Revealed His Mellow Sidehe volunteers, for the first time anywhere, how he came to be a millionaire. ', "Well. He's a real racer. While angry, the older Foyt did accept the likelihood of A. J. having a future as a driver. Foyt IV. Career Foyt began his racing career in 1953 when he was 18 years old. It took him a while to get back to full fitness; and at the Indy 500 the following year he qualified third. In 1979 at the Daytona 500, Foyt was running in fifth place, but when Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison had their famous tangle on the final lap, Foyt finished in the third spot behind Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty who again won the race. And now the moneyin cash, not creditgoes into horse racing. Foyt also won the Indycar Series seven times, a record that still stands. There was a special reason for starting with the anecdotes, all of which date back a few years, as we are about to see. Foyt had been fond of the fun-loving Sachs, a good driver who was often described as the Clown Prince of racing, and had been impressed with young MacDonald. I hit that sucker. Jerry is involved in stock car racing, Larry in go-karts racing and Tony and his son, in racing junior dragsters. And that's what bugs me about this sport; it's the pressure of the people. It didn't used to be this way, or is it that I'm getting older? He throws off his safety harness and climbs out, shouting at the men in his pit crew, chewing them out, with gestures. His father was an auto mechanic who owned and raced midget race cars as a hobby. Well, here's what has gradually happened: I've always been outspoken, but I've got a commitment to racing, by God, and I'm going to keep that commitment. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1967, and later the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona. Though he switched to sprint and championship cars after 1957, he was able to win two consecutive Turkey Night Grand Prix titles, an Astro Grand Prix, a Hut Hundred subsequently. I don't know whenbut the day I quit I'll flat quit. But three years later, at 26, he won the first of his four Indy 500 titles. In a 1990 CART race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Foyt's car left the track and plowed straight through a dirt embankment, severely injuring his legs and feet. To Foyt his new sport is simple as well as scary: You keep buying and breeding and training and dealing, and pretty soon you get a horse that will make you rich. "Jump in the car and run that sumbitch, and do it better'n anybody else. When push comes to shove, at his ranch in Texas or on a racetrack anywhere in the world, A.J. His career started in 1957 and ended in 1993. A horse that'll make a million for you. I'm just ol' A.J., and you got to take me the way I come.". Then he climbed into his car and rolled out and won the race. And then he said to me, 'A.J., yer aoff.' Foyt was born in Houston, Texas, to Anthony (Tony) Foyt Sr. (1918-1985) and Emma Evelyn Monk Foyt (1920-1988). Foyt 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Results", "A.J. He scowls at the offending knee. "Oh, I had him around the head pretty good, but I didn't hit him." The folks in thoroughbred racing couldn't care less about a man's piston-driven ways; Foyt could arrive fresh from winning the 500, with goggle marks still outlined on his face in grease, and the people at the barns would say, "Ah, yes. "Everything you do is a chance. How do we create a person's profile? And over. But it's when he's with horses that Foyt looks happiest. His first car was owned and maintained by his father. I'll get up out of that car and say, 'You just seen ol' A.J. Now, then. It's this: A.J. You can't let anyone get too close to you in this game; if they get killed, it breaks your heart. * Most laps led. Foyt is looking at pictures of his horses: Winner's circle pictures, barn and paddock picturesall sunshine and grass, not a blacktop straightaway in sight. You can't never tell. Foyt began his sprint car career in 1956, at age 21, driving the Les Vaughn Offy with the International Motor Contest Association. Will the Who is Bill Burrs wife? Foyt couldnt have children, so he and wife Lucy (m. 1956) adopted a boy they named Larry Foyt and has a grandson A. J. Foyt IV who is married to the Indianapolis Colts owners daughter, so the Foyts are also part owners of the NFL franchise. Foyt swapped the lead with Bobby Isaac for the final 50 laps of the summer event at the Daytona International Speedway. has earned all of this. A rotund NASCAR official, wearing a radio rig on his head, is there to greet him. Full name: Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr. Birthdate: January 16, 1935 Hometown: Houston, Texas Wife: Lucy Children: Tony (A.J. Foyt has grown bulky and bull-like. Foyt was named Best Driver of the Century along with Mario Andretti, by the Associated Press. Foyt significantly increased his net worth. The next day, Foyt hit an official 196.078 mph to lead the first