A. J. Foyt IV
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Anthony Joseph Foyt IV (born May 25, 1984) is an American professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
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and former racing driver. He is a scouting assistant for the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
, and drove in the
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...
and briefly the
NASCAR Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level NASCAR Cup Series, Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a Undercard, support ...
. He is the third generation of the famous Foyt family and is married to the daughter of late Colts owner
Jim Irsay James Stephen Irsay (June 13, 1959 – May 21, 2025) was an American billionaire businessman who was the principal owner, chairman, and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 1997 until his death in 2025. The ...
. He began his career racing
karts Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size moto ...
. He moved up through the open wheel racing ranks, winning the 2002 Infiniti Pro Series. When Foyt made his first
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...
race in
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
, he became the youngest driver to start in the event. He continued in
IndyCar IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis ...
for two more years until his back was injured at the
2005 Indianapolis 500 The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheld ...
. Later that season he made several NASCAR Busch Series starts. He was scheduled to continue in the Busch Series in 2006, but the team was bought out and his contract prevented him from driving a non-Dodge car. He returned to IndyCar late that season. He has not raced since 2009, although he drove for his grandfather's
A. J. Foyt Enterprises A. J. Foyt Racing, officially and historically known as A. J. Foyt Enterprises, is an American racing team in the IndyCar Series and formerly NASCAR. It is owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, 1972 Daytona 500 winner, 1967 24 Hours of Le ...
team in trials for the
2010 Indianapolis 500 The 94th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 2010. It was the 15th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was the premier event of the 2010 IndyCar Series season, 2010 ...
.


Personal life

Foyt was born on May 25, 1984, in
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, but lists his hometown as Hockley, Texas, the long-time residence of his grandfather and four-time
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...
winner
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 India ...
, who guided him through much of his career. He is the son of Nancy and thoroughbred trainer Anthony Joseph Foyt III. His cousin,
Larry Foyt Lawrence Joseph Roberds Foyt (born February 22, 1977) is an American former NASCAR and IndyCar driver and current team principal for A.J. Foyt Enterprises. He is the biological grandson and adopted son of A. J. Foyt, and a biological cousin (and ...
, also raced cars. He spent much of his early years working with some horses trained by his father at the horse stables of
Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...
before his family relocated to Texas when he was six years old. Foyt is a June 2002 graduate of Waller High School. Foyt appeared in the 2005 film, ''
The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes, 147 ...
,'' and is an avid
Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...
fan. He married
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
vice-president Casey Irsay, daughter of late team owner
Jim Irsay James Stephen Irsay (June 13, 1959 – May 21, 2025) was an American billionaire businessman who was the principal owner, chairman, and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 1997 until his death in 2025. The ...
, in July 2009. They have five children.


Early career in IndyCar

Foyt began racing Junior Dragsters as a nine-year-old after a family friend and his uncle purchased a dragster for him and won two championships with it. He progressed to racing karts on paved road courses and dirt tracks where he remained for the following six years, before going on to drive formula race cars in 2001. In 2001, he won six of nine
SCCA The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting Autocross, Rallycross, High Performance Driver Education, HPDE, Time trial, Time Trial, Road racing, Road Racing, Regularity rally, R ...
events to claim the Southwest Regional championship. He finished third in SCCA's national point championships and was the series' Rookie of the Year. That same year, he competed at the World Karting Association's Dirt World Championships at
Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona ...
and finished second in the Briggs Heavy feature event. Foyt competed in his first USAC Silver Crown event that August. In early 2002, he worked for his grandfather's team
A. J. Foyt Enterprises A. J. Foyt Racing, officially and historically known as A. J. Foyt Enterprises, is an American racing team in the IndyCar Series and formerly NASCAR. It is owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, 1972 Daytona 500 winner, 1967 24 Hours of Le ...
in its race shop and as a pit lane crew member for driver Airton Daré. Foyt was later signed to drive for the team in the newly formed Infiniti Pro Series in mid-year. Foyt won the championship with four wins and four pole positions in seven events. After passing his rookie test at
Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway (formerly known as Texas International Raceway from September to December 1996) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. It has hosted various major races since its inaugura ...
on October 31, 2002, allowing him to obtain an
Indy Racing League IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two Auto racing, racing series: the premier IndyCar Serie ...
(IRL) racing license, he progressed to Foyt Enterprises' IRL IndyCar Series team for the 2003 season, finishing 21st in the final standings. Foyt currently holds the record for the youngest driver to race in the Indy 500. His rookie race in 2003 occurred on his 19th birthday. He took the record from Josele Garza who was slightly over 2 months older for his first start in 1981. He continued to struggle in the IndyCar Series, finishing 18th overall in the 2004 season points and falling to 20th in the 2005 series. In the
2005 Indianapolis 500 The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheld ...
Foyt was involved in an accident with
Champ Car World Series Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), ...
driver
Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira (born November 4, 1976) is a Brazilian race car driver who most recently competed in the IRL IndyCar Series. He is a former Formula 3000 champion and three-time runner-up in the Champ Car World Series. Racing career Early ca ...
, who sustained a fractured back. The season did not improve as the team switched from
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to
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power mid-season and Foyt was replaced for the late-season road course events by Jeff Bucknum.


