Victory for Luyendyk, Tirade for Foyt

The fledgling Indy Racing League attained accreditation as a viable racing organization Sunday--it survived a ranting, raving and cursing A.J. Foyt.

America’s most volatile race driver for decades, and now an equally bombastic car owner, minced no words in chastising U.S. Auto Club officials for docking his two drivers, Scott Sharp and Mike Groff, one lap for ignoring a “don’t pit” signal on their final pit stop in the Dura-Lube 200.

Had the lap not been taken from Sharp, Foyt would have had his first victory as a car owner, and Sharp his first in three years as an Indy-car driver. But in the end Sharp finished second, 8.9 seconds behind Arie Luyendyk, the 1990 Indianapolis 500 winner and a 12-year veteran of Indy car racing.

“It was a bull . . . call,” Foyt screamed over and over again--and worse.

Sharp, more coherent than his boss, gave his side of the controversial incident.

“I heard some words over the radio [from A.J.] that I can’t repeat. We were snookered on an earlier pit stop when the lights were blinking so I didn’t come in and four or five guys did go in and I lost several positions.

“On the last caution, A.J. called me in again and the lights were blinking again. I asked if we should come in and he said yes and we ended up getting penalized. A.J. was pretty mad, I mean really mad.”

When lights are blinking at the entrance to pit row, it is off limits. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell when the lights start and stop blinking.

When Foyt stormed down pit lane during the final stages of the race, arms waving and in full bellow, it was vintage Foyt. And the crowd of 32,000 loved it.

Foyt left immediately after the race and was not available for comment.

Groff finished third, a lap back of his teammate. Richie Hearn was fourth, the highest finishing rookie.

“I got caught up in the same situation when the pits were closed and I didn’t know it,” said Groff, a native of Van Nuys. “I’m happy with my finish, though, because when the year started I didn’t have a ride of any kind until I heard from Foyt at the last minute before the Orlando race. Now I’m headed for Indianapolis and the month of May with a good feeling.”

Luyendyk, a 43-year-old native of the Netherlands, has lived in nearby Scottsdale since 1988, making it a hometown victory of sorts. He also won at Phoenix in 1991 when it was a Championship Auto Racing Teams event.

Driving a 1995 Reynard-Cosworth, the Dutchman led 122 of the 200 laps around the mile oval, including the final 66 after he was moved to first place on Sharp’s penalty.

Four accidents brought out the yellow caution flag for 37 laps, slowing the average speed to 117.368 mph. No one was seriously injured, but the crashes knocked five drivers out of the race, including Scott Brayton, last year’s Indy 500 pole sitter.

Nine cars were running at the finish of the one hour, 42 minute race, the same number that finished in the IRL inaugural last January in Disney World.

“It’s great to win,” said Luyendyk, who had not taken the checkered flag since 1991 at Nazareth, Pa. “A race is a race, and winning is winning. No matter what anyone says [about being in a race without CART drivers like Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti and Robby Gordon], it’s a great feeling to win.

“Someone called me an old fossil, and maybe they’re right because experience is what really counts at this race track. A lot of the younger fellows, like Tony Stewart and Richie Hearn, ran real fast but around here you must have patience. I had it today, and it paid off.”

Luyendyk, who started on the pole with a record qualifying speed of 183.599 mph, led the first 24 laps before his car began to slide in the corners. He slowed the pace and Stewart, Hearn and Sharp took turns leading while Luyendyk bided his time back in fourth or fifth position.

“This was our first race on Firestones and we didn’t know how critical the tire pressure was on long runs between pit stops,” Luyendyk said. “When we got the pressures right, after some adjustments, the tires were fantastic.”

It was the fourth consecutive Indy car victory for Firestone, which returned to Indy car racing last year after a 25-year absence. Buzz Calkins, who finished sixth here, won at Disney World, and both CART winners, Jimmy Vasser to Miami and Andre Ribeiro in Brazil, were on the same brand.