Pat Jordan is a mechanic on the No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet and is the Fueler on pit stops for the No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Involved in racing since 1996, Jordan began working with AJ Foyt Racing in 2007 and has been with the team continually except for the 2009-10 seasons. Following are some of his thoughts on the Indy 500 and the upcoming race in Detroit’s Belle Isle.
On overall feeling after the Indy 500: “The overall feeling was that they know AJ Foyt Racing is back! Matheus ran a great first Indy 500…he ran all day long and learned a lot. Tony did what Tony does when he has a good car -- ran up front and led laps! Pit stops were solid on both cars all day as well.”
On being in a firesuit in 90-degree weather: “The pre-race was worse than the actual race because you’re moving around getting the car ready and then out to the grid. So you have to step back and stay hydrated and keep movement down. During the race you move seven seconds seven or eight times [pit stops] so you can stay cooler.”
On how he prepared for the heat: “Stay hydrated with water and electrolytes and eat a couple of bananas.”
On getting cars prepped for Detroit: “We prep our “street/road course” car which involves installing an engine, gearbox and new brakes, and cleaning the other components from the previous race [Indy GP]. It’s all done in just two days!”
On the schedule the past six weeks: “It has been a long stretch for sure between working at our shop in Indy and working at the Speedway 12 hours a day. We had to build our Speedway cars in Indy so that added some extra hours. We’re on the tail end of that long stretch so looking forward to getting back to Texas!”
On how he deals with the long hours: “Well we are all racers and you have to be on track so it may require a long night here and there. Your body gets somewhat acclimated to it so you just keep rolling.”
On how tough the doubleheaders are on the crews: “It’s not bad if you unload fast. But if you are not fast or have an accident during the weekend, it’s tough--especially if you have a crash in the first race. It keeps the teams hoppin’.”
TONY KANAAN on making his 350th INDYCAR start this Saturday (and his 290th
consecutive start), both an INDYCAR record: “It means a lot to me because it reflects my passion for the sport. I feel fortunate to still do what I love. Those are some big numbers so hopefully once we retire, we can keep up with the boss with some records.”
TONY KANAAN on Detroit: “Good memories from Detroit, I won my first race there in the Indy Lights Series, actually won two races in Indy Lights [1996-97] and won the IndyCar race there [2007]. Bumpy track, a doubleheader, very difficult weekend physically and especially so after a stressful month in Indy. I’m looking forward to it. We’re coming with a great momentum in the team so we’ll work to keep it going.”
MATHEUS "MATT" LEIST on Detroit: “First of all, I’ve never been there so we are going to do the sim tomorrow to do some preparation for the race and I think we’ve been pretty strong on the street courses so far so I think the team might have a pretty good setup for Detroit too. It looks like a pretty tricky track, pretty bumpy. I think everyone is starting to get a little bit closer to each other after all the races that we’ve been done so I’m looking forward to a great race and finishing in the top ten.” [On Doubleheader] “I think it’s going to be just the same as Indy Lights, of course the races are longer but it’s still pretty much the same format as the Indy Lights races. Since I started racing single seaters, it’s been like this, two races a weekend, sometimes three races, so I think it’s going to be okay and I’m excited.”
Last Race: In the Indianapolis 500, Tony Kanaan started 10th and ran in the top two for nearly a third of the race. He led 19 laps before a tire puncture caused an out of sequence pit stop. He battled back to 9th before spinning in Turn 2. He placed 25th and is now 13th in points. Matheus Leist started 11th and was the Fastest Rookie qualifier. He finished 13th. Leist is 19th in the points.
Past Performance at Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix: Tony Kanaan’s best start is 4th and his best finish is a win, both in 2007. This will be Matheus Leist’s inaugural start in Detroit. AJ Foyt Racing’s best start is from the pole in Race 2 in 2014 with Takuma Sato, Sato also scored the team’s best finish of second in Race 2 in 2015.
ABC Supply is in its 14th season as primary sponsor of A.J. Foyt’s IndyCar team, making it the longest running team sponsor in the Verizon IndyCar Series. The company was founded in 1982 by Ken and Diane Hendricks with just three stores. The company now has over 700 stores and topped $9 billion in sales in 2017. ABC Supply began sponsoring the AJ Foyt Racing team with the 2005 Indianapolis 500. The company has leveraged its involvement by entertaining over 92,000 associates and customers over the past 13 racing seasons. This weekend the company will entertain over 300 guests.
ABC Supply roofing customer, D&W Windows & Sunrooms, based in Davison, Mich., won the ‘Your Name Here’ contest. The company name will be on the engine cover of the No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Guests will receive the VIP treatment plus a Meet and Greet with Tony Kanaan.
L&W Supply, a subsidiary of ABC Supply, selected account Brinker Team Construction, based in Detroit, to be featured on the engine cover of the No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Guests will receive the VIP treatment this weekend along with a Meet and Greet with Matheus “Matt” Leist.
The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear doubleheader will be televised live on ABC-TV on Saturday, June 2, starting at 3:30 pm ET and on Sunday, June 3, starting at 3:30 p.m. ET.
For more information on the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing program, please check our web site: ajfoytracing.com. To follow us on Twitter: @AJFoytRacing, @TonyKanaan, @MatheusLeist, @LarryFoyt14. On Instagram, @AJFoytRacing, @tkanaan, @matheusleist, @larryfoyt14. On facebook, we have the AJ Foyt Racing fan page.