For the second consecutive day, another entry has been added for this year’s Indianapolis 500 field.
A.J. Foyt Racing announced Friday that it will add a third entry for the 102nd running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing on May 27.
James Davison will drive the No. 33 Chevrolet for Foyt, joining regular AJFR full-time drivers Tony Kanaan and Matheus Leist.
Originally, AJFR didn’t plan to have a third entry in this year’s 500, but when the three partners approached Foyt officials, their 500 gameplan changed.
Davison’s car will be co-owned by A.J. Foyt Racing, in partnership with Jonathan Byrd Racing, Hollinger MotorSport and Belardi Auto Racing.
When he found out Davison was available, AJFR president Larry Foyt decided to go with three cars for the 500 after all.
“We had kind of decided we weren’t going to do (a third car) this year and focus on the 4 and the 14,” Larry Foyt said. “It just all really made sense, and we think it’s something that will really add to our two cars and be a benefit to the team as a whole.”
The Australian driver and his car become the 35th entry for the race, meaning the number of cars that will be bumped from the final 33-car field during qualifying has now climbed to two, with the possibility of at least one or two more entries that could further extrapolate the bump field.
Thursday, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced that J.R. Hildebrand became the 34th entry for the 500.
This will be Davison’s fourth bid to make the 500. He’s qualified in each of his first three tries, with his best finish being 16th in 2014.
Davison was a last-minute replacement in last year’s Indy 500, filling in for the injured Sebastien Bourdais. He started last and was up to fifth with 17 laps remaining before being involved in a late-race accident.
“We’re all very excited for it,” Davison said. “Obviously AJ Foyt Racing has shown fantastic form so far this year, that we’re really looking to capitalize on, and yeah, the month of May can’t come soon enough.
“In 2014 being a single-engine program, we had no reason to really go big and trim and those kind of things. There were 33 cars in the field. Now obviously qualifying is important. It’s not just where you start the race, you’ve got to make it.
“And of course it’s the greatest race in the world. It’s the greatest spectacle in racing. You watch the restarts on TV, it gives you goose bumps. I mean, it’s just such an amazing spectacle. The history of the event is just amazing. And yeah, I just have a massive passion for it. Trying to win the race is my life goal.”
