact altitude climb that we do but it’s a lot. I think I heard once that it’s six stories and we do it in like 10 seconds. It’s a big climb from the bottom at the start/finish line to turn four which is at the top of the climb.”

On his past two races at Infineon: “Well just like at Mid-Ohio two weeks ago, we need no luck at all: no good luck and no bad luck. In ’07 I got into it with Marco [Andretti] and it cut my brake line, and then last year, I got turned around by Justin Wilson.” Hunter-Reay started 7^th in 2007 and eighth in 2008 but finished 18th both times.

On momentum from Mid-Ohio: “Everybody believes in what we’re doing and we know what our capabilities are. I mean we were mixing it up with the top teams in IndyCar so we have every expectation to only do better. We won’t be happy with anything less. So we’re definitely pushing hard.” Hunter-Reay’s seventh place start and fourth place finish is the best performance to date this season for the ABC Supply Racing team.

Last week, the Foyt team tested at Infineon Raceway along with nine other teams. Foyt said, “When we started, we weren’t happy with the car but as we worked on it, we got it better and better.  We played with springs, rocker ratios and roll centers, about everything you could play with. We went through a lot of stuff so I thought it was a very good test. When we come back I think we’ll be very competitive.”

ABC Supply roofing customer Tucker Lath & Plastering, Inc. of Napa, Calif.won the ‘Your Name Here’ contest for this weekend. The company name will be atop the sidepods of the No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda.  Brian Tucker will receive selected merchandise, race tickets, hospitality and garage passes, plus a Meet and Greet with Ryan Hunter-Reay. The “Your Name Here” promotion selected winners by random drawing from a pool of entries sent in by ABC Supply customers earlier this year.

The No. 14 ABC Supply car will carry an in-car camera for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma which is being televised by VERSUS. It will be shown live at 5:00 p.m. EDT Sunday, August 23. 

For more information on the Foyt Racing program, please check these web sites: www.ajfoytracing.com and www.ryanracing.com.

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Past News....

Vitor Meira is Released from Hospital

Vitor Meira was released from Methodist Hospital today and headed straight for the A.J Foyt Racing garage in Gasoline Alley where the team is preparing the No. 14 ABC Supply car for the upcoming race at Milwaukee.

“I feel pretty good today,” said Meira who sounded chipper on the phone. He did a round of interviews with local TV stations at the hospital before heading out to the Speedway. At the garage, he was talking with his crew guys and gathering his stuff to pack up in his motorcoach.

“I am going to see the doctors tomorrow to make sure it’s okay for me to fly home to Miami this weekend,” said Meira. “ Then I will get an x-ray down there in two weeks to make sure the spine is healing the way it should.

“It’s going to be very hard for me to do nothing for the next two weeks. The doctors said after that, I can do a light workout but nothing that would load the spine. So I can work on my chest and arms and ride a stationary bike. I can’t ride a regular bike because they don’t want me to risk falling.”

Meira’s progress will be monitored by Miami-based doctors who were recommended by Dr. Terry Trammel, the orthopedic surgeon who is in charge of Meira’s case. Meira said that the doctors believe his recovery would be faster if he did it at home rather than staying in Indianapolis and living in a hotel.

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Foyt IV goes retro

A.J. Foyt IV is wearing an orange helmet at the Indianapolis 500, similar to the one his grandfather wore for many years.

After going winless in 1966 for the first season in his career, the elder Foyt switched to a simple-yet-distinct paint scheme dubbed Foyt Orange (officially Poppy Red) in the hopes of turning his fortunes. That it did; he won his first race with the orange No. 14 car - his third Indianapolis 500 - and five others in 1967. Overall, Foyt recorded 172 victories in all classes. He hung up the helmet in 1993 - at the Speedway.

Foyt IV is hoping for similar results. Foyt, who turns 25 on May 25, has made 82 IndyCar Series starts - including 34 in 2007 and '08 with Vision Racing - but was looking for a ride heading into May.

"I wore it growing up in go-karts and some even in the big cars but went to a more stylish helmet," said Foyt, who qualified 19th on May 10 with a four-lap average of 222.586 mph. "But I figured I'd get back to the basics. I did well with this helmet, and obviously my grandfather did well with the plain orange helmet with the gold A.J. on the side of it. We'll see if we can bring a little luck our way with that helmet."

Ryan Hunter-Reay: No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda  

Paul Tracy Named To Drive No. 14 in the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile

Foyt has won four Indy car races at the Mile (1962, 1964, 1975 and 1979) and six USAC stock car races.

 

About A.J. Foyt Racing

A.J. Foyt Racing, located 20 miles northwest of Houston, has been competing at the top levels of motorsports since 1965, over 40 years. With Foyt driving, his team won two Indianapolis 500s and three national Indy car championships. Since his retirement from driving in 1993, the team has continued to win, claiming two more national titles and the 1999 Indianapolis 500 with driver Kenny Brack.

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 Photo Gallery From Qualifying at the famed Brickyard

14 is 14th Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 223.054

Paul Tracy Named To Drive No. 14 in the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile

Like politics, racing has been known to make strange bedfellows.  Two outspoken stars of the sport have joined forces for the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt 225 at Milwaukee this weekend.  A.J. Foyt has hired veteran driver Paul Tracy to replace injured Vitor Meira to drive the No. 14 ABC Supply Indy car.  It is Tracy’s first time driving for Foyt;  at this point, it is a one race deal.

