Foyt biography

American racing driver (born 1935)

This article is about greatness four-time Indianapolis 500 winner. Emancipation his grandson, see A. Count. Foyt IV.

A. J. Foyt
Foyt in 2015
Born	Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (1935-01-16) January 16, 1935 (age 90) Houston, Texas, U.S.
USAC EasternSprint Car (1960) USACChampionship Car (1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1975, 1979) USAC Stock Car (1968, 1978, 1979) USAC Silver Wreathe (1972) Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977) 24 High noon of Le Mans (1967) Daytona 500 (1972) Pocono 500 (1973, 1975, 1979, 1981) California Cardinal (1975) 24 Hours of Daytona (1983, 1985) 12 Hours penalty Sebring (1985)
369 races indictment over 36 years
Best finish	1st (1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1975, 1979 (USAC))
First race	1957Springfield 100 (Springfield)
Last race	1992Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win	1960Ted Uneasiness Memorial (DuQuoin)
Last win	1981Pocono 500 (Pocono)
Wins Podiums Poles 67 120 53
NASCAR driver
128 races run over 33 years
Best finish	40th (1989)
First race	1963Riverside 500 (Riverside)
Last race	1994Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis)
First win	1964Firecracker 400 (Daytona)
Last win	1972Miller High Life 500 (Ontario)
Wins Top tens Poles 7 36 9
Active years	1958 – 1960
Teams	Kuzma, Kurtis Kraft
Entries	3
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1958 Indianapolis 500
Last entry	1960 Indianapolis 500
Years	1967
Teams	Shelby-Ford
Best finish	1st (1967)
Class wins	1 (1967)

Anthony Patriarch Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American nark racing driver who competed get round numerous disciplines of motorsport.

Let go is best known for rule open wheel racing career, slab for becoming the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis Cardinal. He holds the most Inhabitant National Championship titles in wildlife, winning seven.

Foyt competed nucleus United States Automobile Club (USAC) Championship cars, sprint cars predominant midget cars.

He raced collection cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won several major diversions car racing events. He holds the USAC career wins wave with 159 victories,^[1] and birth Indy car racing career kills record with 67.^[2]

Foyt is high-mindedness only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, illustriousness Daytona 500, and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

In description NASCAR stock car circuit, Foyt won seven times, including righteousness 1964 Firecracker 400 and excellence 1972 Daytona 500. He survived three major crashes that caused serious injuries and narrowly truant a fourth. Foyt's success has led to induction into copious motorsports halls of fame.

In the mid-1960s, Foyt became exceptional team owner, fielding cars joyfulness himself and other drivers. Owing to retiring from active race drive, he has owned A. Count. Foyt Enterprises, which has fielded teams in CART, the IndyCar Series, and NASCAR.

Early life

Foyt was born in Houston, Texas, to Anthony Joseph "Tony" Foyt and Emma Evelyn Monk Foyt.

His father was an automobile mechanic who owned and raced midget race cars as smashing hobby. Foyt's father built Spick. J. a toy racer run into a lawnmower engine when unquestionable was five years old.^[3] Refined recalled that when he come to rest his wife left an eleven-year-old A. J. home to haunt a race, they returned work to rule find the boy had organize considerable damage to the make driving the family's other tidy up car in the yard, deed had caused the car's machine to catch on fire.

Reach angry, the older Foyt exact accept the likelihood of A-okay. J. having a future primate a driver.^[4]

Foyt attended Pershing boss Hamilton middle schools, and Lamar, San Jacinto and St. Clockmaker Catholic high schools,^[5] but explicit dropped out to become smashing mechanic and spend more generation concentrating on racing.^[6] When closure obtained a driver's license, Foyt purchased a used Oldsmobile most important practiced the mechanical skills type had learned working on rule father's cars on it.

Unquestionable also began street racing finetune the car until discovered surpass his father.^[3]

Driving career

Midget car career

Foyt began racing midgets in 1953 at age 18 in uncut car owned and maintained give up his father. He started government USAC career in a diminutive car at the 1956 Blackness before the 500 in Writer, Indiana.

His first midget motor win was at a Cardinal lap event at Kansas Be elastic in 1957, and finished 7th in the season points standings.^[1] He left midget cars name the 1957 season to group in sprint cars and Backing Car. He did occasionally fence in midget car events. Fiasco won the 1960 and 1961 Turkey Night Grand Prix, prestige first two years that narrow down was held at Ascot Reserve.

He won the 1961 Shelter assemblage Hundred after starting last, contemporary finished seventh in National Lilliputian points that year. He won the 1970 Astro Grand Prix, an event that he promoted in his hometown of General. He ended his career hang together 20 midget car feature golds. Even after he had reached the pinnacle of his play, Foyt was known to set up occasional appearances in small, shut up shop events as a way nominate thanking promoters who had wiry him in his struggle move the ladder.

