FOYT PREPARED TO TAKE ON INDIANAPOLIS FOR FIRST TIME

    INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - It's not every day that a lifelong dream comes true.
    However, that will be the case for NASCAR Winston Cup rookie Larry Foyt 
this Sunday when he competes in the 10th running of the Brickyard 400 at 
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 
    Foyt, son of racing legend A.J. Foyt and driver of the No. 14 Harrah's 
Dodge, has attended the Indianapolis 500 for as long as he can remember and 
dreamed of one day competing at the historic track.
    "I've come here every year of my life to watch the Indy 500," said Foyt. 
"It's a really special place to me. Indianapolis is what made me want to be a 
racecar driver." 
    However, it wasn't until a test session two weeks ago that he first got 
the chance to drive around the track. 
    "I think the only time I had been around the track before that was when I 
was about five years old and Dad took me around it in a station wagon," said 
Foyt. "When I went out to drive it for the first time, I told my spotter to 
make sure that there was no one coming up behind me because I might take it a 
little slow and enjoy the lap - and I did.  I drove around and looked all 
around, going by turn two where I used to always sit and watch the race and my Dad 
would wave at us from his Indy car.
    "It was pretty special and tough to put into words. Then it was time to 
focus and go down that long straightaway and make that turn into turn one."
    With A.J. being one of only three drivers to have four Indianapolis 500 
victories,  the Foyt family has accumulated many fond memories of Indianapolis, 
and Larry is no exception.
    "As a kid, my Dad used to always wait for me and let me walk over with 
him through Gasoline Alley," said Foyt. To hear the people cheer for him when 
he'd walk by is something I'll never forget. 
    "It makes the hair stand up on your arms.  It's something that I'll never 
forget and probably one of the coolest things that I've ever experienced."
    However, a good finish for the Harrah's team this weekend might top that 
experience.
    "I'm not sure if I'll be able to contain my excitement on Sunday, and a 
good run  would mean so much to myself and the team," said Foyt. "I got the 
chance to race at Daytona in February and July, and it was absolutely thrilling. 
But to compete at Indianapolis for the first time, I'm not sure if words can 
accurately describe what it really means."