Larry Foyt:

Going into the 2008 season, Larry Foyt has made great strides in his role as Team Director of A.J. Foyt Enterprises, the “family business” as he describes his father A.J.’s Indy car race team based in Waller, Texas. The team has won the Indianapolis 500 three times, five Indy car titles and 42 Indy car races since its inception in the winter of 1965, but its last victory came at Kansas Speedway in 2002 with Airton Dare driving.

Foyt, 31, is handling the day-to-day operations of the Indy car team and is working closely with his team’s general manager Jack Starne and team manager Craig Baranouski.

“Last year I spent learning, watching a lot and listening too,” said Foyt. “At the time I came on board in an official capacity with the Indy car team at the end of 2006, I’d spent the last seven years in the stock cars. I always felt comfortable around Indy car racing because I grew up with it, but I had to get back into the Indy car mentality. They do some things differently from NASCAR and the cars are more technologically advanced.

“I’m not the type of person who will come in and start making a lot of changes straightaway,” he said. “It was important see how things were done, analyze and see where we could improve and work to make changes in those areas.”

“I think you can easily get lost in racing if you’re not careful. By making small changes, they can add up to big results on the track. I also try to get the best out of our guys. Sometimes you may have to shift things around a bit to put them in areas where they can thrive. We’ve done that with a couple guys and I’ve been impressed how they’ve responded.”

Among the changes that Foyt made, one of the biggest was hiring Englishman Darren Manning to drive the No. 14.

“We had been looking at several drivers and when I suggested Darren, my dad asked me to do the legwork which I did. We called him and he was interested and I think it’s been a positive step forward for our team.”

Manning had run just a season and a half in the IndyCar Series before being released by Chip Ganassi’s team. But the Foyt team felt his experience on the road courses would prove an asset and team owner Foyt’s experience on the ovals would help develop the veteran road racer.

“We’ve stepped up our engineering program the last two years with a full-time engineer on staff. It’s been great for A.J. to have some fresh ideas coming in and to have someone he can bounce off his own ideas. We’ve gone back to spending time in the wind tunnel, did some shaker rig testing and have a shock development program in place.

“We’re starting to see some strength and consistency in our performance as a result,” said Foyt. “We’re not where we want to be yet but at least we’re on track to getting there. The light at the end of this tunnel is not an oncoming train.”

With his increasing responsibilities, Foyt has put his driving career on the back burner, making the Indy car team his number one priority.

“It’s tough because I’m not quite ready to hang up my helmet,” he explains. “I still enjoy driving a lot, and I can do it in the Indy car’s off-season. I’ve had to turn down a ride here and there which was hard but I know if I’m going to make this team mine someday, I have to make some sacrifices.”

Foyt spent four years competing in the NASCAR Busch and Nextel Cup Series before moving back to Texas in October, 2005. He was also a test driver for Evernham Motorsports for several years.

In February 2006, he proved he hadn’t lost his touch behind the wheel with a strong debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona in February. He was running as high as fifth when a multi-car crash sidelined him early.

Foyt competed in three Indianapolis 500s (2004 – 2006) but handling problems resulted in disappointing finishes for the second generation driver.

Most of Foyt’s driving career has been focused on NASCAR. At Daytona in February, 2005 Foyt put together a deal to run the ARCA race there. He qualified 12th and was running as high as third when officials penalized him one lap for a crew member over the wall without a helmet. Foyt regained the lap on a restart, went to the back of the pack and was threading his way from 32nd to sixth when he was a victim of a 13-car crash with two to go. He was credited with 12th place at the finish.

In 2004, Foyt experienced both the highs and lows inherent in motorsports at the top levels of competition. He competed in the two most prestigious races in America, the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. However, because the NASCAR team was unable to secure sponsorship, he spent most of the season out of the cockpit.

In his first Daytona 500, Larry finished in 28th place despite suffering mechanical problems which forced him to the pits for over 20 laps. He competed in two more events in the spring, the Subway 400 in Rockingham, N.C. where he finished 32nd and the Samsung 500 in Ft Worth, Texas where finished 30th. Without sponsorship, the team did not compete in any more races.

However, Larry accepted an invitation to drive for his father in the Indianapolis 500. He qualified in 22nd place for the internationally famed event. A.J.’s grandson, A.J. IV, qualified in 21st place in his second Indy 500-Mile race. Unfortunately, both Foyts were eliminated early due to accidents. Despite the outcome, the experience ranks as one of Larry’s most memorable ever in his career.

Larry made his debut in NASCAR’s premier series in 2003 driving for his father’s Cup team. He competed in 20 races with a career best performance coming in the final race of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He started 12th and finished 16th, proving that with the right support, he could be competitive.

In 2001 and 2002, he was the only driver-owner in the NASCAR Busch Series. His two years in that series as an owner-driver were impressive given his lack of stock car racing experience.

“It was a sink or swim experience for me,” Larry said, “and at times, I had some doubts about keeping my head above water. But I got through it and I’m stronger and smarter for it, as a driver and as a businessman.”

In 2002, Foyt qualified in the top-10 three times, with two starts in the top-five. He finished in the top-10 twice with a best finish of eighth at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring. Overall he posted five top-15 finishes and nine top-20s.

In his rookie Busch season, his best start was fifth at Michigan and his best finish was 12th at Talladega. He posted five top-20 finishes.

Making the jump from open-wheel racing to stock cars in 2000, Foyt spent a season in the American Speed Association (ASA) -- leading laps in numerous events, while earning one pole and posting 10 top-10 starts and four top-10 finishes.  

Foyt never thought there was an opportunity to pursue motor sports as a career because A.J. was always against his children racing.  Larry grew up playing sports like basketball, baseball and soccer.  In fact, the only race he attended regularly was the Indianapolis 500 to support his father.  It wasn’t until he was a freshman in high school that he became interested in driving race cars. 

“It’s easy for my kids to look at the success I’ve had and think, yeah I’d like to do that,” said A.J., Indy’s first four-time winner.  “But I look back at some of the accidents I’ve had, the scars I have now and the friends I’ve lost over the years, and I think, who would want that for their kids?  I had to do it because I didn’t know anything else.  My success gave my kids choices -- like a college education.  That’s what I wanted for my kids and I tried to insist on it.” 

In 1993, with his mother Lucy’s help, Larry was given permission to purchase his first go-kart, an Emmick chassis with a 100cc-engine.  He won the second race he entered at Gulf Coast Kartway near Houston in 1995.  A year later, he advanced to the 125cc-shifter karts, and won the Texas State Championship.

Since racing was contingent upon completion of a college education, Foyt graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Fort Worth’s Texas Christian University in 2000.   A.J.’s vigilance could not compare to his youngest son’s desire and talent in the sport.

Foyt raced a limited schedule in the USAC Formula 2000 Series, competing on the oval tracks where his father’s Indy car team was racing the same weekend.  The brief schedule made it tough to be competitive with teams who ran nearly 20 times a year; however Foyt recorded his best finish of fourth place at Phoenix International Raceway.

Some of his best performances in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Formula 2000 road racing events came in 1999, where he consistently won or finished second.  He also earned his Indy car license after several test sessions with his father’s IRL team, turning a best lap at more than 211 mph.

Foyt knows the challenges ahead of him. However, like his dad, meeting challenges head on is what he does best.