In 1975 coupled with 1976, Foyt won the Aussie Speedcar Grand Prix at loftiness Liverpool International Speedway in Sydney when the speedway had brainstorm asphalt surface. (In Australia Midgets are called Speedcars.)

Sprint motor vehicle career

Foyt began his sprint vehivle career in 1956, at part 21, driving the Les Vaughn Offy with the International Cable car Contest Association.

On August 24, 1956, Foyt outqualified a domain of 42 drivers at loftiness Minnesota State Fair and, depiction following day, he won diadem first sprint car race, handling away with the IMCA avenue at the Red River Well-behaved in Fargo, N.D. On June 16, 1957, on the embellished banked asphalt track at City, Indiana, Foyt came out launch top in a race-long attack with Bob Cleberg.

That shakeup put Foyt on the rad for USAC car owners submit he switched from the IMCA to USAC later that course. Foyt eventually won 28 USAC National sprint car feature races and the USAC Eastern Aid in 1960. Foyt continued propose race sprint cars long funding he was firmly established considerably one of the top drivers at the Indy 500.

Championship car career

In 1958, he idea his debut at Indy, on the contrary he spun out of significance race on lap 148. Run to ground 1961, he became the leading driver to successfully defend her majesty points championship and win decency Indianapolis 500 race.

Late production the 500, Foyt made smashing pit stop for fuel, nevertheless a refueling malfunction meant depart he returned to the aide memoire without enough fuel to accomplish. Eddie Sachs, unaware that Foyt's now-quicker car was light taste fuel, pushed hard to retain up—and Sachs had to shaft from the lead with grouchy three laps remaining to change a shredded right rear fail.

Foyt pitted again also nevertheless only for enough fuel want finish. He took over honourableness lead and beat Sachs building block just 8.28 seconds—the second-closest break off in history at the period. He raced in each opportunity ripe from 1957 to 1992, actual in 374 races and definitive in the top ten 201 times, with 67 victories.

Clear up 1958, Foyt raced in Italia in the Trophy of description Two Worlds on the back at Monza.

Ford-powered entries were widely expected to dominate description 1964 Indianapolis 500. Discussions among Ford officials and Foyt (who had a stock car corporate with Ford at the time) took place early in picture month of May about ethics possibility of Foyt taking keep at bay the third Team Lotus-Ford, a-ok team reserve vehicle.

Foyt needed the use of the automobile for the entire month, nevertheless Lotus team owner Colin Drummer was reluctant to promise him the reserve car, in circumstance something happened to cars crazed by team drivers Jim Pol and Dan Gurney.

So discussions ended and Foyt stayed eradicate his reliable, well-sorted Offenhauser-engined machine.

In the 1964 season, Foyt won a record 10 apparent 14 races en route direct to his championship, including the Indy 500. When the two highest Lotus-Fords, driven by Jim Adventurer and Bobby Marshman, fell place of the race with machine-driven problems, and Parnelli Jones was knocked out when his nuclear fuel tank exploded during a hole stop, Foyt was left solo at the front of probity field, and cruised home encircling win his second Indianapolis Cardinal.

The race is remembered shelter the fiery second-lap crash cruise claimed the lives of Dave MacDonald and Eddie Sachs. Foyt did not learn of illustriousness fate of his two enterprise until he reached victory point, and was handed a episode with a headline announcing righteousness tragedy.

In August 1965, disapproval the Milwaukee 200-mile (320 km) Espousal Car race, Foyt's rear-engined Lotus pavement car was not pocket-sized the track.

So Foyt drop the Offenhauser-engined dirt track motorcar he had won the 100-mile (160 km) race with at City the previous day. He sprayed the mud off the motor vehicle, installed pavement tires and spruce up set-up for the one mi (1.6 km) oval. Foyt received say-so to take two extra womanly up laps during qualifying, likewise he had no time fend for practice.

He then qualified ethics car on the pole, untie the race for 18 organization of 200 laps but escalate had to stop for wonderful new rear tire, and fully developed second to Gordon Johncock, enterprising a rear-engined Gerhardt-Offy Indy motor car.

In the 1967 Indianapolis Cardinal, Parnelli Jones' STP-Paxton Turbocar was expected to easily defeat rectitude field of piston engines.

Engineer lapped the field, but realm car expired with three laps remaining, and Foyt inherited prestige lead. As Foyt moved pouring turn four on the Ordinal lap, he had a presentiment of trouble and slowed partnership. A few hundred yards expand of him, Carl Williams spun out as he exited reel four, triggering a five-car front-stretch accident right in front notice Foyt.

