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USAC Calls Luyendyk Winner of the True Value 500, Releases Revised Results

9 June 1997

128,000 race fans showed up to watch last weekend's IRL race at the Texas Motor Speedway, and thought they saw Billy Boat win the True Value 500.

As it turns out, however, the fans were wrong, and so were Billy Boat and the USAC officials who congratulated him after the race.

Billy Boat's team owner A.J. Foyt was also wrong, and egregiously so. Foyt slapped Arie Luyendyk in the head and tackled him because Luyendyk questioned the scoring during post-race celebration in victory lane. Texas nights can get pretty hot. Officials pulled Foyt away from the Flying Dutchman.

Luyendyk was right to question the scoring that night, and in the light of the next day USAC officials upheld his team's protest. The sanctioning body released official results at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning and revised the finishing positions of both Luyendyk and his Treadway racing teammate, Scott Goodyear.

Here are the official results: 

TRUE VALUE 500 RESULTS

Driver              Entrant             Engine    Laps Status
--------------------------------------------------------------
1. Arie Luyendyk    Treadway Racing     Aurora    208  Running
2. Billy Boat       A.J. Foyt Ent.      Aurora    207  Running
3. Davey Hamilton   A.J. Foyt Ent.      Aurora    207  Running 
4. Scott Goodyear   Treadway Racing     Aurora    207  Running
5. Tony Stewart     Team Menard         Aurora    206  Engine
6. Eddie Cheever    Team Cheever        Aurora    206  Running
7. Eliseo Salazar   Team Scandia        Aurora    205  Running
8. Greg Ray         Knapp Motorsport    Aurora    204  Running
9. V. Sospiri       Team Scandia        Aurora    204  Running
10. Johnny Unser    Byrd-Cunningham     Infiniti  203  Running
11. Mark Dismore    Kelley Auto Grp.    Aurora    203  Running
12. A. Zampedri     Team Scandia        Aurora    201  Running
13. R. Guerrero     Pagan Racing        Infiniti  201  Running
14. Tyce Carlson    PDM Racing          Aurora    184  Running
15. Robbie Groff    McCormack           Aurora    173  Engine
16. Robbie Buhl     Team Menard         Aurora    167  Engine
17. Buddy Lazier    Hemelgarn Racing    Aurora    157  Engine
18. Kenny Brack     Galles Racing       Aurora    118  Water pump
19. Buzz Calkins    Bradley Motorsports Aurora    98   Gasket
20. A. Giaffone     Chitwood Motorsports Aurora   82   Engine fire
21. Jim Guthrie     Blueprint Racing    Aurora    81   Accident
22. Allen May  Sinden Racing Service    Aurora    36   Accident
23. Sam Schmidt     Blueprint Racing    Aurora    36   Accident
24. Jack Miller     Arizona Motorsports Infiniti  24   Electrical
25. Fermin Velez    Team Scandia        Aurora    1    Driver illness
26. Marco Greco     Team Scandia        Aurora    0    Engine

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel