Foyt: Vet racers 'kidding selves'

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Foyt: Vet racers 'kidding selves'
Posted 5/9/2006 8:29 PM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions | Subscribe to stories like this
By Gary Graves, USA TODAY


A.J. Foyt said he understands what drove Michael Andretti, Eddie Cheever Jr. and Al Unser Jr. to give the Indianapolis 500 another try, but hopes they aren't coming out of retirement with high hopes of being factors this year.

Unser, a two-time winner, is back after nearly two years away while 1999 champion Cheever last raced there in 2002. Andretti, who retired after the 2003 race to become a full-time IndyCar Series team owner, came back in part to race with son Marco, 19, a rookie.

Four-time winner Foyt wishes them well but believes they're "kidding themselves" in thinking they could be competitive after several years away. While he admits to harboring the urge to race himself, age and reality has told him not to act on it.

Contending? Don't even think about it.

"I know better," said the 71-year-old, who made the last of 35 Indy starts in 1992. "For them to come back and been gone like that, I think they're kidding themselves. I hope they do good, but to do good you've got to do it all the time.

"It's hard to come back in and think you're going to be competitive against people that run every day, because you're not."

Cheever was the trio's fastest as practice opened Tuesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing 18th with a top speed of 221.470 mph in a Honda/Dallara. Andretti was 20th at 220.710 mph while Unser was 24th at 218.133 mph.

Team Penske claimed four of the top six speeds with Sam Hornish Jr. earning two of the top five. His primary car led a rain-shortened day with a fast lap of 224.811 mph, while his backup car was fifth at 223.717 mph.

Teammate and IRL IndyCar Series points leader Helio Castroneves was second at 224.106 mph in a backup car and sixth in his primary (223.388). In between were defending Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon (223.916) and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon (223.797).

Felipe Giaffone led Foyt's two-car entry with a speed of 218.812 mph to rank 22nd. Larry Foyt did not practice.

Last year's rookie sensation Danica Patrick, who started and finished fourth, was 19th fastest at 220.302 mph.

A.J. Foyt seeks improvement as the month goes on and said that while he believes he could hold his own against today's drivers, that's not enough to make him get back in the cockpit for old time's sake. He'll live vicariously through Andretti, Cheever and Unser.

"I see a lot of them guys running in NASCAR and everywhere else, (and) I could probably play with them today. But there's no sense in me kidding myself," he said. "I had great days and they're over, and you just got to realize time passes you by. You hate to admit it, but they're over."

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