NASCAR

In October 2005, Foyt announced that at the end of the 2005 season, he would leave Foyt Enterprises and drive in the
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
for the No. 38 Akins Motorsports team and was signed as a developmental driver for
Evernham Motorsports Evernham Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing organization that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2000 by former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Ray Evernham, entering full-time competition as a two-c ...
. He competed in the final four rounds of the 2005 Busch Series in the No. 38 car, and finished outside the top twenty in all of them. After the season, he moved from Texas to
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
, and was scheduled to run the entire Busch Series schedule in the No. 38 and be a competitor for the Rookie of the Year award. However, early in the 2006 season, Akins was purchased by Braun Racing, which switched the No. 38 from a Dodge to a Chevrolet. Foyt had an exclusive contract with Dodge that prevented him from continuing with the team. After seven races, he was released by the team due to poor performances, Atkins merging with Braun and changing manufacturers to Chevrolet.
Ray Evernham Raymond Donald Evernham Jr. (born August 26, 1957) is an American consultant for Rick Hendrick, Hendrick Companies, formerly an auto racing crew chief for Bill Davis Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, owner of his own team Evernham Motorsports fr ...
found Foyt employment driving FitzBradshaw Racing's No. 14 car, but Foyt failed to qualify for his first race at Richmond International Raceway with the team and has not attempted a NASCAR race since.


Return to IndyCar


2006

On September 5, 2006, Foyt was tapped by the 2005 IndyCar Championship team,
Andretti Green Racing Andretti Global is an American motorsports organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series, Indy NXT, Formula E, and joint entries in IMSA and the Australian Supercars Championship. Starting in 2026, Andretti will also operate the Cad ...
, to replace injured regular AGR driver
Dario Franchitti George Dario Marino Franchitti (born 19 May 1973) is a British motorsport commentator and retired motor racing driver from Scotland. Franchitti won the IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011; the Indianapolis 500 in ...
. Foyt drove the No. 27 Dallara Honda in the IRL season's final event at
Chicagoland Speedway Chicagoland Speedway is an inactive tri-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Joliet, Illinois. It has hosted various major races throughout its existence, including NASCAR and IndyCar races. The track is currently own ...
and finished 14th.


