Indy Car Racing has been changing a great deal over the past few years and there is a new universal aero package set to be used in 2018. This means for the 2017 season those teams that are currently in the series will have to deal with fewer test day allowances for changes and adjustments unless they have rookie drivers on the track. Even though AJ Foyt Racing is changing to Chevrolet from the old manufacturer of Honda and has added two new drivers to the mix, they aren’t considered rookies at all.
You would think these changes would put the team at a serious disadvantage to start things off but Larry Foyt, the team president, had the team out testing and has already stated the results were encouraging and better than expected. This team isn’t just led by new drivers in a new brand of racing vehicle but a new team technical director, Will Phillips is on the job to help make sure they can be competitive all year. After a couple days of testing at Sebring the team left in good spirits ready to take on the challenges of the track and the racing that will take place over the next several months.
What seemed to be most impressive was the fact the team was quick right from the start with the Chevy package of components and showed off with faster times than the last time they tested at Sebring. While the changes to the racing circuit will take place for the next season, this team will certainly spend most of this year leaving races with a car and the experience they wish they had on the track during the race but that doesn’t seem to have them discouraged at all.
Normally race teams with multiple cars work out of the same shop and share the technology and changes being made across the team. Even though most racing teams have one leader, driver and set of technicians to handle all the work the equipment is often shared as are some of the strategies that are being handled on the track. These teams often work closely together to try and make it to the front of the race together and bring home the top trophies for each of the teams under the same racing team name to have the most success on the track possible.
While other teams may all work under the same roof the Foyt team has cars in two different locations geographically. The #14 car raced by Munoz will be based out of Walter, TX while the #4 car piloted by Daly will be housed at the new shop in Indianapolis. This is a positive as far as this race team is concerned and most of the information shared will be done via online connections in order to create the team strategy and strength needed to be competitive on the track together throughout the racing season.
Whether you’re a fan of Indy Car Racing or you want to see how a team with new drivers and new equipment can handle the challenges of the track and the other drivers you may want to pay close attention to the Foyt cars this year. Driving Chevrolet models to the front of the pack is the goal, but expect this team to learn at each race and possibly be near the front of the pack in many races. This team certainly seems to have the confidence needed in its racers and crew along with the confidence in the Chevy equipment they’re driving.
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning a commission is given should you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no cost to you. All products shown are researched and tested to give an accurate review for you.