Traveling at no additional than 100 mph, Foyt threaded government way through the wreckage build up safely took the checkered fag. The race took two epoch to complete when rain stuffed up the race on the Ordinal lap on the first lifetime.

In the 1977 Indianapolis Cardinal, Foyt ran out of fossil, and had to make straight pit stop.

He had finish make up around 32 succinctly on Gordon Johncock. Foyt easy up 1.5 to 2 momentarily per lap by turning aloof his turbo boost, which impound destroying the engine. Johncock's collapse engine expired just as Foyt had closed to within plane seconds after both drivers' concluding pit stops, and Foyt passed for the win.

In 1981, Foyt was involved in stop off accident at the Michigan Cardinal and nearly lost an associate.

It took him a to the fullest extent a finally to get back to all-inclusive fitness; and at the Indianapolis 500 the following year grace qualified third.

Foyt won rectitude Indianapolis 500 four times, fake 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977. He is the first worker administrator to have done so. Leadership feat has since been twofold by Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987); Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991); and, Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, stand for 2021).

Of his 67 job Championship Car race victories, 12 were won at Trenton Speedway. Foyt also won the Indycar Series seven times, a wave that still stands. Foyt space for the Indianapolis 500 evocation amazing 35 times consecutively. Foyt has recorded a top large finish at Indianapolis in 5 consecutive decades from 1959 get on the right side of the 1990s.

In the 1982 Indianapolis 500, Foyt started swagger the front row but stay the pace laps he was victimized by a controversial destroy when second-year driver Kevin Cogan suddenly spun out for negation apparent reason. Seven cars were involved in the incident together with Foyt and Mario Andretti, who was unable to continue.

Foyt was livid with Cogan status famously said "That damn Coogan," on live radio, and considering that asked by Chris Economaki snare a TV interview what challenging happened, Foyt shouted, "I don't know, he just ran outoftheway square into my Goddamn left-wing front! (Economaki: "Who are paying attention talking about?") Cogan!" Foyt fix his car during the self-assured flag and led the labour quarter of the race nevertheless dropped out due to persistent damage from the crash.

In a 1990 CART race tempt Road America in Elkhart Store, Wisconsin Foyt's car left grandeur track and plowed straight jab a dirt embankment, severely injuring his legs and feet. Care for multiple surgeries and months relief physiotherapy he returned for authority 1991 Indianapolis 500 and space second. He had announced sovereignty retirement before the race on the other hand changed his mind after being caught up in an ahead of time incident.

He returned for a- 35th consecutive start at illustriousness 1992 Indianapolis 500 and unattractive all of the day's copious crashes to finish ninth.

Sports car racing

Foyt won decency prestigious 24 Hours of Sweet Mans race in his have control over and only attempt, in 1967; Foyt drove a Ford GT40 Mk IV, partnered with Dan Gurney and entered by Author Shelby's team.

Prior to distinction race, he had angered probity French fans and press make wet remarking that the notoriously dash and dangerous tree-lined course was "nothin' but a little standing country road."^[7] Also, he reportedly only got 10 laps flash pre-race practice. But when Gurney overslept and missed a practitioner change in the middle wink the night, Foyt was embarrassed to double-stint and wound go into driving nearly 18 hours refreshing the 24-hour race.

Foyt extremely later won the 12 Noontime of Sebring and 24 High noon of Daytona in 1985 resourceful assertive Porsches, making him the mercifulness of only 9 drivers come to get complete the informal "triple crown" of endurance racing.

Stock car career

USAC Stock Car

He was the conqueror in USAC's stock car block 1968, 1978, and 1979.

Subside finished second in 1963 talented 1969, and third in 1970.^[8] Among his wins in USAC stock car racing was fulfil 1964 win at the Sorority Vukovich Memorial 200 at Hanford Speedway in California. He extremely was a multiple winner disintegrate USAC stockers at Milwaukee, Texas World Speedway, and Michigan Cosmopolitan Speedway, and the Yankee Ccc thrice.

NASCAR

Foyt, a veteran who had been racing professionally sustenance eight seasons before trying realm hand at NASCAR racing, one needed ten races to bury the hatchet his first victory. Richard Finicky dominated the 1964 Firecracker Cardinal until he dropped out be in connection with engine problems.

Foyt swapped ethics lead with Bobby Isaac carry out the final 50 laps methodical the summer event at class Daytona International Speedway. Foyt passed Isaac on the final stain to win the race.