2007

In January 2007, Foyt signed with
Vision Racing Vision Racing was a racing team in the Indy Racing League founded in 2005 when Tony George purchased the assets of the defunct Kelley Racing and hired his stepson Ed Carpenter to be the driver. The team has previously raced in the Izod IndyCar ...
to return to the IRL for the 2007 season as well as drive with the team in the 2007
24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Flo ...
. On August 5, 2007, during the Firestone Indy 400, Foyt was involved in a seven-car accident in which
Dario Franchitti George Dario Marino Franchitti (born 19 May 1973) is a British motorsport commentator and retired motor racing driver from Scotland. Franchitti won the IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011; the Indianapolis 500 in ...
's vehicle was sent airborne and then came down on Foyt's car. While Foyt was uninjured, Franchitti's car left visible tire marks on Foyt's helmet. Foyt's crew was able to repair the car and get him back on the track where he completed enough laps to finish eighth. The following week at the Meijer Indy 300, Foyt's crew gave him great pit stops which allowed him to take to lead with ten laps remaining. Even though Foyt was passed a few laps later by
Tony Kanaan Antoine Rizkallah "Tony" Kanaan Filho (born 31 December 1974), nicknamed "TK", is a Brazilian racing driver who is the team principal of Arrow McLaren. He is best known for racing in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) from 1998 to 2002, an ...
and
Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a New Zealand racing driver who races the 9 Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) Dallara DW12-Honda car in the IndyCar Series. He is a six-time drivers' champion of the IndyCar Series, having claimed the title in ...
, he managed to hold on the rest of the way and drive to a career-best 3rd-place finish, the first Top-5 finish of his career. It was also the best finish in Vision Racing's team history, tying
Tomas Scheckter Tomas Scheckter (born 21 September 1980) is a South African former racing driver best known for his time in the IndyCar Series. Early years Scheckter was born in Monte Carlo to 1979 Formula One season, 1979 Formula One World Champion Jody Sche ...
's third-place finish at the
Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectat ...
in 2006.


2008

Foyt returned to be one of Vision Racing's drivers in the 2008 24 Hours of Daytona. He returned to the Vision team for the
2008 IndyCar Series The 2008 IndyCar Series was the 13th season of the IndyCar Series. It was the 97th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing. It began on March 29, 2008, and ended on September 7 after 17 point-scoring races, plus a non-champion ...
driving the No. 2 car that was formerly driven by
Tomas Scheckter Tomas Scheckter (born 21 September 1980) is a South African former racing driver best known for his time in the IndyCar Series. Early years Scheckter was born in Monte Carlo to 1979 Formula One season, 1979 Formula One World Champion Jody Sche ...
. On March 28, Foyt seemed to have earned a career best start for an
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...
race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the 2008 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 with the third best qualifying time. His
Vision Racing Vision Racing was a racing team in the Indy Racing League founded in 2005 when Tony George purchased the assets of the defunct Kelley Racing and hired his stepson Ed Carpenter to be the driver. The team has previously raced in the Izod IndyCar ...
teammate, Ed Carpenter also earned a career best start with the 2nd best qualifying time. However, both cars failed technical inspection, meaning they had to start at the rear of the field. Foyt drove his No. 2 entry from the last position (25th) to a ninth-place finish in the race. Two races later at
Twin Ring Motegi Mobility Resort Motegi (モビリティリゾートもてぎ) is a motorsport venue located in Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Originally Twin Ring Motegi (ツインリンクもてぎ), the venue's name came from the facility having two race ...
in Japan, Foyt had his first top-10 start of the season for the Indy Japan 300 when qualifying was rained out. The starting grid was based on driver points standings. Of the drivers there, Foyt was eighth in the championship points standings. He was helped with some drivers ahead of him racing in the
Grand Prix of Long Beach The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. It was the premier race on the CART/Champ Car Worl ...
. Foyt had contact with the wall, forcing him to retire from the race early, with a 15th-place finish. The following week at
Kansas Speedway Kansas Speedway (formerly known as Kansas International Speedway in initial planning and construction stages) is a tri-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The track, since its inaugural season of ...
, Foyt and his teammate Ed Carpenter shared the third row, with Foyt qualifying 5th. It was his best career start and second top-10 start in a row. In the RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300, Foyt had his chances of a high finish end as his car was caught in the pits when an accident involving
Buddy Rice Albert Lee "Buddy" Rice (born January 31, 1976) is an American former race car driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing. Career E ...
occurred. Foyt would drive to an eighth-place finish. Foyt's best finish of the season came in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 in June at the
Iowa Speedway Iowa Speedway is a oval short track in Newton, Iowa. Since its inaugural season of racing in 2006, the track has hosted a variety of racing events, including events sanctioned by NASCAR and IndyCar. NASCAR has owned the facility since 2013, wi ...
where he finished fifth. Foyt finished the season 19th in the points standings.


