Foyt IV bumps his way into Indy 500 field

INDIANAPOLIS – A.J. Foyt IV had to deal with wind and then fire Sunday before his starting spot in the 92nd Indianapolis 500 was secure.

At least it didn’t rain.

The grandson of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt began the final day of qualifying for the May 25 race as a non-qualifier, needing to bump his way into the 33-car field.

The biggest obstacle was the howling wind, blowing at a steady 20 mph and also gusting at times at least 10 mph harder.

Moments after the 2.5-mile oval was opened for qualifying at noon, the 23-year-old Foyt gritted his teeth and made a solid, four-lap qualifying run averaging 219.184 mph.

After the track opened for practice, Foyt was involved in the scariest moment of the day.

He was running laps, working on race setup and preparing for the possibility of being bumped and having to requalify, when the cover to his fuel tank blew off. That allowed fuel to pour out of the tank and ignite from the heat of the engine. Within seconds, the rear of Foyt’s Vision Racing entry was a ball of flame and his car backed hard into the outside wall.

The fire left Foyt, seeking his fifth Indy start, with a small burn on the back of his neck and singed hair. But he was cleared to drive as the team prepared a backup car, just in case.

Scott Dixon, among the 11 drivers who qualified last weekend, won the pole at 226.366, more than 7 mph faster than Marty Roth, the slowest qualifier for the second straight year.

The final field includes former Indy winners Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves, Buddy Rice and Lazier, as well as 11 rookies, led by 19-year-old Graham Rahal, one of the drivers making the transition from the defunct Champ Car World Series to the recently unified IRL IndyCar Series.