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Get Well Vitor....
Following are the notes to Vitor from the fans after his accident in the Indianapolis 500...
Best wishes for a speedy recovery Vitor!!!! We are going to miss you and will be looking forward to your return and certain victory!...Marv, Kansas City, MO
Is there any way / place to leave Vitor a message wishing him well, and letting him know we are thinking of him? Matthew, Indianapolis.
You just did...we will forward your message to him. Thanks for your support!
I would like to send my get well wishes to Vitor. He was for sure having a struggling day (pit fire) and then to have that crash...prayers for a speedy recovery. Many prayers,….Kathleen, Noblesville, IN
Just wanted to thank the Foyt Racing Team for a great month of May. I love being able to make it to the track so much and being able to watch the ABC Supply boys do what they do so well. Hope and pray for a speedy recovery for Vitor and all the luck in the future. Next stop for me is Chicagoland and can't wait to root you all on again. It's not Indy but still a track I can make it to. Again thanks for a great month and continue the hard work. We do appreciate it….Craig, Veedersburg, Indiana
Please send my best wishes to Vitor (As Im sure 1000s of other people have asked). That was one heck of a violent hit. I always root for the little guys and was happy when you guys picked him up and he was running strong. Was hoping to see him this weekend at Milwaukee (My stomping grounds) where I thought he had a great chance of winning here this year and getting redemption after last year’s race. P.S. Congrats to IV on getting Married! …Don
I'd like to send my best wishes to Vitor and tell him how sad I am that he was injured at Indy. Vitor is my favorite driver, and I am just waiting for watch his first victory in the IRL. Not to have him in the rest of the season is tragic. I'm very sorry for his injuries, and I will be keeping him in my prays, hoping for a quick and complete recovery…Sean
Please give Vitor our very best wishes for a trouble-free recovery. My husband and I are both Vitor fans, and have always enjoyed his racing. We will miss him this year, but hope to see him back strong and healthy next year!...Sue and Jerry
I was doing some live blogging, covering some of the different crashes and events during the race. I wrote about Vitor's crash, but also dubbed him with a new nickname. During his fire in the pit, everyone in the Media Center was extremely impressed with the fact that he went back out as soon as the fire was out. So I dubbed him Dances With Fire. Feel free to use it. I hope Vitor is doing well. I look forward to seeing him back in action again…Erik.
Please let Vitor know that I am praying for a complete and speedy recovery from his accident at Indy yesterday. I have been a fan of his for the past several years. He drives with a passion. I want to celebrate that first win soon! …Mark, Kokomo, IN
I was somewhat put-off by AJ hiring a foreign driver when he hired Vitor. What the hell was I thinking?! Me question AJ? Ha ha ha. I know Vitor is damn good but after the fire in the pits on Sunday I stood up and cheered when Vitor kept his composure and went right back to the fight. Vitor has a set of "big ones" and I hope he heals well after that bone head move by Matos. All my best to AJ and crew! …Todd, Plano, TX
How is Vitor this morning? I have been a fan of his for several years now. When I saw his car come around the wall it was frightening. I was in the stands at the exit of turn two. I want to wish vitor a speedy recovery. He is in our prayers. All the best. Let’s go Vitor...Mike, FlatRock, IN
We have forwarded your note to him. He seems to be better with each passing day--thanks for your support.
Please forward this message to Vitor Meira. We wish him well and pray for his fast recovery...George
I am a HUGE Vitor fan and am worried about his condition after the fire in the pits and awful accident with Matos. Any updates for us on him?? Will he be able to race next week in Milwaukee? Was anyone hurt during the pit fire? I sincerely hope not as we need everyone out there to try to get Vitor and AJ Foyt Racing a WIN!!!! Thanks for your time…Tricia, Speedway, IN
Vitor is doing better but he's going to be out of the car for at least 3 months. It was a devastating accident but it could have been so much worse so we're thankful it wasn't. Thanks for your support.
