A. J. Foyt
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| Born: | January 16, 1935 (age 72) | |
| Birthplace: |  Houston, Texas |
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| 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 the Indianapolis 500 (four times), the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, 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) inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1988) |
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| NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Statistics | ||
| 128 races run over 30 years. | ||
| Best Cup Position: | 40th - 1989 (Winston Cup) | |
| First Race: | 1963 unnamed race Riverside | |
| Last Race: | 1994 Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis) | |
| First Win: | 1964 Firecracker 400 (Daytona) | |
| Last Win: | 1972 Miller High Life 500 (Ontario) | |
| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 7 | 36 | 9 |
Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr. (born January 16, 1935 in Houston, Texas) is considered by many as the greatest American automobile racing driver of all time. [1] He holds the all-time USAC career wins record with 159 victories. [1]
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[edit] Early life
Foyt attended Reagan High School in Houston [1], but he left school to be a mechanic [2].
[edit] Driving career
[edit] Midget car career
He started his USAC career in a midget car at the 1956 Night before the 500. He won his first midget car race in a 100 lap event at Kansas City in 1957, and finished seventh in the season points standings. [1] He left midget cars after the 1957 season to drive in sprint cars and Championship Car. He did occasionally compete in midget car events. He won the 1960 and 1961 Turkey Night Grand Prix, the first two years that it was held at Ascot Park. He won the 1961 Hut Hundred after starting last, and finished seventh in National Midget points that year. He won the 1970 Astro Grand Prix, an event that he promoted in his hometown of Houston. He ended his career with 20 midget car feature wins.
[edit] Championship car career
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 1966 at the Milwaukee, Wi. August 200 mile Championship Car race his rear engined Lotus pavement car was not at the track so AJ unloaded the Offenhauser engined dirt track car he had won the 100 mile race with at Springfield, Il. the previous day sprayed the mud off of the car, installed pavement tires and a set up for the one mile oval. He received permission to take two extra warm up laps during qualifying as he had no time for practice and then qualified the car on the pole, led the race for 188 out of 200 laps when he had to stop for a new rear tire, and finished 2nd to Gordon Johncock driving a rear engined wildcat indy car. 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. He was the first driver to do so. The feat has since been matched by Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) and Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991).
[edit] 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.
[edit] Career summary
- Foyt drove in the Indianapolis 500 for 35 consecutive years, winning it four times (the first of only three to do so).
- Foyt is the only driver to win the Indy 500 in both front and rear-engined cars, winning twice with both configurations.
- He is the only person to record victories in the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 stock car race, the 24 Hours of Daytona twice, with co-driver Bob Wollek , 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.
- Foyt holds the closed course speed record driving the Oldsmobile Aerotech at an average speed of over 250 MPH.
[edit] 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.
- He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1988.
[edit] Indianapolis 500 records
Foyt has numerous career records at the Indianapolis 500: 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).
[edit] 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 Darren Manning.
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.
[edit] Family
A. J. is the grandfather of A. J. Foyt IV. A. J. is the grandfather and adoptive father of Larry Foyt. He is also the godfather of driver John Andretti.
[edit] Indy 500 results
[edit] FIA World Championship career summary
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. A. J. Foyt participated in 3 World Championship races. He had no poles, wins, or podium finishes. He accumulated a total of 0 championship points.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
[edit] 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.info
- A. J. Foyt's Indy Career Qualification History
| Preceded by Bobby Unser |
IROC Champion IROC III (1976), IROC IV (1977) |
Succeeded by Al Unser |
| Preceded by Bruce McLaren Chris Amon |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1967 with: Dan Gurney |
Succeeded by Pedro Rodriguez Lucien Bianchi |
| Preceded by Jim Rathmann |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 1961 |
Succeeded by Rodger Ward |
| Preceded by Parnelli Jones |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 1964 |
Succeeded by Jim Clark |
| Preceded by Graham Hill |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 1967 |
Succeeded by Bobby Unser |
| Preceded by Johnny Rutherford |
Indianapolis 500 Winner 1977 |
Succeeded by Al Unser |
| Preceded by Richard Petty |
Daytona 500 Winner 1972 |
Succeeded by Richard Petty |
| Indianapolis 500 Winners |
|---|
| Four-time winners A. J. Foyt • Al Unser, Sr. • Rick Mears Three-time winners Two-time winners One win |
Categories: 1935 births | American racecar drivers | People from Houston | Indy 500 drivers | Indy 500 pole-sitters | Indy 500 winners | American Formula One drivers | Indy Racing League owners | International Motorsports Hall of Fame | International Race of Champions drivers | Living people | NASCAR drivers | NASCAR owners | Daytona 500 winners | National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
