Watkins Glen: AJ Foyt Racing preview

Notes & Quotes: Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen

Ryan Hunter-Reay: No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda/Firestone

* Ryan Hunter-Reay on pressure of being the defending winner: "I think there's just as much pressure as when I showed up last year just because I put more pressure on myself than anybody else does on me. We're still in the early days of the partnership between myself and ABC Supply Racing and I think that gives us a little bit of wiggle room. But I'm the winner from the race last year and I'm driving the car that only finished a couple seconds behind me in second place so the numbers are adding up to a potentially successful weekend. We're going to do everything we can to maximize the full potential of the team."

* Vitor Meira to attend Watkins Glen: Meira will attend his first IndyCar Series race since being injured in the Indy 500 in May.

* Hunter-Reay on why he likes racing at The Glen: "It's the heart of America, it happens on the Fourth of July weekend at a track that has lots of history with both IndyCar and Formula 1 racing. Indy cars racing on that track is a great match; they're made for each other. It's a very high speed track with technical sections in it, lots of ascents and descents. That track is meant for top-level open wheel racing and that's what we're doing. Watkins Glen has everything I look for in a race track."

* Hunter-Reay on the key to the car's set-up: "I think it's just getting the car to really work through the high speed, falling corners, and at the same time, you have to get down the straights very fast in order to pass in the race. There's a combination of carrying a lot of downforce and drag to make the car go fast through the corners and carrying little downforce and drag to get the car down the straight fast so finding the right balance of downforce is key to setting up the car."

* A year ago, Phillips-Van Heusen announced its entry into motorsports at Watkins Glen by making its IZOD brand the official apparel of the Indy Racing League, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a personal sponsor of Ryan Hunter-Reay. Hunter-Reay was featured on a 60' x 80' billboard last summer in New York City's Times Square. During the season, IndyCar drivers make appearances at Macy's (and Bon Ton) stores in race markets, including Macy's Carousel Center in Syracuse, N.Y. July 2nd.

* In the past three years at The Glen, Foyt's ABC Supply Racing team has finished in the top-five twice (5th with Felipe Giaffone - 2006; 2nd with Darren Manning - 2008) and top-10 once (9th with Manning - 2007).

* Lew Parks, of Glen Aubrey, NY, has worked with the Foyt team since 1997. He began his racing career in 1960 in stock cars in and around the northeast. He began working with the Indy cars in 1970. In 1980, he was awarded the Gilmore/Foyt Rookie Crew Chief of the Year trophy when he worked with the late Jerry Karl who nearly finished second to Tom Sneva in Phoenix but a blown engine sidelined him before he could reach the checkered. Lew is nicknamed "Abe Lincoln" due to his resemblance to America's 16th President. He is married to Joan and the couple has three children: Jeff, Carla and Chad.

* The Vinyl King of Manopac, N.Y. is this weekend's winner of the ABC Supply Your Name Here Promotion for its customers. The company name will be put on the top of the sidepods of the No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda. Joe Scalera, Sr. and his guest will receive selected merchandise, race tickets, hospitality and garage passes, plus a Meet and Greet with A.J. Foyt and Ryan Hunter-Reay. The "Your Name Here" promotion selected winners by random drawing from a pool of entries sent in by ABC Supply customers earlier this year.

* The Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen will be broadcast live at 1:00 p.m. eastern time Sunday afternoon, July 5 on ABC-TV.

* For more information on the Foyt Racing program, please check these web sites: www.ajfoytracing.com and www.ryanracing.com .

-credit: ajfr