Lazier (J) in for Barrett, Foyt IV for Tracy

[NickFalzone]

According to Curt Cavin, Jacques Lazier is in for Barrett this weekend. AJ IV is in for Tracy (guess is that PT will be back the following race). Scheckter says on his Twitter he's looking forward to this weekend, but Duno is in the 23. Maybe he's in Conway's car or in a 2nd Coyne.

[drewdawg727]

Jaques Lazier? Are you kidding me? Put a driver who deserves a ride into the car, is that so much to ask?

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Jaques is better than Stanton.

I think T-Scheck will be back at DCR with MonaVie. Altough replacing Conway is not a bad idea. You don't need a European road racer to put your car into the wall every race, Townsend Bell or Buddy Rice could do that and even better, Robbie.

[Civic]

T Bell ain't that bad.

[bblocker68]

Sux to be a PT and Will Power fan (me) right now.

[jackmart]

I know Barrett isn't strong int he car but I thought he had a fulltime ride. Is he injured?

I wonder if PT even wanted to race with the car again or not.

[Andrewmcm]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/75782 sounds like AJ was embarrassed to give PT that car. It's an interesting catch 22 for AJ's team - they want to improve the car so as PT can show his form, but they need a good driver in there to improve the car...

[drewdawg727]

It's claimed that AJ doesn't want to give PT an embarassing car because AJ and Tracy are both "under the microscope". As far as I am concerned, IV cannot set up cars too well, so I think there's more to the story than is being let on.
It also states that IV has done well at Texas everytime he has raced there...I guess 4 DNFs in 6 starts is a great track record.

[jackmart]

^^wow. I don't know PT that well but from what I've heard I'm kinda shocked at his response. Foyt completely slammed him and he just took and didn't defend himself at all. I wonder if that is really how he reacted or that is what he put out there in the press to make AJ look like a bad guy.

[MDS]

No second DCR car on the entry list. Conquest is TBA, so maybe Sheckter landed there. Sarah Fisher makes it 22 cars

[TURN3]

^^wow. I don't know PT that well but from what I've heard I'm kinda shocked at his response. Foyt completely slammed him and he just took and didn't defend himself at all. I wonder if that is really how he reacted or that is what he put out there in the press to make AJ look like a bad guy.

I haven't read anything at all about AJ slamming PT nor did I see where PT made AJ look like a bad guy. Where are you coming up with this? I've read about every article having to do with this and nowhere, nothing like you suggest.

[jackmart]

I haven't read anything at all about AJ slamming PT nor did I see where PT made AJ look like a bad guy. Where are you coming up with this? I've read about every article having to do with this and nowhere, nothing like you suggest.


Aj saying it was embrassing to have PT in his car seems like slam to PT to me. Maybe I read it wrong but I thought that's what he said. PT doesn't seem like a guy to take an insult like that without defending himself so I'm surpirsed he was like yeah AJ didn't want me back but if he changes his mind he's knows how to reach me. I'm suprised he didn't say that the car wasn't that great or something.

[TURN3]

Aj saying it was embrassing to have PT in his car seems like slam to PT to me. Maybe I read it wrong but I thought that's what he said. PT doesn't seem like a guy to take an insult like that without defending himself so I'm surpirsed he was like yeah AJ didn't want me back but if he changes his mind he's knows how to reach me. I'm suprised he didn't say that the car wasn't that great or something.

Yeah, you read it wrong. AJ has basically come out and said he was embarassed to have put a car like that under PT. I'm not saying we all know the truth on both sides (time will tell if he gets back in the car later) but, I think AJ has publicly made it clear that he has issues with his team and putting a driver of PT's caliber and exposure in his car at that level was embarassing. PT has written that AJ apologized repeatedly during and after the race so I think it is reasonable to believe if PT is printing it then AJ was saying it.

[jackmart]

^^Ok that makes more sense now. Thanks for clearing it up.

[MDS]

PT has written that AJ apologized repeatedly during and after the race so I think it is reasonable to believe if PT is printing it then AJ was saying it.

Yeah, PT has every reason to be honest. Owners talk, and if PT was trying to slam AJ and lying in print about it, he'd find it difficult to get a ride with anyone outside of KVRT.

And what he's saying is right. Had PT not been in the car I doubt ABC would have cared that they made an extra pit stop, or bothered to ask why the guy was cranking on the wing. So yeah, if you have a bad car putting someone like PT in it is just going to make you look like the Keystone Kops.

[NickFalzone]

AJ makes a convincing argument with that explanation, but I don't buy it. Not one bit. He didn't want to put all the pressure of the ABC/Foyt sponsored Milw race on IV. But he planned to have IV in the car by Texas. Curt Cavin said this a week or so ago. Yes, PT could be back in here and there this season. But family overrides talent in this case. If IV was not a part of the equation, I can guarantee you that PT would be in that car this weekend. It's going to take AJ putting PT in a car in the following race or two to convince me otherwise.