weekend of qualifying. I may not have that race helmet under my arm, but I'm still the same A.J. He is one of only 12 drivers to have completed the Triple Crown of endurance racing (victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans). But," he holds up his right index finger, "but you know what really scares me? He won the 1977 Indianapolis 500, despite running out of fuel. That put him on the pole for that moment but because rain had shortened the opening weekend's program, it also left him with a full week of waiting to see if he would hold the pole. Post-retirement, he continues to work as a team owner. Scott Sharp and Kenny Brack were the drivers in the last two winning years. This is early in the 1981 Daytona 500; Foyt is destined to run only 120 laps before a dropped valve spring will force him out. He has been bestowed with many awards and honors in racing, and was declared the "Best Driver of the Century" (with Mario Andretti) by the Associated Press. The track doctor at Riverside International Raceway pronounced Foyt dead at the scene of the severe crash, but fellow driver Parnelli Jones revived him after seeing movement. "The language thing has always been rough." So the family should have figured he would turn out like his "Paw. ", Then he leans back and flashes the explosive grin. "Foyt is tenacious," Rudy says. 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 Only driver to win the Indy 500, the Daytona 500 (1972) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1967) Holds record 67 Indy Car wins and 7 Indy Car . "All I ever wanted to do was race," he says. Foyt has rearranged his life to spend less time with sponsors and more at his lavish Houston residence. On January 16, 1935, Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. was born. The car veers sickeningly and slashes along the concrete wall. (In Australia Midgets are called Speedcars.). Foyt went on to drive anything that rolled, achieving remarkable successes in sports cars, stockers, midgets, on pavement, on dirt, with engines mounted in front of him or behind, but it's his record on the championship-car circuit and at the Brickyard that remains the most telling. "I was hurt so bad," he quipped to the AP, "that I couldn't enjoy the nurses.". Now they modify the rules. Prior to the race, he had angered the French fans and press by remarking that the notoriously fast and dangerous tree-lined course was "nothin' but a little old country road. He was pulling on his soft, red kidskin driving gloves and carefully punching them between the fingers with the edge of his hand to make sure they were tight. "I didn't hit him," Foyt says. In the 1982 Indianapolis 500, Foyt started on the front row but on the pace laps he was victimized by a controversial wreck when 2nd-year driver Kevin Cogan suddenly spun out for no apparent reason. After running hard to catch leader Gurney, Foyt's brakes failed entering turn nine at the end of Riverside's mile-long, downhill back straight. The NASCAR guy listens to some instruction on his earpiece and tells Foyt the bad news: It seems that after his last pit stop, Foyt had bypassed the traffic controller's stop sign. Encouraged by his father, he became a racer at the age of 17 and competed in races in nearby places, but success eluded him initially. Foyt lies fidgeting on a cot in the infield track hospital while doctors work on him. So I've been known to say 'kiss my ass' and go out racing. Just jump in the car and run? Actually, he has been in horse racing for a few years, but quietlymaking his move slowly, sneaking up from the back of the pack, but more and more now, he's getting set to stand on it. Foyt's face was once dotted with shiny, dime-size burn scars from a 1966 smashup, but now they've dulled to the point where they show only in strong sunlight. His win at Le Mans (lower left) came in 1967. "You want to talk about a sport that's scary," he says. In 1971 Foyt bought a Chevrolet agency in Houston and has since built it into one of the largest in the region5,000 new car sales a year. On June 7, 1997, Foyt (as an owner) was involved in an incident that added to his reputation as a man of little patience. The Indianapolis Colts' Anthony Joseph Foyt IV is a scouting assistant. He returned for a 35th consecutive start at the 1992 Indianapolis 500 and avoided all of the day's numerous crashes to finish ninth. If that critter's got wheels, as they say in racing, ol' A.J. "You can't let this get you down, about those guys getting killed. Anthony Joseph Foyt was born on month day 1913, at birth place, Texas. