INDIANAPOLIS 500: DAILY REPORT : Foyt Selling a Few Used Cars You Won’t See on Cal’s Lot

A.J. Foyt called a news conference Friday morning but not, as some suspected, to announce a retirement date.

Foyt said a year ago that the 1991 Indy 500 would be his last, then quickly reneged afterward and, at 57, will start his 35th consecutive Indy 500 Sunday.

He is retiring--in a manner of speaking--his collection of racing memorabilia, though, and that’s what his announcement was all about. On Aug. 13, 14 and 15, Foyt will auction his collection at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“I’m not finished racing yet, but I’ve had a lot of great memories and I decided now’s the time to share them with my fans and racing enthusiasts from all over the world,” he said. “There are so many cars, parts, drag boats and things, and we’re just too busy to keep everything clean.”

Among the items to be auctioned are the Lotus-Ford Jim Clark put on the pole for the 1964 Indy 500, the ’77 Coyote-Foyt A.J. drove to victory at Indianapolis, the Kurtis Kraft midget he drove to victories all over the country and the only car ever to qualify for the Indy 500 with a Chevy V-6 engine.

Pole-sitter Roberto Guerrero was about 8 m.p.h. off his qualifying speed in Thursday’s final practice, but he said he had other things than speed in mind for his Lola-Buick.

“We just wanted to check that all the systems were working,” he said.

“This year is definitely the year when I’ve gone into the race with the best equipment and the best chance I’ve had of winning it.”

Among his Indy finishes, Guerrero, of San Juan Capistrano, has two seconds, a third and a fourth.

Stan Fox, who will start the race from the inside position in the fifth row, is concerned with the turbulent air he expects to encounter at the start, but he also has another nagging fear.

“I’m more concerned about getting rear-ended,” he said. Starting directly behind him is rookie Philippe Gache of France, and behind Gache is rookie Paul Tracy of Canada.

Mike Groff of Van Nuys won this year’s Jigger Hard Luck Award, presented by the American Automobile Racing Writers’ and Broadcasters’ Assn.

The award is named after Leon (Jigger) Sirois, who never made the Indy 500 but would have sat on the pole in 1969, had his crew not thought he was going too slow and waved him off his attempt.

Groff qualified owner Derrick Walker’s second car, but when teammate Scott Goodyear was bumped last Sunday by Ted Prappas, Walker replaced Groff in the qualified car with Goodyear, his lead driver.

Groff is the first alternate and will be dressed and ready to go racing Sunday morning, should one of the 33 starters be unable to make it to the track.