A. J. Foyt Enterprises

A.J. Foyt Enterprises is a racing team in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and formerly NASCAR. It is owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt. Foyt Enterprises won IRL titles in 1996 with Scott Sharp and 1998 with Kenny Bräck. Fielded a car for A.J's grandson A. J. Foyt IV and inadequate Chevrolet and Toyota engines, this led to average performances for the team from 2003 to 2005. In 2006 the team hoped to resurrect itself with experienced driver Felipe Giaffone and a more level playing ground brought by a spec engine. However, after a strong start to the season, the team struggled after the Indianapolis 500 and parted ways with Giaffone after the eighth race. Jeff Bucknum was brought in to fill the seat for the rest of the year.

For 2007 Foyt announced that Larry Foyt will take over as team manager with Darren Manning signed to drive the car. In addition, Al Unser, Jr. drove a second car in the 2007 Indy 500. Manning fared far better than any recent Foyt driver, finishing 13th in points with five top-tens.

Foyt Enterprises is once again fielding Darren Manning for the 2008 IndyCar Series season sponsored by ABC Supply Co. Foyt also entered a second car for the Indy 500 which was driven by Jeff Simmons in a one-race deal.

NASCAR

Foyt began fielding NASCAR teams in 1973 part-time, starting with the #50 Purolator Chevrolet. He drove for the team on a very limited schedule throughout the seventies, picking up one pole and nine top-tens. Ron Hutcherson was the first driver besides Foyt to drive the car, and later Johnny Rutherford drove for the team in 1978. In the 1980s, Foyt was almost the sole driver of the team, and with Valvoline sponsorship, switched to the #14 beginning with the 1983, and posted his final career top-five at Talladega two years later in the Copenhagen car. In 1989, Tracy Leslie drove for the team in a pair of races, finishing twentieth at Michigan International Speedway. Foyt did not drive in the 1991 season, letting Mike Chase compete instead, who finished no better than 25th. After that, Foyt did not field a team until the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, when he qualified fortieth and finished thirtieth in the #50. Foyt would attempt the Brickyard for the next two seasons, but did not qualify for either race, forcing his permanent retirement. During the 1999 season, rumors began spreading that Foyt would revive his defunct operation to compete in the Cup Series. After several months, it was announced that Foyt would hire rookie Mike Bliss as the driver of his #14 Conseco Pontiac Grand Prix. Bliss qualified for the Daytona 500, but after failing to qualify for the next three races, he was released and briefly replaced by Dick Trickle. After getting an offer from another team, Trickle would leave as well, and would be replaced by Rick Mast after he and several crew members left the bankrupt Larry Hedrick Motorsports team. Mast stayed with the team for the rest of the season, and had two top-tens. Foyt Racing also briefly expanded to a two-car team at the season finale, the NAPA 500, when they fielded the #41 for Foyt's son Larry, but did not make the race. In 2001, Ron Hornaday was selected as the team's driver, but he only posted one top-ten and was dismissed at the end of the season. That season, Foyt started a Busch team, the #14 Harrah's Chevrolet, driven by Larry Foyt. Despite failing to finish in the top-ten, Foyt finished 22nd in points overall. The team also ran a second car again at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with Mark Green driving, but did not qualify.

Following Hornaday's departure, Stacy Compton began driving for the team starting in 2002. After posting only three top-twenty finishes, Compton left the team, and P. J. Jones took over at the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen, and posted the team's best finish of fourth. Mike Wallace was then designated as driver, posting a tenth-place run at Bristol Motor Speedway. In the Busch Series, Foyt had two top-tens and improved one spot in the points. It had been originally announced Foyt would field two cars in 2003, with Wallace in the 14, and Larry Foyt in a second car with Harrah's sponsoring. Unfortunately, Conseco filed for bankruptcy, leaving only one car with Larry driving. The team also switched its Cup team to Dodge with engines provided by Evernham Motorsports. Foyt only qualified for twenty races with a best finish of sixteenth, and finished 41st in points. Harrah's left at the end of 2003, and Larry Foyt qualified for three races in 2004, but did not obtain major sponsorship, leaving the team inactive. Later in the season, Foyt would lease his owner's points to ppc Racing's new Cup team. A.J. Foyt Racing officially closed their Cup team in 2006, following an auction of the team's NASCAR equipment in August.

Drivers who have driven for A.J. Foyt Enterprises

CART

IRL

*flagicon|USA Donnie Beechler (2001-2002)
*flagicon|USA Billy Boat (1997-2000)
*flagicon|SWE Kenny Bräck (1998-1999)
*flagicon|USA Jeff Bucknum (2005-2006)
*flagicon|USA Robbie Buhl (1999)
*flagicon|BRA Airton Daré (2002-2003)
*flagicon|USA Paul Durant (1997)
*flagicon|USA A. J. Foyt IV (2003-2005)
*flagicon|USA Larry Foyt (2004-2006,2008)
*flagicon|BRA Felipe Giaffone (2005-2006)
*flagicon|USA Robby Gordon (2001)
*flagicon|BRA Marco Greco (1996)
*flagicon|USA Mike Groff (1996)
*flagicon|USA Davey Hamilton (1996-1997)
*flagicon|JPN Shigeaki Hattori (2003)
*flagicon|USA Richie Hearn (2002)
*flagicon|GBR Darren Manning (2007-2008 Current)
*flagicon|USA Greg Ray (1998, 2001-2002)
*flagicon|CHI Eliseo Salazar (2000-2002)
*flagicon|USA Scott Sharp (1996-1997)
*flagicon|USA Al Unser, Jr. (2007)
*flagicon|USA Jeff Ward (2000)

NASCAR

Cup Series

*flagicon|USA A.J. Foyt (1973-1974, 1977-1990, 1994)
*flagicon|USA Johnny Rutherford (1977)
*flagicon|USA Ron Hutcherson (1978)
*flagicon|USA Don Whittington (1980)
*flagicon|USA Tracy Leslie (1989)
*flagicon|USA Mike Chase (1991)
*flagicon|USA Mike Bliss (2000)
*flagicon|USA Rick Mast (2000)
*flagicon|USA Dick Trickle (2000)
*flagicon|USA Ron Hornaday (2001)
*flagicon|USA Stacy Compton (2002)
*flagicon|USA P.J. Jones (2002)
*flagicon|USA Mike Wallace (2002)
*flagicon|USA Larry Foyt (2003-2004)

Grand National Series

*flagicon|USA Larry Foyt (2001-2002)
*flagicon|USA Mark Green (2001)
*flagicon|USA Ronnie Hornaday (2001)
*flagicon|USA David Starr (2001)

Truck Series

*flagicon|USA Joe Bessey (1997)
*flagicon|USA Ken Schrader (1997)

USAC Silver Crown

*flagicon|USA Josh Wise (2006)
*flagicon|USA Tracy Hines (2007)
*flagicon|CHI Pablo Donoso (2007)

External links

* [http://www.foytracing.com Official Website]
* [http://www.racing-reference.info/owner?id=foyta.01 NASCAR Ownership Statistics]