After a disappointing qualifying effort over the weekend, Andretti Autosport has found another way to place drivers in the 100th anniversary running of the Indianapolis 500: cash. Ryan Hunter-Reay will take Bruno Junquiera's spot in the field and will start 33rd in Sunday's running after Andretti Autosport bought the ride from A.J. Foyt Racing.
Hunter-Reay will be in Foyt's No. 41 car, but will carry the sponsorship of his primary backers with Andretti Autosport, DHL and Sun Drop, along with Foyt's ABC Supply sponsorship. ABC Supply will adorn the No. 41's sidepods and front cowling.
Junquiera qualified 19th for the 500, but for the second time in three years, he will be giving up his place for another driver. In 2009, Junquiera ran just a handful of laps before putting a car in the show for Conquest Racing; however, he gave up his seat to teammate Alex Tagliani, who had not been able to get up to speed.
The 2002 Indianapolis 500 pole sitter, Junqueira remarked in a release:
I have to thank A.J., Larry and the team for giving me this opportunity to drive at Indy this year because otherwise I would have been riding my bike in Miami. I always respected A.J. before, but after working with him, I respect him even more. He has a lot of knowledge and I learned a lot from him. I had a great time working with him and Vitor, and I hope my work helped them this month. I also hope the team has a great race.
Foyt, the four-time champion of the 500 and as old-school a competitor as one will find in Gasoline Alley said,
We’ve [the Andretti's and Foyt's] 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. 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.
Hunter-Reay ran for Foyt in 2009 following Vitor Meira's injuries in that year's Indianapolis 500. When Andretti began looking for a way to place Hunter-Reay in the 500, the two-time winner in the IZOD IndyCar Series recommended Andretti contact Foyt.
Andretti, for his part, was extremely grateful to Foyt:
I can't thank A.J. and his team enough for giving us an opportunity to put Ryan, DHL, Sun Drop and our other valued sponsors in the Indy 500. 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 addition to finding a place for Hunter-Reay in the field of 33, Andretti fired team manager Tom Anderson, who joined the team in the winter of 2009. Anderson, who in 40 years of racing had previously been part of Fernandez Racing and Ganassi Racing, takes the fall after Andretti Autosport struggled throughout the month to find qualifying speed, resulting in the failed qualification efforts of Hunter-Reay and Mike Conway.
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