Infiniti Pro Series: Kentucky 100 |
|---|
Topics: Kentucky 100
|
Ed Carpenter
A.J Foyt IV
Cory Witherill
August 11, 2002
SPARTA, KENTUCKY
MODERATOR: Welcoming in now the Top 3 from our inaugural Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series race in the Kentucky 100 today. To my immediate left, AJ Foyt, IV. To my far left is Cory Witherill, and to my right is Ed Carpenter. Start with AJ and Ed. Real quick, tell us about the last couple laps there. It was a pretty nice battle.
ED CARPENTER: Yeah, we both had really good handling cars I think today. Mine wasn't quite as good by myself. When I got in the open, I just didn't have the speed that Anthony did, so I was just kind of trying to stay in his draft. Failed to pull something off on the last lap. I knew if I was going to be able to lead, it wasn't going to be for long. My motor seemed to be losing power through the weekend. My best chance was just to stay in his draft and hope for something on the last lap or corner.
AJ FOYT, IV: It was a good race all of the way through. Stretched out a little lead at the beginning because they were kind of battling back there. Yellow came out. Me and Ed stayed together the whole race. We worked pretty good together, me, him and Cory. Kind of stretched it out from the other group. Ed raced me real clean. Last couple laps, I know I changed my line a little bit, but that's just the way racing goes on the last lap. I'm sure he understands. He's been there before. It was a good race and everybody raced good. No real crashes. Thankfully Jason is all right after this morning's crash.
MODERATOR: This was AJ Foyt, IV's third series win. Second previous win was at Kansas and Michigan. For Ed Carpenter, he was third at Michigan, fifth at Kansas and Nashville. He also won the sprint race last night at Salem. We'll bring in Cory now for your comments on the race. You won a series race at Nashville in July, third in Kansas, third today. Tell us about your run, your impressions of the race today.
CORY WITHERILL: We had a pretty good car throughout the whole weekend. Kind of went out there to try to finish as high up as we can. It pretty much went all right for us. We were right there behind AJ, and Ed was right behind me for a while. Kind of had little tactics there trying to see whose car was faster between mine and Ed's, back and forth with his. I let him by on the front straightaway, tried to draft him. Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to have done. You learn from your mistakes and we just move on. I believe we're still second in points. We'll get him next week. These races are flat all the way around, there's so much you can do, what your car can do. I won Nashville. That was definitely a track you could go flat around there. I believed I could win there. Having a win in St. Louis in two weeks, if I could go flat there, that's where we're going to go out there and win.
MODERATOR: Four races into this series. Each of you, your overall impression of the series, how it's going so far, the new chassis, engine, it's.
ED CARPENTER: I think it's going great. I think it's a lot more competitive than everybody thought it was going to be at the beginning of the year. Each race, someone else is running fast. They've just been close races in all the races. I think St. Louis in two weeks is going to be a good race because, like Cory said, it's not going to be flat. You're going to have to hustle the car more. I raced Silver Com the past three years there, I think I'll have an advantage on some of the guys just from racing there before, but it should be a good race.
AJ FOYT, IV: I think it's really going along really well. Of course, to be a new series, you're going to have a few little problems like with the motor. But I feel it's a real good stepping point for the guys like me, Ed, Cory, coming up trying to get in any racing. Of course, a lot of our goals is to move up in the IRL. That's definitely one of my goals. Hopefully just keep focusing on this year and the rest will come to you.
MODERATOR: Cory.
CORY WITHERILL: It's a good series. You know, each series has their own development series. CART has Atlantics. IRL has Indy Lights. Sorry, oops. It's one of those things, wherever you want to go. That's the type -- you need to pick what development series you want to go to. 500 is where I want to go in IRL, so I chose this series. I believe it's a good stepping stone to get involved. Other than that, like I say, I'm really looking forward to St. Louis because we have to set up the car there. I honestly think these cars are a little bit too slow for these tracks. I think we need to be on one-mile or one and a quarter mile where it comes to the driver, not really how much horsepower you have, stick by the rule book.
Q. (Inaudible)?
AJ FOYT, IV: My car was handling great all day. Seems a little bit different when Ed was right on my bumper going into the corner, seems a little more free. Other than that, the car, I could hold it wherever I wanted, go in the corners as low as I wanted to, which really helps if you have a guy like Ed right on your bumper.
Q. You were able to hold him off.
AJ FOYT, IV: These cars are so equal. The draft means so much. When you're in front like that, kind of got to run a little tighter line because, obviously, it's a lot harder to pass on the outside than it is on the inside. My car was handling great. I could just go in the corners real low, keep it low through the corner, coming home.
Q. (Inaudible)?
ED CARPENTER: He was following me in the practice. I just happened to look in my mirror as I exited, too. I saw him go through the oil dry and get sideways, overcorrect, go into the wall. I saw his initial contact. Then after that, I was too far away to see anything in my mirrors. Other than that, that's all I saw. All I know is they say he's responding, improving, that's good news.
Q. Did have you any problems?
ED CARPENTER: Arie was in front of me. GJ was behind me. We all three went above it. Looked like Jason stayed on the bottom and went through it. I don't know if he knew that an oil dry was down there. My spotter told me. I just went around it to be safe the first couple laps back out. I'm not sure what's case was with Jason. I think it's great news he's improving. Everybody was really scared right after the crash. Nobody knew what was going on. He's a great guy. He's gotten to know everybody, changed everybody's opinion of him. He's shown he's a good racer. He qualified second. He's been running up front. He's just a good guy. It's sad any time one of our competitors gets hurt, whether you're friends or not. I'm glad to hear he's improving.
AJ FOYT, IV: I think it's a really good thing for the cars and for the series to know that a crash that hard, still a guy can come out pretty good and responding with no major injuries. I'm really thankful for that. Hopefully we can get him back into the series the next couple races.
CORY WITHERILL: He's a great guy. You know, it's too bad, but it happens to all of us. Majority of times we can get out and walk away from these crashes. These cars are built to disintegrate to get all the G stores forces out of it. Unfortunately, it does affect the driver every now and then. It's too bad it happened to Jason. He's a great guy. He brings a lot of good spirits to the series. His personality is real outgoing. I wish him well.
MODERATOR: Gentlemen, congratulations.