History

AJ Foyt

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A.J. Foyt of Houston, Texas has a career eclipsed by only a few names in the motorsports world. One writer exclaimed about Foyt, “If A.J. isn’t the best there ever was, then the line in front of him isn’t long!” To understand just how incredible Foyt’s career was, note that he is the only driver in history to win the Daytona 500, Indy 500, Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the 24 Hours of LeMans – the four biggest races in the world.

Foyt’s Daytona 500 victory for the Wood Brothers in 1972 is his greatest NASCAR achievement, but where he was most dominant was in Indy car racing. His seven national Indy car championships, four Indy 500 victories and 67 wins are still the water mark for drivers in the division. Foyt is the only driver to have at least 20 victories in USAC’s four major competition categories.

Foyt is a two-time International Race of Champions (IROC) champion, (1976 and 1977) and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000, The Motorsports Hall of Fame America in 1989, and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1989. Foyt was also named on of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers in 1998, and was named co-Driver of the Century by the Associated Press in 2000.