Carb Day
By A.J. Foyt


Carb Day at Indianapolis is our last chance for the drivers to check out their cars on the race track before the Indianapolis 500. The final practice lasts for an hour and teams really just want to make sure they have a good consistent race car for the race.


Unlike in qualifying where the race cars are trimmed out with the least amount of downforce to go as fast as possible, in the race you need downforce so the cars are more stable. With 33 of them out there running around at 220mph or more, they create a lot of turbulence.


We found out that we needed to add more downforce to both ABC Supply cars to make Vitor Meira and my grandson Anthony (A.J. Foyt IV) comfortable. When we did, the cars became more consistent in their handling. Both drivers came back over the radio saying that it was a big improvement. You try to set up the car with the least amount of downforce but enough so the cars don’t feel light in traffic. It’s a trade-off because with more downforce there is more drag which slows you down. Finding just the right amount is a key part of running up front.


Towards the end of the practice Anthony had a problem with his car jumping out of sixth gear so he shut it down and brought it in before any damage could be done to the Honda engine. We found the problem and the ABC Supply crew replaced the entire gearbox. It was good to find that out today instead of twenty laps into the race on Sunday.


On race day my son Larry will be calling Vitor’s race and working with our chief engineer Adam Schaechter. Larry did a very good job last year calling the race for Darren Manning who finished ninth. I’ll be working with Anthony. I think I can understand Anthony a little better and he understands me. Of course we’re pitted next to each other, so if either of us has a problem, the other is right there to help as much as they can.


It’s going to be a special 500 for me because both my drivers are wearing helmets in honor of my career. My grandson Anthony is wearing the same color helmet that I wore for so many years, the Coyote Red (everyone else calls it orange) with the gold leaf AJ letters on the side. He’s been wearing it all month.


Today Vitor surprised me with a tribute helmet which had a lot of the different race cars that I ran over the years. He’ll run it on race day in my honor. I have to say that both boys have found a way to make this race even more special for me.


I’m looking forward to race day. The ABC Supply cars are running good and I’ve got two good drivers so I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for all of us. You can catch all the action by tuning into ABC-TV starting at 12 noon.