Hello to everyone at Foyt Racing…Although the finish doesn't reflect it the 14 and 41 had great cars and were strong all day. Great job by Anthony and best wishes for a speedy recovery for Vitor. The teams look great and cont. success to them…Pete, Cypress, TX
Dear Vitor, We watched the Indy 500 today and saw your hard crash. I'm so sorry you were taken out in the race. I just read that you now have a broken back, and wanted to send you a note to let you know that we're thinking of you while you recover from this injury. Take care, and well wishes for a speedy recovery! A race fan, Swee Hart
We're praying that Vitor didn't sustain major injuries. That was a flat out scary crash. The pit fire looked bad too. I think ABC needs to report more on the drivers with problems. They breifly said that Vitor had some burns to his face then went on to the #10 pit problems over and over... Vitor had a fire, the #10 just had a miscue. Best Wishes and prayers for Vitor….Pete, Ludlow, KY
Is there anywhere I can buy old AJ diecasts? (Matt)
You can always check eBay or these web sites: www.gmpdiecast.com (search for a.j. foyt) and www.carousel1.com – click on Coyote.
I’d like to know what was A.J.’s Favorite Indy 500 victory? Also, if he wasn't a racer, what type of job would he have had? Thanks. ..Foyt fan for Life. (Johnny, Chicago)
A.J.: “I would have to say the 1977 win because I drove my own car and motor that we built here in my shop in Houston. If I didn’t make it as a race driver, I probably would have been an automobile mechanic.”
I recall a sombrero on Bernard Jourdain's car. The starting field in the 1991 Indianapolis 500 program shows the #48 car with a sombrero. (Rob, Lincoln, IL)
That’s true. Bernard Jourdain was from Mexico. He started 21st and finished 18th that year dropping out after 141 laps with gearbox problems.
AJ, I’ve been a huge fan for a long time. I hate the road courses. I was just wondering if you think the IRL will come back to MIS. There sure is a lot better racing there than any road course--it takes balls to run this track. Thanks. (Greg, Battle Creek, MI)
A.J.: “I agree with you 100% and I was fortunate enough to win an Indy car race there and a stock car race there. It‘s a lot better racing there than any road course.
If AJ were in sole charge of what chassis design was raced and his decision was law, would he pick the old roadster, his Coyote design from the 70's or the car of today? (Rick, Columbus, IN)
A.J.: “Well the car of today is so much more advanced and safer that I’d have to go with the cars of today.”
I'm a major fan and was present for every Indy 500 qualifying day and race from 1955 thru 1964. CONGRATS on your two wonderful victories during that classic era!The question I had is this: When you raced the Bowes Seal Fast layover in 1960, can you describe the handling differences between that car and a classic Watson roadster? (Bill, San Mateo, CA)
A.J.: “The Watson roadster handled a lot better than the layover—it just wasn’t a very stable–handling car with the motor hanging out the left side.”
Will the cars ever reach the 230+ mph at the Speedway again? Do you feel that it does or doesn’t make a difference? From a fan that goes to qualifying every year, the fan turn-out speaks volumes to me. Thanks. (Greg, Battle Creek, MI)
No, not this year because we’ll lose horsepower and there is a concern about the cars going too fast where the driver can’t react. Once you get over the 225 mph, that’s fast in anyone’s book.
I am interested in pursuing a career as a motor sport mechanic. I was curious if someone on your team could answer a few questions I had about the industry so I can get a better feel for it before I dive into it head first. Here are my questions:
What is the good side of being a mechanic?
What is the bad side of being a mechanic?
How much schooling is needed to be a top mechanic?
What is a typical day like for a mechanic?
Finally, I know that the IRL season is about 8 months long. How much home time, if any, does the team get during the season? (Jason, Martinsville, Indiana)
Good side of being a mechanic: is being part of a team that can put together a race car that goes over 200 mph and wins races!
Bad side of being a mechanic: having to fix that race car after it hits the wall which can mean late hours, little sleep and a lot of hard work.
How much schooling needed? There are several automotive trade schools that provide a basic mechanical knowledge. And there’s the Jim Russell School in Sonoma which is a good starting point.
A typical day at the track is getting there by 7 a.m. when the garage opens, preparing the car to go through tech inspection, making changes on the car during practice which could include changing the engine, and then tucking it in for the night (hopefully in one piece) at the end of the day.
Home time during the season: Not much at all, it depends on the schedule and how the season is going.
