Condolences to the Foyt family on the passing of Lucy Foyt.
The following obituary is from A. J. Foyt Racing:
Lucy Foyt (1938 – 2023)
HOUSTON (April 5, 2023) — Lucy Foyt, wife of A.J. Foyt, passed away in a Houston hospital after a brief illness. She was 84.
Lucy had a special appreciation for life, always embracing new experiences, people, and challenges. There was never a dull moment being married to the auto racing legend; for nearly 68 years, Lucy was his rock, keeping him grounded as he ascended to superstardom in motorsports. Her steadfast support and amazing grace under pressure throughout A.J.’s career and post-career, which was marked by life-threatening injuries on several occasions, made it possible for him to stage the remarkable comebacks that added to his legendary status.
Houston was always home to Lucy, having been born in 1938 to beloved parents, Dr. L. Lynn Zarr and Elizabeth Zarr, and raised in River Oaks, a prominent enclave of the nation’s fourth largest city. During her time at Lamar High School, Lucy met Foyt and the two married in 1955, further laying their roots in the Houston community. Together, they raised three children, A.J. Foyt III, Terry and Jerry. Later on, they adopted their grandson Larry who is president of A.J. Foyt Enterprises, the Indy car racing team Foyt started in late 1965.
Always seen as beautiful and gracious, Lucy bonded three generations of the Foyt family, having four children, eight grandchildren, and 21 great grandchildren who adored her. She was able to watch them grow to achieve success, marry for love, and raise children, many of which are named after her with the most recent being Larry’s daughter Lucy who was born in January.
With a passion for culture, arts, and global travel, Lucy shared a broadened perspective and open mind about the world that motivated and inspired adventure to those around her. That legacy will live on through her family and influence more generations of Foyts to come.
With careful thought and consideration, funeral arrangements are pending.Post not marked as liked
A. J. Foyt Racing has signed Santino Ferrucci to a full ride for 2023 inn the NTT Indycar Series. Ferrucci has been a substitute driver the last couple of years for various teams and was on standby to fill in for Josef Newgarden for the Gallagher Grand Prix at IMS. The team has yet to announce whether Dalton Kellett will return.
The announcement from A. J. Foyt Rracing:
HOUSTON (Oct. 6, 2022) — Santino Ferrucci is once again a full-time driver in the NTT INDYCAR Series as he has been named to pilot the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet in 2023. Ferrucci is the latest hire for the legendary team, which will field the car from its Waller, Texas headquarters.
Last week, AJ Foyt Racing announced that Benjamin Pedersen would make his INDYCAR debut in a Chevrolet-powered Dallara fielded out of their Indianapolis race shop.
For the last two years, Ferrucci seemed to be the “go-to” guy when race teams needed a substitute
driver. While appreciative to receive the calls, Ferrucci is thrilled he won’t be available for subbing in 2023.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be back in the INDYCAR Series full-time,” said Ferrucci. “Being a part-time driver over the last two years has been hard for me, personally. I’m a racecar driver and I want to compete. Working with different teams has been exciting, and I’m proud that no matter which car I’ve raced, I’ve always shown speed and consistency. I couldn’t be more excited to join AJ Foyt Racing in the 14 Chevy. I can’t wait to make the best of it.”
Team President Larry Foyt consulted with his famous father about bringing Ferrucci into the fold for 2023. The senior Foyt had chatted with the curly-haired youngster on several occasions this year and liked his attitude.
Larry and A.J. Foyt at Indy in May. (AJ Foyt Racing Photo)
“I am thrilled to welcome Santino to the team,” Larry Foyt said. “He’s shown a knack for getting towards the front of the field, and I think he is a racer who moves forward on race day. A.J. sees the fire in him and has enjoyed their meetings together. I think Santino’s experience will help his rookie teammate as well, so he is a great addition to our roster.”
Ferrucci is equally enthused about the move to AJ Foyt Racing.
“It’s going to be a very unique opportunity to work with both A.J. and Larry closely to build a new program,” he said. “To race for a legend like A.J. Foyt — it’s a dream come true. I like to think of myself as an “old school” driver who likes loose race cars and gets behind the wheel of anything with four wheels and an engine. So driving for a guy like A.J., knowing that he drove everything throughout his career, it’s going to be a chance of a lifetime for me.”
Ferrucci chatted with Foyt at Texas Motor Speedway in the Spring.
