Al Jr. has ride with foyt

[Scheckterfan54]

According to the Indianapolis Star(4/29/07), Al Unser Jr. has agreed to terms with A.J. Foyt for the 500. Also, Davey Hamilton according to the star, is the front runner for the 4th Vision Car. Any other predictions for possible rides? I have heard rumors of Chesson possibly being in a Ginassi car. Any Truth?

[gm99]

Davey Hamilton? I thought he had retired after a bad crash at Texas back in 2001?

[Komahawk]

It was on the IndyCar homepage that he was looking for a ride in the 500.

[Civic]

Townsend Bell is probably more likely for another Vision car.

[Jonesi]

snip...I have heard rumors of Chesson possibly being in a Ginassi car. Any Truth?

Stranger things have happened, but I strongly doubt this one. Chip has shown little interest in drivers that have come through the short track oval path, prefering drivers with euro road course experience. Also the last I looked he had no extra cars this year, so unless he buys someone's (Penske) entry & cars it's not going to happen.

[Scheckterfan54]

I also doubted the thought that chesson would end up in a ginassi car. I would love to see him back though, I thought he was great for the speedway because he represented a lot of the same people that are fans of the 500. Any chance he is back at all?

[hacker-pschorr]

Wow, why not have Big Al and Bobby Unser run this year as well. Go for a 1-2-3 finish.

I've always been a big Little Al fan. The last year he ran Elkhart Lake he did not look good (off the track). I caught him sitting outside his trailer smoking a cigarette. I had a good chat with him, friendly as usually. He just sounded tired. Cannot remember what year that was.

I wish him the best, a win would be awesome. I think we all know that is very unlikely.

[FormerFF]

I sorta hate to see it. He was a great champion. Now he's going to be a has been in a not very competitive car. I'd rather remember him as a champion.

[huxleypiguk]

There is something about Indy that gets people like Al, but they need to know when to stop. My concern is that, with his recent issues with the bottle, if anything were to happen which he was involved in, the papers could have a field day. We could see a once great champion and Indy 500 winner dragged through the mud by the press.

[Scheckterfan54]

I believe that there are a lot more talented drivers available for this great event. Little Al has been there, done that, why not give a young driver some experience, such as an IPS driver! But, I will give Foyt credit, atleast he didnt put larry inthe car!!!

[Jonesi]

I believe that there are a lot more talented drivers available for this great event. Little Al has been there, done that, why not give a young driver some experience, such as an IPS driver! But, I will give Foyt credit, atleast he didnt put larry inthe car!!!

Supposedly Larry retired from driving when he was put in charge of the team (although I doubt AJ can be stopped from meddling in it, as long as he has a heartbeat). Perhaps the credit should go to Larry for knowing he can't run the team and drive.

[Scheckterfan54]

Very good point! It is very wise of larry to do that!

[Komahawk]

Little Al already had his moments of glory. There are younger guys who don't have the money or the connections to run the 500 but really deserve a shot.

[Scheckterfan54]

not to mention those younger drivers would probably be faster and more exciting than Little Al.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Indy is about retreading guys like Jr. and Mikey to keep names in the news. When you have 33 spots to fill, and you don't want to admit SeaBass or PT would be better draws, you have to dig these guys up......

[Marbles]

Big Al won it when he was 48, 3 years older than Unser Jr. is now. I know he was more active in racing at the time but it shows how age is really a non-starter when it comes to winning Indy.

Does he deserve to be there? Um, yeah!!! He deserves to be there more than a lot of other guys do regardless of age and if he qualifies then there is little argument to be had.

Is he going to win. Not very likely. Not in a Foyt car. If he did, it would be the stuff of legends. Now, if he was driving an AGR, Ganassi or, like his Dad, a Penske, then I wouldn't bet against it.

I linked to this in the old forum and I'd like to link to it again because of this thread. It isn't the closest finish at Indy but I don't think the drama of the closing laps of any motor race was ever captured more effectively by television. The silence of the commentators at times emphasizes the drama even more. I still get goosebumps when I watch it. Listen to the crowd also.
"Could this have been avoided?" Listen to Unser in the post race. Many drivers today could learn from this, or at least they should.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu8YwDgWxwA

[Wilf]

Indy is about retreading guys like Jr. and Mikey to keep names in the news. When you have 33 spots to fill, and you don't want to admit SeaBass or PT would be better draws, you have to dig these guys up......

Put Paul Tracy and SeaBass at an autograph table in Indy and put Al Jr. at a table next to them and he will outdraw both. This is Indy, not Canada. You would be lucky to find 1 out of 10 that know who SeaBass is and those that know PT are po'd at him for his whining about being cheated out of the win.

I personally believe SeaBass would have been perfect in AJ's car and might have had a shot at the win. He wouldn't have been the fastest because no one in AJ's car is going to be the fastest, but I believe he could have brought it to the end on the lead lap with a chance to win. As far as PT goes, guys with broken backs are not big draws at Indy.

[FormerFF]

I know it's only been two days of practice, but so far he's slower than both Marty Roth and Milka Duno. I hope that was because he hasn't turned many laps.