A. J. Foyt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids A. J. Foyt
Foyt in 2015
Born	Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (1935-01-16) January 16, 1935 (age 90) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Championship titles
USAC Eastern Sprint Car (1960) USAC Championship Car (1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1975, 1979) USAC Stock Car (1968, 1978, 1979) USAC Silver Crown (1972) Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977) 24 Hours of Le Mans (1967) Daytona 500 (1972) Pocono 500 (1973, 1975, 1979, 1981) California 500 (1975) 24 Hours of Daytona (1983, 1985) 12 Hours of Sebring (1985)
Champ Car career
369 races run over 36 years
Best finish	1st (1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1975, 1979 (USAC))
First race	1957 Springfield 100 (Springfield)
Last race	1992 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win	1960 Ted Horn Memorial (DuQuoin)
Last win	1981 Pocono 500 (Pocono)
Wins Podiums Poles 67 120 53
NASCAR Cup Series career
128 races run over 33 years
Best finish	40th (1989)
First race	1963 Riverside 500 (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
Formula One World Championship career
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
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1967
Teams	Shelby-Ford
Best finish	1st (1967)
Class wins	1 (1967)

Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is a famous American former racing driver. He competed in many different types of motorsport. He is most known for his open wheel racing career. He was the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times. Foyt holds the record for the most American National Championship titles, with seven wins.

Foyt raced in United States Automobile Club (USAC) Championship cars, sprint cars, and midget cars. He also drove stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won several big sports car racing events too. Foyt has the USAC career wins record with 159 victories. He also holds the Indy car racing career wins record with 67 wins.

Foyt is the only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Daytona 500, and the 24 Hours of Daytona. In NASCAR, Foyt won seven times, including the 1964 Firecracker 400 and the 1972 Daytona 500. He survived several serious crashes during his career. Foyt's amazing success has led to him being honored in many motorsports halls of fame.

In the mid-1960s, Foyt started his own racing team. He drove for his team and also had other drivers. After he stopped racing, he continued to own A. J. Foyt Enterprises. This team has competed in CART, the IndyCar Series, and NASCAR.

Early Life and Racing Dreams

A. J. Foyt was born in Houston, Texas. His father, Tony Foyt, was a mechanic who loved racing midget race cars. When A. J. was just three years old, his dad gave him a toy racer with a small engine.

Foyt's first win happened when he was five. He raced against a local midget champion and won! He knew right then that racing was what he wanted to do. His father once found A. J. driving another race car in their yard, causing some damage. Even though he was upset, Tony Foyt could see A. J.'s future in racing.

Foyt didn't enjoy school much. He often focused on racing cars instead of homework. He learned a lot about mechanics by working on his father's cars. Eventually, he decided to leave school to become a mechanic and spend more time racing.

A Champion's Driving Career

A. J. Foyt's racing career was long and full of victories. He raced in many different types of cars and on various tracks.

Midget Car Racing Adventures

Foyt started racing midget cars when he was 17. His first big midget car win was in Kansas City in 1957. He also won the Turkey Night Grand Prix in 1960 and 1961. In 1970, he won the Astro Grand Prix inside the Houston Astrodome. Even when he became very famous, Foyt still raced in smaller local events. He did this to support the people who helped him when he was starting out.

Sprint Car Success

Foyt began his sprint car career in 1956. He quickly showed his talent. In 1957, he won his first sprint car race in Fargo, North Dakota. He later won 28 USAC National sprint car races. He also won the USAC Eastern Championship in 1960. Foyt continued to race sprint cars even after becoming a top driver in the Indy 500.

IndyCar: Four-Time Indianapolis 500 Winner

Foyt made his debut at the Indy 500 in 1958. In 1961, he won his first Indianapolis 500 race. During that race, he had to make a quick pit stop for fuel. His main competitor, Eddie Sachs, pushed hard to keep up. Sachs then had to pit for a shredded tire. Foyt took the lead and won by a very close margin.

The car Foyt drove to Indy victory in 1977

In 1964, Foyt won 10 out of 14 races, including his second Indy 500. This race is also remembered for a fiery crash involving Dave MacDonald and Eddie Sachs. Foyt didn't know about the tragedy until he reached victory lane.

In the 1967 Indianapolis 500, Foyt won his third Indy 500. His main rival, Parnelli Jones, had engine trouble with only three laps left. As Foyt crossed the finish line, he had to carefully drive through a five-car accident that happened right in front of him.

Foyt racing at Pocono Raceway in 1984

His fourth Indy 500 win came in 1977. Foyt ran out of fuel and had to make a pit stop. He was 32 seconds behind Gordon Johncock. Foyt pushed his car to its limit, gaining speed each lap. Johncock's engine failed, and Foyt passed him to win.

Foyt won the Indianapolis 500 four times (1961, 1964, 1967, and 1977). He was the first driver to achieve this. Only three other drivers have matched this feat. He also won the IndyCar Series seven times, which is still a record. Foyt raced in the Indianapolis 500 for 35 years in a row! He is the oldest living winner of the Indianapolis 500, and the oldest with the earliest win (1961).