2009–2010

Vision Racing Vision Racing was a racing team in the Indy Racing League founded in 2005 when Tony George purchased the assets of the defunct Kelley Racing and hired his stepson Ed Carpenter to be the driver. The team has previously raced in the Izod IndyCar ...
was unable to secure sponsorship to run a second car in 2009, leaving Foyt out of a ride. He returned to the Foyt-Greer Racing team for the
2009 Indianapolis 500 The 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 24, 2009. It was the 14th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and the premier event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season. Hélio Ca ...
, driving the No. 41 vehicle. Foyt finished 16th on the lead lap as his teammate Vítor Meira was injured in a late-race crash.
Paul Tracy Paul Anthony Tracy (born December 17, 1968) is a Canadian professional auto racing driver who participated in Champ Car World Series, the IndyCar Series, and the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). He started kart racing at age five and quick ...
was drafted as the substitute driver for Meira at the next race, but Foyt stepped into the car for his home race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Ryan Hunter-Reay Ryan Christopher Hunter-Reay (born December 17, 1980) is an American professional racing driver best known as a winner of both the Indianapolis 500 (2014) and the IndyCar Series championship in 2012. He currently competes part-time in the IndyC ...
drove the car for the rest of the season and Texas would be Foyt's last race of 2009. In 2010, he was again entered in a second Foyt Enterprises car for the Indy 500. After the morning practice session on the final day of qualifying A. J. Foyt IV and his grandfather got in an argument regarding the car's setup resulting in the younger A. J. quitting the team. Jaques Lazier was drafted in on short notice to qualify the car but was not fast enough to make the field.


Post-racing career

Foyt has been employed by the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
since 2010 as a scouting assistant, and married Casey Irsay, the daughter of late owner
Jim Irsay James Stephen Irsay (June 13, 1959 – May 21, 2025) was an American billionaire businessman who was the principal owner, chairman, and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 1997 until his death in 2025. The ...
. He also went into partnership with his cousin
Larry Foyt Lawrence Joseph Roberds Foyt (born February 22, 1977) is an American former NASCAR and IndyCar driver and current team principal for A.J. Foyt Enterprises. He is the biological grandson and adopted son of A. J. Foyt, and a biological cousin (and ...
in the wine business following the conclusion of his racing career, opening the Foyt Wine Collective in May 2015, with locations in
Speedway, Indiana Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,952 at the 2020 census, up from 11,812 in 2010. Speedway, which is an enclave of Indianapolis, is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. H ...
,
Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg () is a city in and the county seat of Gillespie County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, this city had a population of 10,875. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frede ...
and
Sonoma County, California Sonoma County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 488,863. Its seat of government and largest city is Santa Rosa. Sonoma County comprises the Santa Rosa-Petaluma ...
with the support of
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 India ...
.


Motorsports career results


American Open-Wheel racing results

( key)


Indy Lights


IRL IndyCar Series

''Source:''A.J. Foyt IV Career Stats
, IndyCar.com
: : ''1 Run on same day.'' : ''2 Non-points paying, exhibition race.'' : ''3 Foyt was entered, practiced, and made a qualifying attempt on Pole Day, but failed to make the top 24. On Bump Day, he quit the team and was replaced by Jaques Lazier.''


Indy 500 results


NASCAR

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led; small number denotes finishing position.)


Busch Series


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foyt, A.J., Iv 1984 births Indianapolis 500 drivers Indy Lights champions Indy Lights drivers IndyCar Series drivers Living people NASCAR drivers Sportspeople from Harris County, Texas Racing drivers from Louisville, Kentucky Racing drivers from Texas Indianapolis Colts scouts International Kart Federation drivers People from Hockley, Texas USAC Silver Crown Series drivers A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers Andretti Autosport drivers Vision Racing drivers Irsay family Foyt family