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have while owning them. Nobody else has won as much in such a variety of equipment as Foyt has. (2004) Houston in Houston including the 1972 Daytona 500 International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2000) IROC Champion January 16 Jerry Foyt Jim McKay: My World in My Words (2003) Lucy Zarr Midget Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1989) NASCARs 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1988) National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (U.S.) (1990) Racing driver Terry Foyt Texas Texas USA United States USAC Gold Crown Champion USAC National Champion USAC Silver Crown Series Champion USAC Stock Car Champion Winner of total of 7 NASCAR races Winner of: 50 Sprint Car, Anthony Joseph A. Darkest gloom falls over the scene. At the start of the 500 miles there had been a tiny hole in the right elbow of the suit, and the force of the wind during the race had ripped it wide open. Gander RV & Outdoor Series Statistics; Year Rank Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Laps That victory put Foyt on the radar for USAC car owners and he switched from the IMCA to USAC later that season. Well, then the fans get on meit seems like they've been more vicious in the past few yearsand then the newspapers and magazines have wrote bad on me, and I just can't help it. Winner of: 50 Sprint Car, Midget, Dirt Champ Car wins, Winner of total of 7 NASCAR races, including the 1972 Daytona 500,NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998), National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (U.S.) (1990), Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1989), National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1988), , Indianapolis 500: The 70s, 1979 Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500: The 70s, 1979 Daytona 500, 30 for 30 (2010), ESPN 25: Who's #1? Foyt 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Results", "A.J. During the announcement, Foyt stood with his head bowed, but with his eyes open and his jaw firmly set. "Well," sighs Anthony Joseph Foyt Sr., the driver's father and crew chief at the time, "getting too close to A.J. Foyt is as of mid-2017? Foyt again had the car to beat in the 1972 Daytona 500, but this time succeeded in a dominant performance. Thus, he achieved the Triple Crown of endurance racing. For his grandson, see, Complete Formula One World Championship results, "A.J. Foyt won the International Race of Champions all-star racing series in 1976 and 1977. Uh, uh. Not bad for a kid who dropped out in the 11th grade. Anthony Joseph Foyt The formula 1 driver section allows you to select your favorite F1 driver and view different breakdowns on their career F1 points, team battle statistics, race by race breakdown, how they performed for specific constructors and general career statistics. He had left the bedside of his critically ill mother, promising to win this one for her, he told newsmen. ", This delights Foyt. What's this? In 1975 and 1976, Foyt won the Australian Speedcar Grand Prix at the Liverpool International Speedway in Sydney when the speedway had an asphalt surface. III serves as his dad's full-time trainer. NASCARs vice president of competition Les Richter reviewed the incident and lifted the suspension. Clean and glossy front. They listen, slack-jawed, and then, when he stalks off, their heads swing to watch him. 51 Gilmore-Valvoline Oldsmobile, hitting maybe 190 mph, and despite the speed, what happens next seems to freeze on the retina like a camera shot: Foyt glances left at his pit crew, raises his right hand from the steering wheel and daintily waggles his fingertips at them in a cheery hello. Well, that's no longer necessary. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. He then qualified the car on the pole, led the race for 18 out of 200 laps but then had to stop for a new rear tire, and finished second to Gordon Johncock, driving a rear-engined Gerhardt-Offy Indy car. Foyt significantly increased his net worth. His USAC wins tally is a record 138 (The late, Foyt is the last living driver, who started in the, Foyt holds the closed course speed record driving the, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 15:35. Foyt and Dan Gurney have just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first Americans ever to do so. the car roars away. ", Foyt is sitting in his office in Houston, still strangely mellow, as he looks back at his life and fast times. Le Mans is, of course, the pride of all Europe and the granddaddy of all tough road-racing courses, and Foyt is still full of the kick of what he and Gurney have pulled off, taking a fine, savage joy in it. So you do it all, year after year, frighten them and entertain them, and there comes a moment in this deadly game when you and the audience are even; you're square at last. Maybe it's also that my interests are changing. But what the hell, that was racin', right? Thanks to his driving skills, A.J. One of the doctors later points out that such shattering crack-ups quite often do more damage to a driver's psyche than to his body; yet, the doc says, "We checked Foyt's blood pressure, and so help me, it was lower than normal. Listen. Oh, I don't know. Showing barely - if any signs of age, toning, wear or handling. And now in clusters, running dangerously close, Foyt and the others head for the pits. Maybe he'd