[Vukie]

AJ Foyt sold out Junqueria.
From Twitter.
"BJUNQUEIRA BRUNO JUNQUEIRA
I will not race in the #Indy500"

Hunter Reay in the field.

********!!!!!!!

wow.............why wouldn't aj want a car in the field for the 100th annv. must have been a lot of money

[CTtoPA]

Wow.
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[Vukie]

Originally Posted by DIRT-TRACK-JUNKIE wow.............why wouldn't aj want a car in the field for the 100th annv. must have been a lot of money

He has Vitor Meira in the #14 car. Wade Cunningham tweeted that Foyt get $500,000 plus half of the prize money. Andretti is not done, he's looking to buy Mike Conway into the field also. Watch out Pippa Mann!

In 1995, Team Penske didn't make the 500, he didn't buy his way in. He knew it be would wrong to do that.

I guess 33 is just a number.

[Jerry Shaw]

Originally Posted by DIRT-TRACK-JUNKIE wow.............why wouldn't aj want a car in the field for the 100th annv. must have been a lot of money

He still has Vitor Meira in the #14. But still, when AJ sells you out to an Andretti family member, that has to sting. You have to feel bad for Bruno.

Jerry

[miledirt]

AJ sold out Beechler a few years ago for a ride buyer ... "glass houses"
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[Vukie]

INDYCAR: Junqueira Out, Hunter-Reay In At Indy
Bruno Junqueira tells SPEED.com, “I just hope in the future people will see that I can still drive these cars and I would love to run the full year again.”

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...ay-in-at-indy/

[Avon Open Wheel fan]

Maybe next year instead of qualifying we can just hold an auction for each of the 33 positions.

They need to make some rule changes that will stop this from happening.

[Vukie]

Ryan Hunter-Reay To Replace Bruno Junqueira for Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS May 24, 2011--Difficult times make for hard choices. Both A.J. Foyt and Michael Andretti made some hard choices in the past 24 hours which will result in Ryan Hunter-Reay replacing Bruno Junqueira in A.J. Foyt's No. 41 Dallara/Honda in the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500.

When Marco Andretti bumped his way back into the field in the final minute of qualifying on Bump Day, his successful run booted teammate Hunter-Reay from the race. Faced with the prospect of disappointing his major sponsors, Andretti looked to Foyt at the suggestion of Hunter-Reay, who had driven for Foyt in 2009.

Foyt had helped out Hunter-Reay in the past when Tony George's team closed its doors leaving Hunter-Reay without a ride. Foyt hired him to replace regular ABC Supply driver Vitor Meira who was sidelined for the season after his accident at Indy that year. Meira returned to Foyt for 2010 and Hunter-Reay landed a ride with the Andretti Autosport team.

A.J. Foyt cast a new light on the famed Foyt-Andretti rivalry which sparked some of the best battles on the track and most colorful remarks off of it.

"We've been competitors for many years but still it's the kind of relationship when someone is really down and out, you can't turn your back on them-at least I can't," said Foyt, whose fulltime driver Vitor Meira will start 11th in the No. 14 ABC Supply car. "This is going back to the way racing used to be, where if people were in a lot of trouble, you tried to help each other out. I know it's a tough deal for Bruno but he understood the situation. I appreciate that more than anyone knows."

Junqueira was philosophical about the driver switch, noting that he enjoyed his brief experience working with the Foyt team. He said, "I have to thank A.J., Larry and the team for giving me this opportunity to drive at Indy this year because otherwise I would have been riding my bike in Miami. I always respected A.J. before, but after working with him, I respect him even more. He has a lot of knowledge and I learned a lot from him. I had a great time working with him and Vitor, and I hope my work helped them this month. I also hope the team has a great race."

Hunter-Reay, the winningest American driver currently competing in Indy car racing, joined the Andretti Autosport family in advance of the 2010 season and immediately broke through with a popular win at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach - giving Michael Andretti his first win as the sole team owner. He went on to have a successful year laying claim to 12 top-ten finishes in 17 starts. Hunter-Reay extended the Andretti relationship with a two-year contract that will take him through the 2012 season. The 2008 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, will make his fourth Indianapolis 500 start in Sunday's running of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

"I can't thank A.J. and his team enough for giving us an opportunity to put Ryan, DHL, Sun Drop and our other valued sponsors in the Indy 500," said Michael Andretti, team owner of Andretti Autosport. "Obviously, this is a unique circumstance for our team, but the thought of A.J. Foyt joining forces with the Andrettis for the Indy 500 could result in something special. It's a credit to A.J. for being willing to help us with one of our full-season IndyCar entries at a time when we need it."

According to the rules, the driver switch will move the No. 41 car to the back of the 33-car field.

[MarkHarden]

WOW! That is some serious ******** right there, I didn't know about the Beechler deal either. I just lost alot of respect for A.J., money must be really tight... At least he's an American!