I have been a Foyt fan for quite some time. I was wondering what happened to putting a hat on the side of the car by the driver’s name. A.J. always had the trademark white cowboy hat, and I seem to remember one of his cars had a sombrero on the side, I can’t remember the driver. Was there anything behind starting the tradition? (Steve, Owensville, Indiana)
The cowboy hat next to A.J.’s name started at least as far back as 1964 and probably before that but no one actually remembers why or when it started (including A.J.). Jack Starne doesn’t remember the sombrero and neither does anyone else on our crew (who's old enough) so we don’t think it was on a Foyt car.
I was wondering how many Dallara's you have in rotation? (Dave, Holland, Michigan)
We have 4 cars in rotation.
My father was a VERY loyal fan of Mr. Foyt. My father and I often watched him race together, these were special times. I met Mr. Foyt at Daytona coming out of the garage area. I took his picture, and Mr. Foyt came over and said that he thought that I shook the camera. I explained that I may have been afraid of him. I had seen him in several fights while watching TV with my Dad. Mr. Foyt posed for a second picture. Mr. Foyt was 110% a gentleman. My son A.J. (Andrew James ) is loosely named after Mr. A.J. Foyt out of loyalty and my highest respect. (Harry, East Rochester, New York)
Thanks for your kind words—we appreciate the support!
I grew up in Jack Bowsher’s home town and would like to know how AJ and Jack put up with each other, I loved both of these icons--so many legends between them !!!! (Rod, Summerfield, Florida)
They respected each other’s talent and, according to A.J., there was never a cross word between them!
Will Dallara have the only Indy car chassis for the revised 2011 IndyCar Series? (Richard, Salem, Oregon)
They haven’t decided that and we aren’t the ones to answer that. You would have to ask someone at the IRL IndyCar Series offices.
Are you seeking or planning to seek sponsors for an Indy-lights, ALMS, or other racing series team or is all of your focus on ndycar? Didn't you recently sell some midget cars? (Dan, Indianapolis, Indiana)
We are focusing on the IndyCar series for now but we are open to other opportunities if sponsorship materializes for them. We have some Silver Crown cars for sale but no midgets.
When AJ was starting out racing was there a particular driver that he admired? Was there a particular driver that helped him out?
He admired the icons at Indy at that time such as Bill Vukovich and Tony Bettenhasen but Pat O’Connor took him under his wing. It really upset A.J. when Pat was killed in A.J.’s first Indy 500 in 1958.
A.J., would you possibly consider fielding a car for Tony Stewart for next year's Indy 500? I think he'd make a great addition to your team even for just a one race deal, given his talent and experience. He may be the first since Kenny Brack to bring home a victory. (Steve, Greenfield, Indiana)
We would love to have Tony be part of our team but he will have a lot on his plate as the owner of his own NASCAR Sprint Cup team driving the No. 14! We hope Vitor Meira will be the one to return us to Victory lane at Indy. He finished second there last year.
Are you any closer depending on sponsorship to running a second IRL team in 2009? (Stephen, Michigan)
Nope.
I met my hero A.J. Jr., at the Meadowlands race in New Jersey in the late 80's. I was working as a Tech Inspector for SCCA and had worked the race. Because I was working the race I was able to go pretty much anywhere. I camped out by A.J.'s pit and waited for quite a while before I felt comfortable to speak with him, as he was quite busy. You have no idea how excited I was to speak to Super Tex in person. It's something I am still very proud of. He represents to me a piece of Indy history and the great home-grown American drivers and car builders that no longer exist. I hope he realizes how much of a hero he is to so many fans! (Tom, Brick, New Jersey)
A.J. is often amazed to hear the effect he has on people.
I'm really interested in the '77 Indy Coyote and its history and construction. I'd like to know who, and how it was designed as well as the engine program for the Foyt, and who actually made the blocks, heads, etc.
