Can Foyt, Meira Make It BackTo The Podium In 2011?

With the news last week that AJ Foyt Racing will welcome back both ABC Supply and Vitor Meira in 2011, I began to wonder about the likelihood of Vitor Meira and AJ Foyt's team finding their way to either the podium or Victory Lane in 2011.

Meira: Representing in Sao Paulo

It's no secret Foyt's team is relatively strong on the ovals, where they nabbed all but one of their Top 10 finishes in 2010. But they finished third to open the season at Sao Paolo, and just missed the Top 10 at Long Beach and Toronto.  Outside of those showings, the road and street courses continue to be a struggle for this team.

For Meira, 2010 was a triumphant return to IndyCar at Sao Paulo after breaking some vertabrae in a rough accident at the 2009 Indy 500, a story which never quite got the attention it may have deserved. Now, he's never won an IndyCar race, though he's missed it by fractions of a second. But did you know he's in the record books (IRL) as having the most 2nd place finishes without a victory with 8? (Sadly, he also has the most start in IRL history without a win, with 114, just ahead of Ed Carpenter). He's also placed 2nd at Indy twice, which is no small feat.

Honestly, if you look at Vitor's career, he's been remarkably consistent. No, he hasn't won, but he's going to race. And I think we can expect more of the same in 2011.  And who knows?  I like to think AJ Foyt hasn't somehow quite used up all his luck in racing yet. Perhaps the stars align and 2011 gets Vitor that first victory...

OK, so, this team will still be a long shot to take home the checkered flag in 2011. But I think they'll exceed their results from last year. The team will have a second full year together under their belt, and the Foyt/Meira dynamic seems to work.  Vitor doesn't have any more quit in him than his boss does. Put me down for this team getting at least two Top 3 finishes in 2011.

(Photo provided courtesy of IndyCar Media)