Notes & Quotes: Chevrolet Detroit GP
A.J. Foyt’s ABC Supply team switched to Chevrolet this season with 25-year-old drivers Carlos Munoz (No. 14) and Conor Daly (No. 4). Munoz finished 10th and Daly 30th in the Indianapolis 500.
CARLOS MUNOZ: “Moving on from Indy to road courses makes for a really challenging week because everyone is really tired–the mechanics, engineers and the drivers. And Detroit is a two-race event which makes it tough. Still Detroit is where we’ve had a lot of success–we’ve qualified good, run good and I got my first win there in 2015. They’ve ground down the bumps on the backstretch which will be nicer but it’s still a challenging track. I’m looking forward to it.”
CONOR DALY: “I love Detroit–it’s always where I get my best finish. Was 2nd last year and I want to win this year. This track is a lot of fun for me and having a double-header is great. Two races are always better than one! Should be fun!”
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR WILL PHILLIPS on Detroit: “The short turn-around makes it tough especially on the guys, but for the engineers, if we’re ahead of the game and have the build sheets and setup sheets ready, there’s nothing we can’t do during the downtimes at Indy but there weren’t many. The biggest issue is probably converting all the shocks to have our prime and option dampers ready for Detroit. It’s a lot of work on the shock front; we change the valving—the hardware is the same but the internals get changed especially going from an oval to a bumpy street course.
“Detroit is our third street course event this year; the tires are the same as the other two and we’ve been able to learn from those two previous events. It’s a narrow window to hit but we’re not starting so far away. It’s the bumpiest circuit we go to and the use of the tires is different than St. Pete and Long Beach—different in the way the tires react so that’s the biggest challenge. If you make the tires work, you’ll be quick at Detroit. The ride control is probably paramount—the shocks and springs and getting that right and to work with the tire pressures we pick is probably the key to going fast.
“Looking at this race historically, I think Conor and Carlos both should be fairly confident with their own abilities at this track. We need to give them a decent car and I think we can do that. As a team, we’ve learned more about how to run the car and how to use the Chevy aero kit –it’s our third shot at a street course so we expect to be getting better at what we provide and the set up to start with. I’m really encouraged about this weekend.”
A.J. Foyt on Takuma Sato’s Indianapolis 500 triumph: “I’m awful happy to see him win. I’ve always said he could win Indy and he drove a helluva race. I’m proud of him and I’m glad I worked with him. I’m just sorry we didn’t have the winning car for him.”
Past Performance: Carlos Munoz’s best start is 5th in Dual 1 in 2016, and his best finish is winning in Dual 1 in 2015. Conor Daly’s best start is 10th in Dual 2 in 2015 and his best finish is 2nd in Dual 1 in 2016.The Foyt team’s best start is on Pole with Takuma Sato in Dual 2 in 2014, and their best finish is 2nd with Sato in Dual 2 in 2015.
L&W Supply, a subsidiary of ABC Supply, selected national account Kril Enterprises Inc., based in Brighton, Mich. to be featured atop the side pods of Conor Daly’s No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Guests will receive the VIP treatment this weekend along with a Meet and Greet with Daly.
ABC Supply roofing customer, Lombardo Homes, located in Shelby Township, Mich., won the ‘Your Name Here’ contest for the IndyCar Grand Prix. The company name will be on the engine cover of the No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Guests will receive the VIP treatment plus a Meet and Greet with Carlos Munoz.
ABC Supply celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. The company was founded in 1982 by Ken and Diane Hendricks with just three stores. The company now has over 700 stores and topped $7 billion in sales in 2016. ABC Supply began sponsoring the AJ Foyt Racing team with the 2005 Indianapolis 500. The company has leveraged its involvement by entertaining over 84,000 associates and customers over the past 12 racing seasons. At Indianapolis, the company will entertain over 285 guests.
A.J. Foyt’s iconic career is honored in an extraordinary exhibit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. A.J. Foyt: A Legendary Exhibition presented by ABC Supply Co., Inc. runs through October 31. With additional support from Alfe Heat Treating and Chevrolet, the exhibit features nearly three dozen race cars that Foyt drove plus rare memorabilia from his personal collection.
The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Dual 1 will be televised live on ABC-TV Saturday, June 3, starting at 3:30 pm EDT and Dual 2 will be broadcast live on Sunday, June 4 starting at 3:30 pm EDT. Both races will be broadcast live on Sirius XM radio on the following channels: Sirius 212, XM 209, SXM 970.
For more information on the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing program, please check our web site: ajfoytracing.com. To follow us on Twitter: @AJFoytRacing, @CarlosMunoz034, @ConorDaly22, @LarryFoyt14. On Instagram: AJFoytRacing, CarlosMunoz73, ConorDaly22, LarryFoyt14. On Facebook, we have the AJ Foyt Racing fan page.