According to our general manager Jack Starne, the 1977 Coyote was originally designed by Bob Riley in 1973 and built by Foyt Enterprises. Then in ‘75, the drawings were updated by Foyt Enterprises (by A.J. and Jack). It was updated again in ‘76 and updated again in ’77. Generally the updates centered around the radiator areas, nose area, oil coolers (inlets and exits for them), the airfoils/wings, and suspension and/or roll centers. They’d try things, test it and then go for it. With regard to the FOYT engine, A.J. bought the rights to the Ford Indy engine in 1970 (thereabouts) and changed the name to Foyt. Then engine builder Howard Gilbert and A.J. worked together on updating it right through to the ‘77 victory. They put it in a Parnelli car in ‘79 at the Speedway and the engine was too massive for the car. The car was designed for a Cosworth engine which was smaller and lighter. The Foyt engine was built to be a 305 for sports cars and when it went to Indy it became a 255cid normally aspirated & then a 160cid for the turbocharged engine. They shrunk all of the internal parts but the blocks were still the same so the physical size of the engine was still big and top-heavy. That was the last time they tried to run it in an Indy car. In the 70s, they also ran it in the champ dirt cars--they would flip the heads so the exhaust came out the bottom. They were all sold in the Foyt Auction that A.J. held at the Speedway in 1992.
Has A.J. ever thought of starting and running a stock car team and running it in the NASCAR Sprint series? (Stephen, Monroe, Michigan)
A.J. had a team in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 2000 through 2003 (and a little bit in 2004). It was too difficult to be an absentee owner and he had no desire to move from Texas to North Carolina.
Congratulations on signing Vitor!!! What are the chances of a second car for Frank Perera? (Zane, Birmingham, Alabama)
We don’t have the funding for a second car, so the chances are slim right now.
A.J., great job on signing Vitor! I hope he does really well in his new car and gets to stay long term. Is there any chance that Darren will drive the 41 car next season either full or part time? (Nathaniel, Indianapolis, Indiana)
It’d be great to run a second car but we don’t have the funding for it at this time.
Being that you hired Meira for 2009, is Manning going to continue with AJ Foyt racing in the 41 car. (Dave, Sparks, Nevada)
Please see answer above.
Do you think the IRL will allow other engine manufactures into the series? With the realignment of CHAMP and IRL racers do you see the IRL entertaining a FORD or other American engine builders into the ring with engine programs, and does the IRL plan to stay naturally aspirated? Thank you in advance, we’re pulling for you down here ABC! (Gabriel, Corpus Christi, Texas)
We think the IRL is very open to having additional engine builders—as is Honda. The IRL officials are exploring opportunities through meetings with several manufacturers but they aren’t saying who so we don’t know if the American manufacturers will be involved. There is a rumor that the new engines will be turbocharged but we don’t know that either, nothing's been announced. Thanks for your support!
As an A.J. fan for the last 50 yrs, I was wondering if there is any chance of bringing back the all black color scheme for the number 14 car. I know that the sponsors want their colors on the cars they invest money into, but it would really be nice to see that black no. 14 back in the field, even if it’s only for the indy 500. Glad to see Vitor has joined the team, I think he gives the team the best chance of being in the middle of the podium in 2009. That is where the no.14 belongs anyway. Number 1 position for the best there is, was and always will be A.J.Foyt. Best of luck and good health to A.J. and all the Foyts. (Dennis, Flanders, New Jersey)
We loved the all black car from the 80s and 90s, and the all “Foyt Red” (orange) cars of the late 60s and 70s as well as the white, red and blue cars of the early 60s! Nowadays, the sponsors dictate the car's livery. In fact the black car that you loved was the choice of A.J.'s sponsor at that time--U.S. Tobacco. As racing gets more expensive we don't see that changing. We're quite fond of the white, blue and red color scheme these days! Thanks for your support!
Hey Ya'll, Real excited about Vitor on board with A.J. Foyt Racing... How long before you have some shirts, hats, etc., Can't wait to get some of his stuff with Foyt Racing...Just wondering how long before you have some stuff to buy on your website...Ready to Root for Vitor and A.J. Thanks. (Joel and Kim, Benton, Arkansas)
We plan to have some merchandise available by the time the new season begins.
A.J. is my choice for best all around driver ever. I've seen him run dirt, pavement and the 24 hours of Daytona the time he joined up with Bob Wollek in the middle of the night in the Porsche. I am just wondering how he is getting along these days. I picture him out on the farm playing on the bulldozer! A.J., Thanks for many great memories. I sure do miss the old days at Indy. I was there the day A.J. made the last trip around in the Indy car. Best wishes. (Don, Lexington, South Carolina)
Thanks for the kind words. A.J. is getting along pretty well and you’re right about the bulldozer. He’s been logging some hours recently.
