Foyts finish frustrating day with two cars hitting walls

By the 57th lap, the family was watching the race on television.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The frustrated Foyts missed their last chance to get it right Sunday.
First, A.J. Foyt IV made a mistake by pushing his car too hard -- and into the wall in his second Indianapolis 500.
Then uncle Larry Foyt missed his own pit and later put his car into the wall to close out what could be described as the most miserable May in team owner A.J. Foyt's 46-year Indy car career.
After only 56 laps, all three Foyts were in the garage, watching and lamenting what had gone so wrong.
"He just run out of brains," the elder Foyt said, describing Foyt IV's early crash.
Both Foyts had struggled for speed in qualifying, but by the last practice session they figured their cars were race ready.
By Sunday, however, the weather conditions and cars had changed. Their results had not.
"We missed on the handling," said Larry Foyt, a 27-year-old rookie. "I don't know whether it was the weather or what, but me and Anthony had the same problem."
Media silence
The day went sour so fast that elder Foyt, the father of Larry and grandfather of A.J. IV, refused to answer questions in his garage after both drivers were knocked out of the race.
It was bad from the start Sunday.
The two drivers immediately struggled with their handling. When Foyt instructed his 20-year-old grandson to back off the accelerator, Foyt IV continued to drive hard. He wound up brushing the wall exiting turn four, raced down the front straight and lost control in the first turn.
"I'm OK," Foyt IV said after throwing his helmet into a truck in disgust. "I'm not all right, but I'm OK."
Pit mishap
Three laps later, during the caution period caused by the younger Foyt's crash, Larry Foyt was instructed to pit but pulled into the wrong pit when he mistook the colors of the crew for his own team's. The blunder cost him precious time when his car had to be pushed to his own pit.
"I just got so used to my guys wearing blue, everyone was pretty much in the same color and I turned into the wrong pit," he said. "It was my fault."
The team tried to resolve its problems during a one hour, 47-minute rain delay.
It held a short team meeting, while Foyt IV's crew worked frantically on his No. 14 car to get it back in the race. Unlike NASCAR, Indy Racing League rules allow teams to work on cars when a race has been red-flagged.
Parked
When the race restarted, both Foyts were back on the track -- but not for long.
Foyt IV, criticized last year for driving too slowly and holding up traffic, ran 16 laps but his repaired car wasn't handling properly so he parked it.
"I was in the way on every lap," he said. "I couldn't really feel it, so there's no sense in staying out there in everybody's way."
On the 56th lap, there was more trouble. Larry Foyt's tires got too high in the second turn, he lost control and slammed into the wall.
It was a fitting finale for the Foyts' month.
"What's disappointing is that the car is the worst its been all month and you hate that," Larry Foyt said. "You work and work and work all month and then come race day, it's the worst.
"I guess we didn't work hard enough on race setups," he added. "I think that hurt us today."
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