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IndyCar
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.”
Will Bruno Junqueira be paid to NOT drive at Indy for the second time since 2009? (Marshall Pruett)
There are two ways to get bumped at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: on the track or on the phone.
Bruno Junqueira knows all about the latter and it could be happening again to the 2002 Indy polesitter.
SPEED.com confirmed that Michael Andretti was negotiating with A.J. Foyt to buy Junqueira’s ride in Sunday’s 95th Indianapolis 500 for Ryan Hunter-Reay, which Foyt finalized late in the day on Monday.
“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.”
The 34-year-old Brazilian qualified Foyt’s second car in the 19th slot last Saturday while Hunter-Reay was bumped by teammate Marco Andretti as time expired on Sunday.
PRUETT: Don’t Hate The Player, Hate the Game
What’s in the best interest of Andretti and Foyt might not be what's best for the history and legacy of the Indy 500.
Earlier on Monday, Junqueira said, “I know they are talking but I don’t know what’s going to happen but Larry Foyt is one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with and so is A.J.
“They’ve been great to me. If I can race that would be great. If not, I had some fun and our team qualified well and Vitor (Meira) is in great shape for the race.
“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.”
Now the Brazilian is out on his backside for the second time in the last three Indy 500s as RHR will take over his No. 41 car for the "Most Important Race In History."
“There has been an incredible range of emotion these past few days," said Hunter-Reay. "Commercial decisions and corporate support is what makes it possible for both of our teams to compete and this was a commercially driven decision. I know this is not the first time this has happened in Indy 500 history but I feel terrible for Bruno and I thank him for his efforts and I hope he understands. It’s cool to be driving for A.J. again, especially with Michael’s support and encouragement. This is not how I envisioned the month of May this year but we are still committed to winning this race.”
Hunter-Reay's team owner said all the right things in the official press release.
"I can't thank A.J. and his team enough for giving us an opportunity to put Ryan in the Indy 500,” said Michael Andretti. “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."
In 2009, Junky qualified Eric Bachelart’s second car and after teammate Alex Tagliani was bumped, a swap was made and Bruno was paid to step aside and let Tags race.
In five starts at IMS, Junqueira has led four times with a pair of Top 5 finishes and he also suffered a broken back in the 2005 race. He was also runner-up in the point standings three consecutive seasons in the CART series.
He’s running in the ALMS sports car series with Paul Gentilozzi’s team for the rest of 2011.
Tom Anderson, Andretti’s team manager, was also reportedly let go this morning.
Bruno Junqueira knows all about the latter and it could be happening again to the 2002 Indy polesitter.
SPEED.com confirmed that Michael Andretti was negotiating with A.J. Foyt to buy Junqueira’s ride in Sunday’s 95th Indianapolis 500 for Ryan Hunter-Reay, which Foyt finalized late in the day on Monday.
“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.”
The 34-year-old Brazilian qualified Foyt’s second car in the 19th slot last Saturday while Hunter-Reay was bumped by teammate Marco Andretti as time expired on Sunday.
PRUETT: Don’t Hate The Player, Hate the Game
What’s in the best interest of Andretti and Foyt might not be what's best for the history and legacy of the Indy 500.
Earlier on Monday, Junqueira said, “I know they are talking but I don’t know what’s going to happen but Larry Foyt is one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with and so is A.J.
“They’ve been great to me. If I can race that would be great. If not, I had some fun and our team qualified well and Vitor (Meira) is in great shape for the race.
“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.”
Now the Brazilian is out on his backside for the second time in the last three Indy 500s as RHR will take over his No. 41 car for the "Most Important Race In History."
“There has been an incredible range of emotion these past few days," said Hunter-Reay. "Commercial decisions and corporate support is what makes it possible for both of our teams to compete and this was a commercially driven decision. I know this is not the first time this has happened in Indy 500 history but I feel terrible for Bruno and I thank him for his efforts and I hope he understands. It’s cool to be driving for A.J. again, especially with Michael’s support and encouragement. This is not how I envisioned the month of May this year but we are still committed to winning this race.”
Hunter-Reay's team owner said all the right things in the official press release.
"I can't thank A.J. and his team enough for giving us an opportunity to put Ryan in the Indy 500,” said Michael Andretti. “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."
In 2009, Junky qualified Eric Bachelart’s second car and after teammate Alex Tagliani was bumped, a swap was made and Bruno was paid to step aside and let Tags race.
In five starts at IMS, Junqueira has led four times with a pair of Top 5 finishes and he also suffered a broken back in the 2005 race. He was also runner-up in the point standings three consecutive seasons in the CART series.
He’s running in the ALMS sports car series with Paul Gentilozzi’s team for the rest of 2011.
Tom Anderson, Andretti’s team manager, was also reportedly let go this morning.
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