A.J. -- congrats on the great finish last week, my best regards to all at Foyt. (Mitch, Ennis, Texas)
Thanks Mitch. We appreciate your thoughts!
Mr. Foyt, Darren and the entire ABC Team,
It is great to see AJ Foyt Racing and Darren Manning on the podium. It's been tooo long! I'm a life long "Super Tex' fan and I'm keeping the faith! Keep up the hard work and the wins will come! (Bob, Bentonville, Arkansas)
Thanks Bob. We appreciate you keeping the faith! We’re looking forward to our trip to the winner’s circle with Darren. He’s a great guy.
Congratulations on your second place finish. I was cheering when Darren was leading. I hope to see a first really soon. (Don, Iowa, a life long fan of AJ)
Thanks Don. We hope to see a victory really soon too! We’re working hard to make it happen.
First, congrats to the team on their finish in Watkins Glen yesterday!!! I was wondering if A.J. has any plans in a die cast car of the black Copenhagen 18th scale car. I have the 1/64th Onyx Copenhagen car, but would like to have it bigger to match the other Foyt cars I have. Thanks. (Greg, Battle Creek, Michigan)
Sorry Greg, but A.J. can’t license the Copenhagen name from U.S. Tobacco to have diecast cars made. It has to do with the Tobacco Settlement and the fact that his team is no longer sponsored by them. It would be cool if he could but it won’t happen.
Why is it when anybody else is racing good in IRL during a race on TV, they never talk about them try never to keep the camera on them and even when they finish in 2nd place and deserve to have their team and sponsor on TV they go to the target and penske crybabies to hear why it was somebody else that caused them to not win. Do they not know how many teams are really racing or I wonder if should AJ go back down there in the winners circle and punch one of them again. (Wildbill, Oklahoma City)
Thanks Wildbill. We were a little surprised that they didn’t interview Darren after the race too. We don’t think A.J. needs to punch anyone in the winners circle though. And Scott Dixon took full blame for his mistake so you have to give him credit for that and Ryan Briscoe handled it pretty well too we thought. It helps that he’s friends with Dixie (as is our driver). All that said, we were happy so, TV interview or not, it was a great day for us.
If you look at my e-mail address you can tell that I am a die hard A.J. Foyt Jr. fan. That said, I was cheering hard and my in-laws thought I was crazy but, I really enjoyed seeing the famous #14 on point today! I thought the race was over on lap 1 when Darren and the 10 car got together because it was a little hard to see through the smoke with the camera angle but, I was glad to see that it looked and performed like cosmetic damage. Congratulations for a well earned 2nd place. (Pete, from ???)
Thanks Pete. You weren’t the only one looking hard at the TV. A.J. and the team were also looking to see what kind of damage the 14 car sustained. Lucky for us, it was only on the surface.
As a long time fan, congratulations to the whole team on the great finish today at the Glen. It was great to see the 14 back on the podium where it belongs. Best regards for continued success. (Dave, Illinois)
Thanks for the congratulations Dave! We appreciate it. Here’s to more podium finishes!
AJ, I'm your biggest fan in Oklahoma. I'm 57 years old and was born in Houston. My dad sold you some clothes from Walter Pyes way back in the late 50's. Been to 2 Indy 500's, 6 Texas Motor Speedways and was in KC when you won with Airton Dare. My question is this...Is the IRL on better footing now for sponsorships considering that NASCAR is now losing teams and giant corporate money due to the economy? Boomer Sooner AJ (Fletcher, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Thanks Fletcher. We’ll let A.J. know that you are his biggest fan in Oklahoma! We think the IRL is on better footing for sponsorships because there is only one Indy Car Series. However, the economy threatens everyone, not just NASCAR. Believe us when we tell you, it is a tough economic climate for everyone.