[Easy Drifter]

Going back over the years Foyt has always had trouble putting together a good crew. I suspect that AJ's temper and attitude made it a very difficult place to work. I did see his operation up close many years ago and the crew were not happy campers.
As a former race mechanic/crew chief I know top people do not stay with teams in turmoil.
The last couple of years Larry seemed to be more in charge and things appeared to settle down. This year AJ appears to be back in full flight.
Now on to the current situation.
The team screwed up at Indy with the pit fire. Brown stuff does happen.
In the interviews before the Milwaukee AJ admitted they screwed up the car for qualifying. It was also clear it had not been working in practice so they were not improving things.
The race set up was just as bad.
Then the crew goes the wrong way on an adjustment to the areo resulting in another pit stop. Another complete foul up.
On to the post race interview with PT.
At one point he said he thought he was driving one of AJ's dirt track cars.
He also said that that about half way through the race he thought he would not drive for Foyt again. Eventually they apparently got the car half way decent so PT was willing to consider Texas. He said they had to talk Monday.
Remember this is only the 3rd time PT has been in a Dallara and never the same car twice.
Texas is very fast and I am sure PT remembers what happened with CART there.
My feeling is PT wants to be assured that AJ can put together a safe and relatively competitive car before he will drive for him again. That also means a crew that does not make stupid mistakes, at least not very often. Every team makes the odd mistake, especially after an all nighter. Been there, done that.
It will be interesting to see if PT is in the Foyt pits this weekend. That might be an indicator.
Why the grandson this weekend? Anybody consider that nobody else is willing to take a chance at Texas? Actually knowing racers I doubt that, but some may have taken that approach, especially with PT's attitude!
Some posters who have knowledge of team make ups might advise if the Foyt Team has any engineers with real experience or indeed with a real race engineer.
By the way some of the best 'race engineers' are not those with degrees but practical experience.
Just an old f---- thoughts.

[NickFalzone]

Easy Drifter, all very good points, however PT said in his blog that he liked this idea of trying to grow a small operation. He said he talked to Larry on Monday, and said lets do this for the whole season. Larry talked to AJ, and AJ for whatever didn't go for it. His answer that they can't provide great equipment may well be honest, but does it leave any opening for PT to get in the car later this season? Will Foyt's team/engineer in a couple races get the car is much better shape? I'm skeptical. You know, getting the car good with IV, and then putting Tracy in... that just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. You want to get the car good for Tracy, you put Tracy in the car right now.

[Easy Drifter]

I am ignoring the blog and basically the PR BS spouted after the fact.
My comments are based on what I have seen in the last little while and post race interviews before the PR crowd got involved.
My opinion (note opinion) is PT said no thank you until I see a well prepared car with a team knowing what they are doing.
I have been out of active racing for many years but I knew many top crew/engineers and more than one said they would never work for AJ no matter what.
I know I wouldn't have. My main experience was in Atlantics but I did have some Indycar and F1 experience many many moons ago.

[Chamoo]

I don't think PT ever planned on running Texas for AJ and Milwaukee made it easier for PT and AJ to both save face. They now had excuses not to run with eachother, PT's probably better then AJ's. Car #14 has no chance in hell of winning on Saturday night and both AJ, AJ IV, and PT know it.

This way, AJ can say he wants a better car before someone of PT's status runs it, and PT can walk away after AJ Foyt Enterprises gave him a clunker of a car at the Mile.

[nigelred5]

AJ makes a convincing argument with that explanation, but I don't buy it. Not one bit. He didn't want to put all the pressure of the ABC/Foyt sponsored Milw race on IV. But he planned to have IV in the car by Texas. Curt Cavin said this a week or so ago. Yes, PT could be back in here and there this season. But family overrides talent in this case. If IV was not a part of the equation, I can guarantee you that PT would be in that car this weekend. It's going to take AJ putting PT in a car in the following race or two to convince me otherwise.


Grandsons drive crappy cars for free. Former series Champions don't. That's my take on it. They'd never park a driver like PT for "handling issues", but he can park IV in a heartbeat if they're off that bad. IV does know these cars far better than PT, which he openly admitted in his blog.

[Mark in Oshawa]

When I was on the road, I went out of my way to get the Milwaukee results as fast as I could find them. Seeing where PT finished, I didn't need to read this thread to figure out why PT wasn't behind the car in Tx. He wouldn't have taken this ride AT all if not for the fact he was an AJ Foyt fan as a kid. The problem is that AJ the car owner hasn't left the 1970's in many ways and the best people wont work there for reasons Drifter has pointed out.

That car was awful, and PT has said more than once he wasn't interested in driving crap cars and finishing at the back. PT made this call, and AJ does have enough respect for a guy of PT's caliber that he admitted they were not up to the driver's talent. The grandson will be cheaper to handle and likely wont have any issues with the ride since he has no choice. Paul Tracy however aint sucking up to NO one. If the owner of the car wasn't AJ Foyt, I suspect PT would have lit him up, but Paul just took the high road. Everyone knows what happened if they have followed this sport for any amount of time.

AJ Foyt needs to admit he cant do what he used to in owning and running a race team, and until he does and lets more competant people run things, he will not hang onto top drivers.