A. J. Foyt
Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American former racing driver who competed in numerous disciplines of motorsport. He is best known for his open wheel racing career, and for becoming the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. He holds the most American National Championship titles in history, winning seven.
| A. J. Foyt | |||||||
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Foyt in 2015 | |||||||
| Born | Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. January 16, 1935 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) | ||||||
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| 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) | ||||||
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| 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) | ||||||
Foyt competed in United States Automobile Club (USAC) Championship cars, sprint cars and midget cars. He raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won several major sports car racing events. He holds the USAC career wins record with 159 victories, and the Indy car racing career wins record with 67.
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 the NASCAR stock car circuit, Foyt won seven times, including the 1964 Firecracker 400 and the 1972 Daytona 500. He survived three major crashes that caused serious injuries and narrowly escaped a fourth. Foyt's success has led to induction into numerous motorsports halls of fame.
In the mid-1960s, Foyt became a team owner, fielding cars for himself and other drivers. Since retiring from active race driving, he has owned A. J. Foyt Enterprises, which has fielded teams in CART, the IndyCar Series, and NASCAR.