Congratulations on your great finish at Indy! I was wondering if there is any truth to the old story that says that A.J. once drove a rental car into the Speedway Motel pool. (Jeff, Ft. Worth, Texas)
Thanks for the congratulations, we appreciate it. When we asked about this story, he said that it wasn’t true. He never did anything like that with a rental car. He thought it was something that Bobby Unser would do though.
Why isn't the nose of the A.J. Foyt Racing No. 14 Dallara-Honda a more bulbous shape? A bulbous nose would make the race car more aerodynamic, therefore faster and more fuel efficient. Big ships, such as oil tankers, have bulbous bow designs to increase speed and fuel efficiency. Considering that fast moving air behaves like a fluid, what works for big ships should work for the No. 14. (Doug, Dublin, Ohio)
From our Chief Engineer Mike Colliver: Per IRL rules the nose is not an area that is allowed to be developed. It is set by the manufacturer and must remain unchanged. However, the design is a compromise between drag and downforce. The "narrower" that the nose is allows for "wider" front wings. Since the max width of the front wings is set by the league rules the narrow nose effectively gives the wings more surface area and as a result more downforce. In summary the design is a result of a compromise between max desired downforce for the minimum drag. If pure minimum drag of the design was the sole consideration the questioner would be correct as a bulbous shape would result in less drag.
I have been an A.J. Foyt fan all my native Houston life of 51 years…I am recreating a hand built midget of the Greer Special that A.J. raced at the Astro Grand Prix, and was wondering what ever happened to that midget as I only recall A.J. racing the #83 on that one occasion. Also as a big fan, I was wondering how A.J. came about which number he used on different cars. 1 and 14 for Indy cars, 51 for stock cars, 83 for the midget I'm speaking of, etc. (Doug, Conroe, Texas)
A.J. raced the #83 midget in select races from 1965 through 1972. According to our records, he won four times in 10 starts; he also started from the pole three times. The car was sold in the 1992 auction he held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As for the number 83, it was a number his father Tony had used on his midget before the War. In the Indy cars, he ran #1 when he won the championship. After finishing out of the top 10 (usually teams ran the number of the position in points the car finished in the previous season) in 1966, he decided on the #14 which was used by Indy greats Wilbur Shaw, Bill Vukovich and Tony Bettenhausen. Nothing came to mind when asked about the #51 in stock cars, he figured it was a number that NASCAR assigned to him at the time.
I have been an A.J. fan since I was 8 when he won his first Indy 500. It is good to see the team making big steps to regaining their glory. Lately I have been interested in the early racing years. Could you tell me where I could get dvds or video tapes of early races. I am thinking of the 50s - 60s. Good luck this year and in the future. (Bill, Portland, Oregon)
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway sells a collection of dvds of highlights from the 60s through the 90s, available through its website (http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com); and you can also check out Dick Wallen’s site (http://www.racingclassics.com)
Does A.J. still own his Chevrolet dealership, and if so, how did he become involved in the Ford Foyt Mustang which is an awesome car? (Kathy, St. Louis, Missouri)
A.J. sold his Chevy dealership around 1990. The Ford Mustang came about through Tom Bissett, a personal friend in Dallas who is an aftermarket specialist. He wanted to create a special edition car in honor of A.J.’s incredible career.
Throughout your successful careers in the auto racing industry, what do you accredit for having such a successful family business in auto racing that you have today? (Laura, Greenfield, Indiana)
From Larry Foyt, (our team director and A.J.’s son): “Everyone knows luck can play a part in racing, but many times you make your own luck by the preparation that has happened before a race. I think much of the longevity of our racing team and the successes it has enjoyed stem from two things: 1. A.J.'s desire to be a winner, and 2. A.J.’s complete understanding of racing cars and what makes them work. By his knowing every part of his race cars, he was able to prepare them to win, and his desire to win is why he is still so hands on today.”
Now that the series is unified there are a lot of "experts" saying the Indy cars should switch away from normally aspirated motors to turbos. I find that interesting since F1 dropped turbos several years ago. Since AJ has driven and owned both, which are better overall and why? I like the normally aspirated as I think they sound more like a real race car, not a vacuum cleaner. (Mike, Coppell, Texas)
A.J. has been pretty busy lately, so we asked our engineer Mike Colliver to answer this question. He wrote: “In general: Normally aspirated are simpler engines to install and maintain - have less "packaging issues" for the mechanics, etc. In general they are heavier and more reliable. They turn less RPM to achieve their top horsepower.
