A. J. Foyt
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| Born: | January 16, 1935 | |
| Birthplace: | Houston, Texas | |
| Awards: | 1976 and 1977 International Race of Champions (IROC) champion 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1975, 1979 USAC 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) | |
| NASCAR Cup statistics | ||
| 128 races run over 30 years. | ||
| Best Cup Position: | 40th - 1989 (Winston Cup) | |
| First Race: | 1963 unnamed race Riverside International Raceway | |
| Last Race: | 1994 Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) | |
| First Win: | 1964 Firecracker 400 (Daytona) | |
| Last Win: | 1972 Mountain Dew Southern 500 (Ontario Motor Speedway) | |
| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 7 | 36 | 9 |
Early life
Foyt attended Reagan High School in Houston [link], but he left school to be a mechanic [link].Driving career
Indy car career
He joined USAC racing in 1957, and, in 1961, he became the first driver to successfully defend his points championship and win the Indianapolis 500 race.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).Car owner
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 Felipe Giaffone.
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.
Family
A. J. is the grandfather of A. J. Foyt IV. A. J. is the grandfather and adoptive father of Larry Foyt.External links
- [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.com]
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