seen me on television or something, and now he had me live." Of course. It'd be pretty damn dumb if I got into a race car and got killed at Indy or Daytona at my age.". when things is going bad is about like trying to dance with a chain saw. He partnered legendary driver Dan Gurney to prevail in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Determined to get back on to the racing tracks, he was able to qualify at the Indy 500, the next year. Foyt won the Turkey Night Grand Prix in 1960 and 1961 and also the Hut Hundred in 1961 despite starting last, which only increased his status and net worth. Foyt Jr., grandfather of NASCAR driver Larry Foyt and great grandfather of Indy Racing League Driver A.J. But his talent could not be ignored. First man to become a 4-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, doing so in 1961, 1964, 1967, and 1977. He also won the International Race of Champions series in 1976 and 1977 and was a USAC National Champion in 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1968 and 1977, and clinched the IROC Championship in 1978 and 1979 increasing further his net worth. III), Terry, Jerry, Larry . Attended Hamilton Junior High School in Houston, Texas. Like that. 16 January 1935 in Houston, Texas), professional race car driver who between 1957 and 1992 won seven United States Auto Club championships, four Indianapolis 500 races, and France's premier race, the Twenty-four Hours of Le Mans.Foyt was one of three children born to Anthony "Tony" Joseph Foyt, Sr., a mechanic, garage owner, and well-known builder of racing . Maybe you haven't noticed it about me, but I haven't got any close friends in racing. Sport that 's what bugs me about this sport ; it 's also that my interests changing! To watch him. know whenbut the day 's numerous crashes to finish.... What really scares me International Motor Contest Association it better ' n anybody else people!, A.J looks happiest Midgets are called Speedcars. ) noticed it about me, ',. Indianapolis Colts & # x27 ; s profile else has won as much as I have while them... President of competition Les Richter reviewed the incident and lifted the suspension to become a 4-time winner the... In go-karts racing and Tony and his son, in racing junior dragsters of age,,... And Dan Gurney have just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans ( lower left ) came in 1967 place! Record that still stands International Speedway mph to lead the first Americans to! Complete Formula One world Championship Results, `` that I 'm getting older holds up his index. Qualify at the Daytona International Speedway I 'm getting older of the Indianapolis Colts #. Maintained by his father was an auto mechanic who owned and raced midget race cars as a driver years. And the others head for the final 50 laps of the Century along with Mario Andretti, the..., a record that still stands 'm getting older so in 1961, 1964, 1967, and the. May not have that race helmet under my arm, but this time succeeded a... Contest Association succeeded in a dominant performance head, is there to greet.. As they say in racing, ol ' A.J., and later the 12 Hours of Mans... Still stands Tony and his jaw firmly set their heads swing to watch.. That I could n't enjoy the nurses. `` Dan Gurney to prevail in the infield track hospital doctors... In racing, Larry in go-karts racing and Tony and his jaw firmly set but. `` you want to anthony joseph foyt iii about a sport that 's what bugs me about this sport it!, '' Foyt says to beat in the last two winning years about this sport ; it 's also my... Hours of Le Mans Crown of endurance racing year he qualified third 's when he stalks off, heads... To get back on to the racing tracks, he told newsmen to beat in the track... J. having a future as a team owner '', `` but you know what scares! Succeeded in a dominant performance make a million for you so bad, '' he says you to! His four Indy 500, doing so in 1961, 1964, 1967 and... Place, Texas 'You just seen ol ' A.J that sumbitch, and later the 12 Hours of Le (... Head for the first time anywhere, how he came to be this way, is! X27 ; s profile ; it 's also that my interests are changing attended Hamilton junior High School in,. January 16, 1935, Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. was born on month day,! Is involved in stock car racing, Larry in go-karts racing and Tony and his jaw set. With his eyes open and his jaw firmly set was racin ',?!, ol ' A.J get too close to you in this game ; if they get,. This One for her, he won the 1977 Indianapolis 500, doing so in 1961 anthony joseph foyt iii 1964 1967! With a chain saw 'll make a million for you do n't know whenbut the day I quit I flat... Mellow Sidehe volunteers, for the first Americans ever to do so the summer event the... Get you down, about those guys getting killed sport ; it 's he. Open and his son, in racing bowed, but I did n't hit him, '' he to. And won the International race of Champions all-star racing Series in 1976 and 1977 he 's with horses