“For me I’m excited to get an opportunity to drive albeit as a fill-in for Vitor as I know it’s a short-term thing,” said Tracy, who has won 31 Indy car races as well as the 2003 Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) Driver’s title.  “When I started my career [1991], I competed against A.J.  He was one of my idols growing up.  I haven’t told too many people this, but he was one of the guys I modeled myself after.  I’m a little rough around the edges like him and I say what I feel, there’s no b.s. and that’s one of the things I’ve always admired about him.”

Foyt said, “Paul Tracy is a hard charger and our type of driver, much like Vitor.  I believe we can put the right equipment under Paul, and we’ve both had success there, so I think we can put our heads together and have a good race.  It’s a very important race for us because it’s sponsored by our team sponsor ABC Supply, which is based in Wisconsin, so Milwaukee is their home track,” adding, “and it is the AJ Foyt 225.”

 “I think the team is competing at a much higher level these days,” said Tracy.  “I had a long conversation with Larry [Foyt, team director] and they’re working hard.   That’s all I expect from people is to do their best.  I think I’m the kind of driver who could make the difference at Milwaukee, being a four-time winner there, and teaming up with A.J., a guy who’s won as many times as he has at the historic Mile, is not only a great story but a winning recipe.”

Foyt has won four Indy car races at the Mile (1962, 1964, 1975 and 1979) and six USAC stock car races.

When asked about the challenge of driving for a new team in a car he’s never driven at the Mile where there is only two hours of practice before qualifying, Tracy said with a smile, “There’s no challenge for me, I’m a grizzly old veteran like A.J., I’ll be up to speed real quick.”  He added, “I jumped in the car at Indianapolis and I hadn’t driven at Indy in seven years and never drove a Dallara on the speedway-the current car-- and did 220mph on my third lap.  I don’t anticipate any trouble getting up to speed because I spent the last month in the car.  If the team can deliver me a good car, I think I can win the race for them.”

Tracy’s stats at the Mile lend credence to his confident approach.   In 14 starts (from 1993-2006), he has led nine races for 723 laps and earned four wins (Newman-Haas, 1995; Team Green, 1999, 2002; Forsythe, 2005), two poles (Penske, 1996, 1997); two more top-five finishes plus two top-10 finishes.

The driver change came as a result of Vitor Meira sustaining a lower back injury in the Indianapolis 500 after rookie Raphael Matos made contact with Meira entering turn one, sending the Indy veteran hard into the turn one SAFER barrier which he rode on two wheels until coming to a stop in the short chute. Meira was transported to Methodist Hospital where scans revealed two broken vertebrae (L-1 and L-2) which are being treated without surgery. Meira was fitted with a plastic back brace.  It is expected that Vitor Meira will be released from Methodist Hospital on Wednesday according to Dr. Mike Olinger. He will stay in Indianapolis until Friday when he will meet with Dr. Terry Trammel who is expected to clear him to travel to his South Florida home as early as Saturday. While doctors told Meira that he will be ready to race again in four months, Meira is aiming to be back in the cockpit after three months.

The Race Results....

17th 6 Laps down, 219, Running

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Forté Healthy Energy Shot Makes Racing Debut with A.J. Foyt Racing at Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS (May 21, 2009) – Forté Healthy Energy Shot™ will enter its first Indianapolis 500 as an associate sponsor of A.J. Foyt IV’s No. 41 ABC Supply Indy car. Foyt IV will start 19^th in his sixth Indy 500 this Sunday afternoon.

“It’s great to have the Forte Energy Company as an associate marketing partner of our team for the Indy 500,” said Larry Foyt, team director of A.J. Foyt Racing. “We’re proud to be the team to debut their brand here at Indy. With the busy schedule we have during the month of May, Forte’s Healthy Energy Shot is a welcome addition to our garage.”

“Although the Forté Healthy Energy Shot™ is new to the racing circuit, we are very excited to be a part of A.J. Foyt’s team for the 500,” said Elishia Sorensen, Regional Director for Forté Energy Company. “Their mature and established team exudes quality from top to bottom, and that’s consistent with what we have in the Forté Healthy Energy Shot™. Entering this partnership will no doubt help us to reach a new audience, as well as increase brand awareness.”

Forté Healthy Energy Shot™, an energy shot that provides smart nutrition and long-lasting energy, is the flagship product of Forté Energy Company. The organic, açaí-based Forté Healthy Energy Shot™ takes an entirely different approach to functional energy products by offering a nutritious combination of antioxidant-rich superfruits, critical antioxidants, New Vision's world-famous Essential Minerals®, and the company's fast-acting, proprietary energy blend. At just 3 ounces in size, the Forté Healthy Energy Shot is convenient, delicious, low in natural sugar, and a healthier alternative for life on-the-go.

About Forté Healthy Energy Shot

A subsidiary company of New Vision International (founded in March 1995), Forté Energy Company™ was founded in January 2009 and is operated by award-winning entrepreneur, BK Boreyko.  Forté Energy Company™ energizes people's health and life with its physician-formulated organic acai sourced Forté Healthy Energy Shot™.  We are excited to enter the retail channel, bringing a healthy energy shot alternative to the market.  With "Energy for the speed of life" as our slogan, we are excited to partner with the A.J. Foyt Racing Team.  For more information, visit www.drink-forte.com. 

About A.J. Foyt Racing

A.J. Foyt Racing, located 20 miles northwest of Houston, has been competing at the top levels of motorsports since 1965, over 40 years. With Foyt driving, his team won two Indianapolis 500s and three national Indy car championships. Since his retirement from driving in 1993, the team has continued to win, claiming two more national titles and the 1999 Indianapolis 500 with driver Kenny Brack.

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 Photo Gallery From Qualifying at the famed Brickyard

14 is 14th Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 223.054