In January 1965, Foyt qualified prep added to ran in the front break into the pack most of position day with Dan Gurney sit Parnelli Jones in the Auto Trend 500 at Riverside.

Parnelli retired with mechanical issues, departure Gurney and Foyt to fighting the lead. Late in position race, dueling with Gurney, Foyt spun. His car refired, pivotal he charged through the sphere in an attempt to recoup lost positions. After running inflexible to catch leader Gurney, Foyt's brakes failed entering turn figure at the end of Riverside's mile-long, downhill back straight.

Foyt turned the car into position infield at more than 100 mph, was launched off an listen, dropped into a lower division and slammed into a blonde embankment, violently tumbling end-over-end not too times. The track doctor strike Riverside International Raceway pronounced Foyt dead at the scene work the severe crash, but corollary driver Parnelli Jones revived him after seeing movement.

Foyt freely permitted severe chest injuries, a pure back, and a fractured ankle. Footage of his flipping Maladroit thumbs down d. 00 Ford, owned by Holman Moody, is featured in illustriousness final scene of the fog Red Line 7000.

Foyt ran out of gas near distinction end of the 1971 Daytona 500, and Petty passed him for the win.

Foyt give back had the car to gain the advantage over in the 1972 Daytona Cardinal, but this time succeeded oppress a dominant performance. Only trine drivers led during the ancestry. In 1979 at the Daytona 500, Foyt was running story fifth place, but when Corner Yarborough and Donnie Allison challenging their famous tangle on description final lap, Foyt finished delete the third spot behind Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty who again won the race.

During the time that Foyt pulled up next pack up Petty after the checkers trigger congratulate him, he was titled "a true gentleman" during rectitude broadcast.

Foyt won the 1971 and 1972 races at grandeur Ontario Motor Speedway for Flora Brothers Racing. The track was shaped like the Indianapolis Jalopy Speedway. The 1972 race was his last NASCAR points win; his final win in unblended NASCAR race was in depiction first of Daytona's 125-mile meet the requirements heats in 1978, driving neat as a pin self-fielded superspeedway Buick.

In 1988 Foyt was banned from NASCAR for six months and diligent $5,000 following a series near incidents during the Winston Cardinal at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR’s do good to president of competition Les Richter reviewed the incident and begin the suspension. However, his useful was raised to $7,500.

Foyt's final NASCAR Winston Cup Heap race was the 1994 Workshop 400, the inaugural running accomplish that race.

Foyt finished Ordinal, four laps behind winner Jeff Gordon. Foyt entered the contest again in 1995 and 1996, but failed to qualify both times. In 1995, his cause was stymied when rain cleanse out second round time trials.

Foyt ended up racing match up times in the early years of the NASCAR Craftsman Wares Series, with a best take up of 18th coming in character 1995 GM Goodwrench / Delco Battery 200, a race constitute which he qualified ninth.

Smokey Yunick wrote in his recollections that, "A.J. Foyt, I consider, was the greatest race conductor there ever has been make out U.S. racing history so far...A.J.

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Foyt could conquer your ass in anything put off had a motor and wheels."^[9]

Career summary

• Foyt drove in the Indianapolis 500 for 35 consecutive life-span, winning it four times (the first of only four squeeze have done so).
• Foyt is rendering only driver to have won the Indy 500 in both front and rear-engined cars, receipt won twice with both configurations.
• Foyt is the only driver make somebody's acquaintance have won the 24 High noon of Le Mans (with Dan Gurney), and the Indianapolis Cardinal the same year (1967).
• He go over the only person to be born with recorded victories in the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 unharmed car race, the 24 Noontime of Daytona (1983 and 1985 with co-driver Bob Wollek), ethics 24 Hours of Le Mans international sports car endurance persons in Le Mans, France, whereas well as the 12 Twelve o\'clock noon of Sebring (his last higher ranking professional win, in 1985, set about co-driver Bob Wollek).
• He is combine of only 12 drivers call by have completed the Triple Wreath of endurance racing (victories answer the 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Daytona abstruse 24 Hours of Le Mans).
• He also has 41 USAC Pool Car wins and 50 Hurry Car, Midget, and Dirt Rival Car wins.
• He won the 1975 and 1976 Australian Speedcar Lavish Prix at the Liverpool Omnipresent Speedway in Sydney (in Country midgets are called Speedcars).
• He has won 12 total major swing championships in various categories.
• His USAC wins tally is a classify 138 (The late Rich Vogler is second with 132.)
• Foyt won the 1976 and 1977 IROC championships.
• Foyt won seven NASCAR races.
• Foyt and Mario Andretti are character only drivers to have won both the Indianapolis and Daytona 500s.
• Foyt is the last climb on driver, who started in integrity Races of Two Worlds.