I would consider them "closer" to a production based engine even though they are specifically designed for racing.
Turbos are smaller displacement, lighter and make similar or more horsepower depending on how much turbo boost you want to run. They usually run more RPM and are slightly less reliable. They can change the top horsepower relatively easily by changing the "boost" level. This is what makes the "more power rule" that was used by CART easy to achieve. I would consider them more of an exotic thoroughbred "true" racing engine.
My personal favorite is the turbo as I love the crisp sound, "big" throttle response and higher pitch that they produce.”
What has happened to A.J's Gilmore Racing Coyote Foyt car that won the 1977 Indy 500? [James, Oak Park, California)
That car is in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Hall of Fame Museum along with his winning cars from 1961, 1964 and 1967.
How and where can I get Mr. Foyt’s autograph? (Steve, Lansing, Illinois)
Send a self-addressed stamped envelope with enough postage to insure its safe return to you to our shop: A.J. Foyt Racing; 19480 Stokes Road; Waller, TX 77484. Be sure the envelope is large enough to accommodate an 8 inch by 10 inch hero card.
My name is Richard. I’m a huge fan of the IRL. I've always been an AJ fan. I was wondering if you guys will start a 2nd team in the near future?
Well that depends upon whether or not we secure sponsorship for a second car. We would certainly like to do it but not without the proper funding.
Have you found out what the problem was with the car or if there was a problem with it in Kansas. I am still looking forward towards Indy and I still believe you can make the first 11. You guys were so close last year. (Bret, Kirkland, Illinois)
Thanks for your support—we really appreciate it, especially after a race like we had in Kansas. We looked over the car pretty closely and didn’t find anything wrong mechanically. We just didn’t have the right set-up on it—-or at least a set-up that Darren could drive.
When you go to the wind tunnel for testing can you test for specific tracks or is it generic to setup being road, short oval, superspeedways, or Indy. [Bret, Kirkland, Illinois]
From our chief engineer Mike Colliver: “It is generic. Exactly like the questioner surmised. We break it down into Superspeedway (1.5M high-bank), Short oval, Road Course and Indy. Some of the stuff will crossover and be applicable across the board. Other stuff might cross between the RC and short oval cars since they are closely related aerodynamically. Other parts of info will cross between Indy and Superspeedway since they are "closely related" and some info/testing will pertain only to one of the four subsets. Our recent test was dedicated to Superspeedway with some of the info geared towards helping our Indy program also.”
Does A.J. drive a Foyt Mustang? [Joe, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania]
A.J. can’t really fit in a Foyt Mustang. His knee problems (the one that hasn’t been replaced doesn’t bend as much as it needs to) make it difficult for him to get into a sports car of any kind. Most of the time he drives pick-up trucks because they are a better fit and better for working on his ranch.
This may seem like a very strange question but an answer would settle a bet between my friend and myself. We are both in our late 50's. We were talking about seeing A.J. Foyt Sr. at some races we had attended and noted that he was much "larger" than the other drivers. By "larger" we mean bigger in size and taller. My friend says that he was not that tall. I said that I was sure that he was over 6'. [Bruce, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada]
Well we hate to disappoint you Bruce but you will have to pay up. A.J. probably looked taller when he was standing next to Mario or Gordie but in reality, he was never over 5’11” and now has ‘settled’ into about 5’10” if he were to be measured. As for the weight, well we just aren’t going to go there now but in his youth he probably weighed in at about 170-175. A.J. IV is 6’ and he towers over his grandfather.
Is there any truth to the rumors of A.J. fielding a dirt Silver Crown for Donnie Beechler this year? [Joe, Peoria, Illinois]
Although A.J. and Donnie are good friends, A.J. isn’t fielding a Silver Crown car (dirt or pavement) this year—the cars are up for sale.
