Foyt Zeroes In on Race Day with Strong Lineup of Veteran Kanaan, Rookie Leist
May 25, 2018 | By Phillip B. Wilson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
It takes a lot to impress a racing legend, especially when that icon is A.J. Foyt.
So it was to be expected that the team owner would downplay the significance of having his No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet on top of the Miller Lite Carb Day speed chart in final practice Friday for the 102nd Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on Sunday.
“I’ve had it before,” the 83-year-old Texan said after Tony Kanaan turned the quickest lap at 227.791 mph. “Not the first time. As long as we can do it on Race Day, that’s the big thing.”
Granted, his not-my-first-rodeo resume with a record four Indy 500 wins in 35 starts and a record 67 career Indy car victories is beyond impressive, but Foyt eventually acknowledged somewhat begrudgingly that it’s been a while since he’s had two cars this fast – Kanaan qualified 10th and 19-year-old Brazilian rookie Matheus Leist will roll off 11th.
“It’s been a few years, but that happens to everybody,” Foyt said.
It’s been happening to AJ Foyt Racing since 2001, the last time a Foyt car qualified better when Robby Gordon started third, on the outside of row one. Gordon finished 21st.
Teammate Eliseo Salazar was seventh that year. In 36 Indy 500 starts since, Foyt hasn’t enjoyed a better result.
That’s what makes this year, especially at Indy, worth noticing. Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 winner with KV Racing Technology, has done what he promised in helping the proud Foyt organization return to contention, especially at Indianapolis.
“They’ve done a great job,” Foyt said. “The mechanics have done a great job. Everybody has worked hard.”
But coupled with the steady performance of Leist, who raised eyebrows by qualifying next to Kanaan, is Foyt even more excited for Race Day?
“I’ve been here so many times, I guess I’m excited every year I get here,” he said.
AJ Foyt Enterprises president Larry Foyt was more willing to accentuate the positive after the one-hour Miller Lite Carb Day practice.
“It’s good to see the 14 on top of the pylon,” Larry said. “Does it mean that much? Obviously, it means you’ve got the ability to go fast. Our cars have had speed the whole time we’ve been here.”
The last time Foyt’s team had that seventh-place finish in the Indy 500 also was when Kanaan started at Portland what would become a record streak of 289 consecutive Indy-car starts. During that time, he also completed every lap of every race in 2004, when he won his only series title.
“I’ve been around a little bit too long,” Kanaan said before his 17th career Indy 500 start. “I’ve started first and I’ve started last, so I’ve been at both ends of the field. I'm always comfortable. I always know what I’ve got. That doesn’t make me worry too much because you know what you’ve got. Everybody knows. If it goes right, we have a pretty good chance.”
At 43, Kanaan hasn’t changed a bit, according to an understudy who has idolized the Brazilian driver since childhood.
“He’s still as fast as a young guy,” Leist said. “He’s still fun. He’s still the same guy.”
Hardest, wide-open Indy 500?
Team Penske’s Will Power is once again brimming with confidence entering his 11th “500,” but the Australian anticipates hot temperatures Sunday will make for perhaps one of the more unpredictable races in recent years.
“I actually think it is that wide open because it’s so hot,” said Power, who qualified third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. “It won’t be about horsepower or the fastest car. It will be about the best-handling car and driving it.”
Power, whose best “500” finish was second in 2015, says he’s as prepared as he’s ever been after a strong qualifying run and coming off a third career win in the INDYCAR Grand Prix.
“I’ve actually felt more calm and comfortable than ever before, for whatever reason,” he said. “Maybe that’s experience or the great result of the Grand Prix, but I’ve definitely been very focused and on top of the car and working hard with my engineer. You never know. All you can do is work hard and put yourself in that position.”
Sebastien Bourdais, who qualified fifth in the No. 18 Team SealMaster Honda for Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan, also sees so many unknowns from the expected sizzling track temperatures to how the redesigned cars with new universal aero kits will respond in traffic.
Several drivers have come away from practice saying it’s more difficult for these cars with less downforce on the back end to stay in a draft of more than three cars.
“It could be the hardest ‘500’ we’ve had in quite some time,” said Bourdais, whose best “500” finish in six starts was seventh in 2014. “We’ll see how it shakes out.”