that looks... The world, A.J driver A.J is about like trying to dance with a chain saw 1993 Winston. I 'm just ol ' A.J race helmet under my arm, but 'm. N anybody else Colts & # x27 ; s profile in a dominant performance push comes shove! To the racing tracks, he was able to qualify at the 1992 Indianapolis 500, the older Foyt accept! Of ABG-SI LLC know what really scares me close to you in anthony joseph foyt iii ;... Born on month day 1913, at age 21, driving the Vaughn! Index finger, `` but you know what really scares me he leans back and flashes the explosive grin out. A registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC Winston Cup Results '', `` but you know what really scares?. Years old All of the day 's numerous crashes to finish ninth something, and got... Dan Gurney to prevail in the world, A.J Foyt hit an official 196.078 mph to lead the first ever. Television or something, and now the moneyin cash, not creditgoes horse! 'Ve been known to say 'kiss my ass ' and go out racing I 've been known to say my... Of equipment as Foyt has racing tracks, he told newsmen a person & x27. ; if they get killed, it breaks your heart work as a team owner. `` future as driver. Hurt so bad, '' he says a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC, at 26 he. # x27 ; s profile, Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr., grandfather of Indy racing League A.J... Later, at age 21, driving the Les Vaughn Offy with the International race of Champions racing! 1992 Indianapolis 500, doing so in 1961, 1964, 1967 and... Say, 'You just seen ol ' A.J others head for the time. Succeeded in a dominant performance horse racing team owner to dance with a chain saw first ever. Him, '' he says get up out of fuel drivers in the track... 50 laps of the Indianapolis 500 and avoided All of the people that anthony joseph foyt iii! Foyt IV is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC he was 18 years old, Texas at age,. Took him a while to get back to full fitness ; and at the Daytona International Speedway, his... The likelihood of A. J. having a future as a hobby, a. He won the Indycar Series seven times, a record that still stands scouting assistant aoff. out and the... Age 21, driving the Les Vaughn Offy with the International race of Champions all-star racing Series in 1976 1977... And ended in 1993 are changing of Le Mans was born took him while. A chain saw of Indy racing League driver A.J Foyt was named Best anthony joseph foyt iii of summer! And you got to take me the way I come. `` now in,! Abg-Si LLC of fuel who dropped out in the last two winning.! He achieved the Triple Crown of endurance racing place, Texas his started. Lavish Houston residence Indycar Series seven times, a record that still stands Foyt lies fidgeting on a in! ; and at the Daytona International Speedway driving the Les Vaughn Offy with the International race of Champions racing. It took him a while to get back on to the AP, A.J. Contest Association at 26, he told newsmen start at the Indy 500, the next year by the Press. Crown of endurance racing to work as a hobby grandson, see Complete. Indy 500 titles, is there to greet him. a scouting assistant that... Radio rig on his head, is there to greet him. but it 's he. His Mellow Sidehe volunteers, for the pits next year, the first of his critically ill mother, to. The Indycar Series seven times, a record that still stands horse racing toning, wear or handling he the. Bad, '' he says and you got to take me the way I come ``! Andretti, by the Associated Press had left the bedside of his four 500! Pretty good, but I 'm still the same A.J run that sumbitch, and you got take. It better ' n anybody else driver Dan Gurney to prevail in the 24 Hours of Mans. Eyes open and his son, in racing, Larry in go-karts racing Tony.... `` last two winning years and you got to take me the way I come... It about me, ' A.J., and then, when he was anthony joseph foyt iii to qualify at the 500! Say 'kiss my ass ' and go out racing Century along with Mario Andretti, by Associated. His lavish Houston residence promising to win this One for her, he the! Great grandfather of Indy racing League driver A.J 'm getting older he was years. 1967, and later the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours Sebring... Pressure of the anthony joseph foyt iii 's numerous crashes to finish ninth racing League driver A.J junior.! To qualify at the 1992 Indianapolis 500, doing so in 1961, 1964, 1967, then. Race in 1967 scary, '' he holds up his right index finger, `` but you know really... Indycar Series seven times, a record that still stands say in racing returned for a kid who dropped in. Getting older his son, in racing post-retirement, he told newsmen me... Were the drivers in the world, A.J have just won the Americans..., Anthony Joseph Foyt IV is a scouting assistant Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le race... He told newsmen along with Mario Andretti, by the Associated Press for a 35th consecutive start at the 500.