I didn't see Abe Lincoln in Homestead, is he still with you? I also saw a Red AJ Foyt Racing truck on the road in Homestead, was it just an old one or is it a testing rig? Nice run in St Pete, too bad about the gearbox. Good luck in Japan. [Dave, Holland, Michigan]
“Abe” aka Lew Parks was not in Homestead this year but we hope that he can be with us in Indy and will most probably be with us at Watkins Glen, N.Y. which isn’t too far from his home. The red A.J. Foyt Racing transporter that you saw in Homestead was delivering an Indy car to the IRL for one of the transition teams from Champ Car (and no, we don’t know which team received the car). Our regular ABC Supply rig took our Homestead car and went to Marietta, GA between the Florida races for some wind tunnel testing. We hope that info will help when we go to Japan and other superspeedways. Thanks for the good wishes.
Do you think Darren being spun by #19 Mario Moraes in the final warmup could have had anything to do with gears being jammed? I noticed after the spin in the warmup they were having trouble getting it into neutral. BTW, keep on keeping on and the breaks will start coming your way. Good Luck and Good racing in Japan. [Bret, Kirkland, Illinois]
That is an interesting observation but no, it played no part in the problems that we had in the race. Thank you for your support. We certainly appreciate it and we will keep on keeping on!
Do the Foyts have shop tours like the Nascar teams do? Does AJ have a museum like Petty & RCR Racing? [Jeff… Chicago]
A.J. Foyt Racing does not have tours on a regular basis but groups have called ahead and depending on the team schedule they have been able to tour the Showroom which has many vehicles (including the 1993 Indy car that A.J. retired in and the “Indy Pros Series” car that A.J. IV won the title with in 2002), plus many photos and trophies. The showroom is not a museum, but it is an interesting display of some memorable moments in the Foyt Racing legacy.
How does the Honda lease work? do you get the same motors all the time or are they rotated among the different IRL teams. Do you have any say so over the motors? Can your team do any work on the motors race weekend or does Honda do that? [Dale…Tucson, Arizona]
This answer is straight from the Honda P.R. rep: “The engine lease works like this: There is a "pool" of 84 engines for the season, all are dyno'd to the same horsepower and torque numbers, with a tolerance of plus-or-minus less than 1% difference of one another. That's as close to perfectly equal as we can make them. Each engine has an assigned serial number that does not change. Although we have the performance numbers for every engine, we keep that information internal.
The IRL has the serial numbers, but that's all. The IRL then tells us which engine (by serial number) goes to each team and we ship it. That way neither Honda nor the IRL can favor a particular team or driver with a particular engine.
No, the teams cannot work on the engine, other than to install it and remove it. We have an engineer assigned to each team to monitor the performance of the engine, and technicians available to do any required maintenance/inspection work (such as borescope, leakdown, etc).”
Why can't I send an autograph request to AJ Foyt IV? Your web site says you cannot honor autograph request. [Jay…Columbus, Indiana]
Well you could but he doesn’t live in Texas anymore (and when we posted that, he was racing in NASCAR so we never saw him much). Now he lives in Indianapolis so it would be more efficient to write to his team at VisionRacing.com so you could get it more quickly. However, we have spoken to his team and they will be sending us a stash of cards to accommodate such requests in the future.
How many miles per gallon does an Indy Car get on an oval like Texas (TMS)? Also, will Indy Cars get better mileage using Ethanol vs. Gas Racing Fuel? [Rob… Katy, Texas]
Indy cars get around 3.2 miles per gallon on ethanol. On racing gasoline, the cars would get around 5 miles per gallon. Ethanol has fewer BTUs than gas so you need more for the same power. Conversely Ethanol is more efficient than methanol—the cars use 30% less ethanol than methanol. Ethanol has less toxic emissions than gasoline and it has a higher flashpoint (that temperature at which it will ignite), making it a safer fuel to use in the Indy cars.
Where's Pablo Donoso? Indy only in the #41? [Brad…Round Lake, Illinois]
Pablo is currently running the SWE Racing Team’s No. 43 in the Firestone Indy Lights Series. Our management hasn’t decided who will be in the No. 41 at Indy.
Any chance of adding Paul Tracy to your IRL Drivers? He is great and should be racing this year!!!! [Robert…Cedar Rapids, Iowa]
We haven’t had any discussions with Paul Tracy about driving for us so we don’t know what his plans are for this year. Right now, we don’t have the sponsorship to field a second car so it’s a moot point.
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