Where I live we had an astounding 8 UMP late models on Saturday. We had 10 last Saturday, but 2 blew up. Anyhow a new car shows up and tapes up another guys car number inorder to get UMP points. So yeah it's pretty well the same thing.

I just don't think AJ is the great American hero everyone wants to make him out to be. Didn't he basically marry into money and that combined with driving ability is what got him to where he is in racing? Sure he is a tough bulldozer rolling old man who has won 4 500's. I am also not a fan of the "my dad races, so I have to" mentality that the Andretti's seem to have. This really takes away from what many of us think racing should be.

No matter how mediocre this makes "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" (which is just a marketable title), any changes to try and prevent this will almost always be able to be circumvented.

"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."


This statement from A.J. is the one I don't like. So it's OK to turn your back on the driver you hired? I'm sure he doesn't feel "helped out" today. Help out somebody is one thing (parts, let them get in a extra car to try and qualify, another driver jumping in their car to take some laps and give feedback), but to flat out let them buy a seat is wrong. Foyt has been running extra cars "out of his own pocket" for years. So he obviously was prepared to do it again. Disappointing that it took place. This is why I wish sponsorship didn't matter. We all know you can't race without it, but it gets too much in the way of the racing part of the equation. We HAVE to be in the race for our sponsor even though we didn't earn it...WEAK. I actually feel sorry for RHR. He looks bad getting in the seat, but what is he supposed to do if the team buys the seat? He can't take a stand...full-time seats are hard enough to get these days.

If Penske and Rahal can go home because they weren't good enough, ANYBODY can. Now we know if rain had prevented Danica from getting back out and she missed the race that they would have just bought her way in to. Maybe teams will start putting cars in and then taking out an add in the paper that they are for sale. The "it's always been like that" argument doesn't fly with me. Wrong is wrong.

It's a business transaction. Get over it. This stuff happens every day in business. Somebody always gets left out in the cold in the end. I've been there before myself.

Now if Ed Carpenter/Sarah was bought out, then I have a problem with it...a real problem with it.

I dont see why anyone is suprised AJ Foyt is a Dick. Look how he treated his gandson when he drove for him.

This thread makes me sick. You guys are cring about something that has been happening longer than most of us have been alive. Small teams used to always try to get there back up car in the field. 1 main reason for that was to sell that spot to get funding for the future. The exact same thing happens all the time in the short track world. Its all about the $$$$. If you do not think sprint car rides get traded for money, you better go climb back under that rock with the Gieco guy. Atleast now we know the 41 car will not be a start and park!

This just proves that Indy car racing is a business. But the real lesson I learned from this is to not print out all my line up sheets on Monday! It will be interesting to see what reaction the fans will have when A.J. comes around in the pace car. I was going to cheer him just because he was A.J. But, now

I think AJ and Mario are good friends now. They go way back. If it had been another team wanting to buy a ride it might not have happened and we would not heard a peep about it. I'm sure Bruno got a slice of the pie and promise to race for AJ again. These guys are in it to make money and race. We'll see Bruno this year. It is what it is. IMO

Do you think A.J. really cares?

REH

These drivers get their rides by bringing more money than the next guy. If his ride gets bought from him, how is that any different than what he did to the other guys we didn't even hear about? It just happened to occur later down the line. I'm guessing Bruno
was compensated for the bump.
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How to do you know Bruno brought money to Foyt? Bruno raced for free a few years back for Dale Coyne.