A. J. Foyt
{{NASCAR former driver|Name = A. J. Foyt |Birthdate =
January 16,
1935 |Birthplace =
Houston,
Texas |Best_Cup_Pos = 40th -
1989 (Winston Cup) |Wins = 7 |Top_Tens = 36 |Poles = 9 |First_Race =
1963 unnamed race
Riverside International Raceway |First_Win =
1964 Firecracker 400 (
Daytona) |Last_Win =
1972 Mountain Dew Southern 500 (
Ontario Motor Speedway) |Last_Race =
1994 Brickyard 400 (
Indianapolis Motor Speedway) |Awards =
1976 and
1977 International Race of Champions (IROC) champion
1960,
1961,
1963,
1964,
1967,
1975,
1979 USAC Championship Car champion
1972
USAC Silver Crown Series champion
1960
USAC Sprint Car Series champion
the only driver to win all three crown jewels of motorsports: the
Indianapolis 500 (four times), the
Daytona 500, and the
24 Hours of Le Mans.
International Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee (2000)
named co-Driver of the Century by the
Associated Press Named one of
NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
inducted in the first class in the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (U.S.) (1990)
inducted in the first class into the
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1989) |Years_In_Cup = 30 |Total_Cup_Races = 128 |
A. J. Foyt (born
Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr.,
January 16,
1935 in
Houston, Texas) is considered by many as the greatest American
race car driver of all time.
Foyt attended
Reagan High School in Houston [
1], but he left school to be a mechanic [
2].
Championship car career
He joined
USAC Championship Car series racing in 1957, and, in 1961, he became the first driver to successfully defend his points championship and win the
Indianapolis 500 race. He raced in each season from 1957-1992, starting in 374 races and finishing in the top ten 201 times, with 67 victories.
Ford engines were widely expected to dominate the
1964 Indianapolis 500. Foyt hoped his
Offenhauser engine would be able to keep up with the Fords. Foyt lapped the field to win the race. The race is known for a lap 2 crash that claimed the lives of
Dave MacDonald and
Eddie Sachs.
The track doctor at a 1965
Riverside International Raceway race pronounced Foyt dead at the scene of a severe crash, but fellow driver
Parnelli Jones revived him after seeing movement. Foyt suffered severe chest injuries, a broken back, and a fractured ankle.
In the
1967 Indianapolis 500,
Parnelli Jones'
turbine car was expected to easily defeat the field of
piston engines. Jones lapped the field, but his car expired with a few laps left in the race. Foyt had to weave through five wrecked cars down the final front stretch to win the race, a race that took two days to complete.
In the
1977 Indianapolis 500, Foyt ran out of fuel, and had to make up around 32 seconds on
Gordon Johncock. Foyt made up 1.5 to 2 seconds per lap by turning up his boost, which risks blowing up the motor. Johncock's motor broke just as Foyt had caught him, and Foyt passed for the win.
He won at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 4 times. In 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977
NASCAR career
Foyt only needed 10 races to get his first
NASCAR victory.
Richard Petty dominated the
1964 Firecracker 400 until he went out with engine problems. Foyt swapped the lead with
Bobby Isaac for the final 50 laps of the summer event at the
Daytona International Speedway. Foyt passed Isaac on the final lap to win the race.
Foyt ran out of gas near the end of the
1971 Daytona 500, and Petty passed him for the win. Foyt again had the car to beat in the
1972 Daytona 500, but this time he succeeded. Only three drivers led during the race.
Foyt won the 1971 and 1972 races at the
Ontario Motor Speedway for
Wood Brothers Racing. The track was shaped like the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 1972 race was his last NASCAR win.
Career summary
*Foyt drove in the Indianapolis 500 for 35 consecutive years, winning it four times (the first of only three to do so).
*He is the only person to record victories in the
Indianapolis 500, the
Daytona 500 stock car race, the
24 hours of Daytona (with
Dan Gurney), and the
24 hours of Le Mans international sports car endurance race in
Le Mans, France, as well as the
12 Hours of Sebring - the latter being his last major professional win, in 1985 with co-driver Bob Wollek.
*He also has 41 USAC Stock Car wins and 50 Sprint Car, Midget, and Dirt Champ Car wins.
*He has won 12 total major driving championships in various categories.
*His USAC wins tally is a record 138 (The late
Rich Vogler is second with 132.)
*Foyt won the
1977 and
1976 IROC championships.
*Foyt won 7
NASCAR races, including the Daytona 500.
Awards
*Foyt was inducted into the
International Motorsports Hall of Fame in
2000.
*Foyt was named to
NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998.
*He was named to the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1990.
*He was inducted in the
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America as the only open wheel driver in the first class of 1989.
Indianapolis 500 records
His career records are numerous: the most consecutive and career starts (35), most races led (13), most times led during the career (39), and most competitive laps and miles during a career (4,909 laps, 12,272.5 miles).
After retiring as a driver, he continued his involvement in racing as a car owner of
Foyt Enterprises in the
CART series, then the
Indy Racing League (IRL) and
NASCAR.
Scott Sharp took a share of the 1996
Indy Racing League (IRL) title.
Kenny Brack won the 1998 IRL title in Foyt's car. Brack won the
1999 Indianapolis 500 in Foyt's car, putting Foyt in the winner's circle at Indy for the fifth time. The current driver for his IRL team,
A.J. Foyt Enterprises, is
Jeff Bucknum.
On
June 7,
1997, Foyt (as an owner) was involved in an incident that helped shape the history of the Indy Racing League and added to his reputation. One of his drivers,
Billy Boat, had been declared the winner of the inaugural IRL race at
Texas Motor Speedway that had been held that night, and his other driver,
Davey Hamilton, had come in second. However, driver
Arie Luyendyk disputed Boat's win, claiming that he was in the lead when a scoring error by
USAC (who had scored all IRL races up until that time) gave Boat the checkered flag. When Luyendyk entered victory lane after the race to confront TMS general manager
Eddie Gossage about the finish uttering obscenities, an irate Foyt approached the Dutch-born Luyendyk from behind and slapped and shoved him into tulips, of all things. Luyendyk then requested a review of the race; a few days later, USAC reversed its position and declared Luyendyk the winner. Following the controversy, the IRL relieved USAC of the scoring duties for its events.
A. J. is the grandfather of
A. J. Foyt IV. A. J. is the grandfather and
adoptive father of
Larry Foyt.
*
Biography*
Official team owner website*
Biography at official website*
A. J. Foyt photos*
A.J. Foyt: King of the Indy 500*
International Motorsports Hall of Fame page*
A.J. Foyt's IROC and NASCAR driving career at racing-reference.info