In 1981, Foyt had a bad accident at the Michigan 500 and almost lost an arm. After many surgeries and physical therapy, he returned to racing. In 1990, he had another serious crash at Road America, hurting his legs and feet. Despite this, he came back for the 1991 Indianapolis 500 and qualified second. He made his 35th and final consecutive start at the 1992 Indianapolis 500, finishing ninth.

Sports Car Racing Triumphs

Foyt also excelled in sports car racing. He won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France in 1967, on his very first try. He drove a Ford GT40 Mk IV with co-driver Dan Gurney. Foyt drove for nearly 18 hours of the 24-hour race! He also won the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona in 1985. These wins made him one of only a few drivers to complete the "triple crown" of endurance racing.

Stock Car Racing: NASCAR and USAC

Foyt was also a champion in stock car racing.

USAC Stock Car Wins

He won the USAC stock car championship in 1968, 1978, and 1979. He had many wins at tracks like Milwaukee, Texas World Speedway, and Michigan International Speedway.

NASCAR Highlights

Foyt started racing in NASCAR after eight years as a professional driver. It only took him ten races to get his first NASCAR victory. In 1964, he won the 1964 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. He passed Bobby Isaac on the very last lap to win.

In 1965, Foyt had a very serious crash at Riverside. His brakes failed, and his car tumbled violently. The track doctor thought he had passed away, but fellow driver Parnelli Jones helped revive him. Foyt suffered severe injuries but recovered.

Foyt won the 1972 Daytona 500 in a dominant performance. In the 1979 Daytona 500, he finished third after a famous crash between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison on the final lap. Foyt's last NASCAR points win was in 1972. His final NASCAR race was the first 1994 Brickyard 400 in 1994, where he finished 30th.

A. J. Foyt: Team Owner

A. J. Foyt (right) and former driver Darren Manning (left) at the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

While still racing, Foyt partnered with businessman Jim Gilmore. Their team, Gilmore-Foyt Racing, even built its own Coyote race cars.

After retiring from driving, Foyt continued to own A. J. Foyt Enterprises. His team competed in the CART series and later the Indy Racing League (IRL). Foyt was very loyal to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His team won the 1998 IRL title with Kenny Bräck. Bräck also won the 1999 Indianapolis 500 in Foyt's car, giving Foyt his fifth Indy 500 win as an owner.

In 1997, Foyt was involved in a famous incident at Texas Motor Speedway. His driver, Billy Boat, was first declared the winner. However, another driver, Arie Luyendyk, argued that he had won due to a scoring error. When Luyendyk confronted the track manager, an upset Foyt pushed him into a flower bed. Later, the scoring was corrected, and Luyendyk was declared the winner. After this, the IRL changed how races were scored.

Foyt's team also competed in NASCAR.

Personal Life

In 1955, A. J. Foyt married Lucy Zarr. They were married for over 68 years until Lucy passed away on April 5, 2023.

A. J. Foyt is the grandfather of A. J. Foyt IV, who also became a racing driver. He is also the adoptive father of Larry Foyt. When not busy with racing, A. J. Foyt enjoys spending time at his family ranches in Texas.

Awards and Honors

A. J. Foyt has been recognized for his incredible career with many honors:

• Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1967)
• Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1978)
• National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1988)
• Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1989)
• National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (1990)
• International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2000)
• Automotive Hall of Fame (2007)
• USAC Hall of Fame (2012)
• Sebring Hall of Fame (2018)
• Houston Sports Hall of Fame (2019)

Career Highlights and Records

• Foyt raced in the Indianapolis 500 for 35 years in a row. He won it four times, being the first to do so.
• He is the only driver to win the Indy 500 in both front-engine and rear-engine cars.
• Foyt is the only driver to win both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500 in the same year (1967).
• He is the only person to have won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 (stock car), the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
• He has 41 USAC Stock Car wins and 50 Sprint Car, Midget, and Dirt Champ Car wins.
• Foyt won the Australian Speedcar Grand Prix in 1975 and 1976.
• He has won 12 major driving championships in different racing categories.
• His total of 138 USAC wins is a record.
• Foyt won the IROC championships in 1976 and 1977.
• He won seven NASCAR races.
• Foyt and Mario Andretti are the only drivers to have won both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.
• Foyt holds the closed course speed record. He drove the Oldsmobile Aerotech at an average speed of 257.123 miles per hour (413.799 km/h) in 1987.

Indianapolis 500 Records

Foyt holds many records at the Indianapolis 500:

• He was the first of four drivers to win the race four times.
• He has the most consecutive and career starts (35).
• He led the most races (13) and the most times during his career (39).
• He completed the most competitive laps and miles during his career (4,909 laps, 12,272.5 miles).
• In 1961, his win over Eddie Sachs was the second-closest finish in Indy 500 history at the time.

See also

In Spanish: A. J. Foyt para niños