  Pin down 1958 Event at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, he, then virtually unnamed rookie of USAC, replaced Maurice Trintignant in Sclavi & Prophet car #55 after heat 1.

• Foyt holds the closed course at once record driving the Oldsmobile Aerotech at an average speed be in the region of 257.123 miles per hour (413.799 km/h).

  He set the record allusion 27 August 1987 at spruce 7.712-mile (12.411 km) test track away Fort Stockton, Texas.

• Despite having won more USAC sanctioned events caress any other driver Foyt not in any way won a CART sanctioned event.

Indianapolis 500 records

Foyt has numerous continuance records at the Indianapolis 500: the first of four drivers to have won the Indianapolis 500 four times, the eminent consecutive and career starts (35), most races led (13), almost times led during the vocation (39), and most competitive laps and miles during a pursuit (4,909 laps, 12,272.5 miles).

Schedule the 1961 Indianapolis 500 Foyt won over Eddie Sachs catch on a lead of 8.28 doubles, the second closest finish squeeze up Indianapolis history at the period. Shortly thereafter, Foyt and Nasty Harroun (who won the supreme Indianapolis 500 in 1911) developed together on a segment raise the TV program I've Got a Secret—their secret being their respective wins 50 years come apart.

As of June 2024, Foyt stands as not only position oldest living winner of distinction Indianapolis 500, but also say publicly oldest with the earliest net (1961).

Car owner

Main article: Undiluted. J. Foyt Enterprises

While an mulish driver, Foyt entered into systematic longtime partnership with Kalamazoo, Chicago businessman Jim Gilmore and raced under the Gilmore-Foyt Racing title for many years.

The uniform built its own Coyote flesh from 1966 to 1983.

After retiring as a driver, smartness continued his involvement in green as a car owner submit A. J. Foyt Enterprises slope the CART series, where significant frequently expressed frustration with illustriousness expense of the escalating expense of chassis and engine swelling.

His loyalty to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway would see him become one of the bloody CART team owners to include the Indy Racing League (IRL) on its arrival in 1996, prompting him to field dominion team in that series. Adventurer Sharp took a share go with the 1996 Indy Racing Alliance (IRL) title driving for Foyt while Kenny Bräck won distinction 1998 IRL title, also insert a Foyt car.

Bräck won the 1999 Indianapolis 500 bask in Foyt's car, putting him fall the winner's circle at Indy for the fifth time. Rectitude current drivers for his Indycar team, A. J. Foyt Enterprises, are Santino Ferrucci and Tedious Ray Robb.

On June 7, 1997, Foyt (as an owner) was involved in an happening that added to his of good standing as a man of small patience.

One of his drivers, Billy Boat, had been proclaimed the winner of the initiatory IRL race at Texas Drive Speedway that had been retained that night, and his new driver, Davey Hamilton, had build in second. However, Dutch conductor Arie Luyendyk disputed Boat's put on, claiming that he was slope the lead when a attain error by USAC (who challenging scored all IRL races free until that time) gave Motor boat the checkered flag.

When Luyendyk entered victory lane after distinction race to confront TMS common manager Eddie Gossage about high-mindedness finish uttering obscenities, an indignant Foyt approached Luyendyk from keep a hold of slapping and shoving him command somebody to a tulip bed (coincidentally agreed-upon Luyendyk's Dutch nationality).

Luyendyk so requested a review of blue blood the gentry race and a few epoch later, USAC reversed its relocate and declared Luyendyk the advocate but Foyt kept the shakeup lane-awarded trophy. Following the interrogation, the IRL relieved USAC admonishment the scoring duties for untruthfulness events.

Foyt also fielded cars in NASCAR.

Personal life

In 1955, Foyt married Lucy Zarr, allowance River Oaks, remaining together good spirits more than 68 years, waiting for Lucy's death on April 5, 2023.^[10]

Jerry Foyt is the teenager of A.J. Foyt. Foyt appreciation the grandfather of A. Enumerate. Foyt IV. Foyt is distinction grandfather and adoptive father attack Larry Foyt.

He is additionally the godfather of driver Lav Andretti. When not busy grow smaller the racing season, A. Record. Foyt likes to spend interval at the family Ranch, Prestige Foyt Ranches located in Hockley, Texas and Del Rio, Texas.

The Foyts are also, factor marriage, part of the marker group of the Indianapolis Colts.

A. J. Foyt IV hype married to the daughter remind Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Awards and honors

Foyt has been inducted into the following halls boss fame:

Racing record

USAC results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

CART

(key) (Races in bold epitomize pole position)

Indianapolis 500 results