The Connecticut native made his debut in America’s premier open wheel series in 2018 when Dale Coyne Racing tapped him to drive for Pietro Fittipaldi, who was injured in a sports car crash. Until then, Ferrucci had been focused on driving in Formula 1, having moved to Europe at the age of 14 to compete in various junior formulas. Ferrucci holds the record for the youngest British Formula 3 Series winner at the age of 16 and has also raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. He has also driven for the Haas F1 team as a development driver from 2017-2018.
“INDYCAR became my goal after leaving F1 in 2018,” Ferrucci revealed. “I finished up my season in Europe and was asked to fill in for Pietro (Fittipaldi) in the Detroit Grand Prix. I instantly fell in love with the cars, the style of racing and the people. That’s when I knew that INDYCAR needed to be my new home.”
Ferrucci signed a full season deal with Dale Coyne Racing in 2019 and earned Rookie of the Year honors in his first Indianapolis 500 after finishing seventh. Since, he has competed in three additional Indianapolis 500 races, and Ferrucci has never finished outside of the top-10. In 2020, Ferrucci had his best finish of fourth.
When a full season ride didn’t materialize in 2021, Ferrucci found himself in the role of an INDYCAR “supersub” driver. However, Ferrucci didn’t sit idle waiting for the phone to ring. He inked a deal to drive for Sam Hunt in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – making nine starts over the last two years. In just his second start, he had a career- best finish of 13th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Ferrucci participated in the 2021 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals where 300-plus midgets race over the course of six nights on a quarter-mile clay track inside the Tulsa, Okla. Expo Center. Ferrucci didn’t make it to the final 24 car field, but his debut in midgets was memorable enough that he’s interested in doing it again.
When Ferrucci was asked if his varied experience helped him to adapt quickly to the Indy car, he replied, “Yes and no. I’ve driven everything from dirt cars to stock cars to go-karts to Indy cars to F1 cars, and driving Indy cars demands a very unique driving style. It’s definitely the type of car where uncomfortable is fast — and it’s very hard to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
Apparently the 24-year-old has figured out how to enjoy being uncomfortably fast, as he added,
“There’s nothing like being on a short oval ripping through the gears three-wide at a place like Iowa Speedway or going 240mph at Indy. There’s just nothing like that in existence anywhere else in motorsports. Bring on 2023.”
And that is something his 87-year-old boss can appreciate.
(All photos credited to INDYCAR except where noted.)Post not marked as liked
For the second year in a row A. J. Foyt Racing will feature a rookie driver in one of their cars in the NTT Indycar Series. Benjamin Pedersen, winner of the Portland Indy Lights race in 2022, has a multi -year deal with team. The announcement for Foyt Racing:
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 28, 2022) – AJ Foyt Racing Team President Larry Foyt has hired Benjamin Pedersen, the 23-year-old Indy Lights veteran, to drive one of the team’s Chevrolet-powered Indy cars in the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series.
The agreement spans multiple seasons as the team plans to develop the young rookie and is aligned to a longer-term plan for AJ Foyt Racing.
“I’m super excited to get going with the team,” said Pedersen, a dual citizen (Danish and American) who was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, raised in Seattle, Wash. and is currently living in Indianapolis. “I’ve spent a lot of time this season with AJ Foyt Racing learning the ins and outs of making the jump to INDYCAR and it’s been really nice to do that in conjunction with my Indy Lights season. INDYCAR has been my target goal since I started open wheel racing in 2016. The racing, atmosphere, fans, events, tracks, etc. are all awesome.”
Foyt’s interest in the young rookie began early in the season when a trusted colleague suggested Pedersen to him. Pedersen and Foyt met, and Pedersen started shadowing the team, which included standing on the No. 14 pit box, monitoring the radio and intercom communication during the practices and races plus sitting in on team meetings.
“We are really looking forward to having Benjamin as part of the team,” Foyt said. “His enthusiasm is infectious, and he is 100% committed to INDYCAR, AJ Foyt Racing, and doing the best he can to win races. It’s been great to have him embedded with the team this past season, and everyone is excited to hit the ground running when testing begins. It is also great to have a multi-year program in place, which will help him and the team grow together.”
Pedersen moves to INDYCAR after two seasons in the Indy Lights Series where he claimed his first pole and victory at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway earlier this month. Having stood on the podium 11 times over the past two seasons, the young Dane spoke about the benefits of having participated in the top rung of the Road to Indy ladder series.
Pedersen enjoys the Champagne celebration after his Indy Lights Series victory in Portland. (INDYCAR Photo)
“The Indy Lights Series and car serves as the ultimate transition into INDYCAR,” he offered. “From a series perspective, Indy Lights goes to the INDYCAR events, so we share the same weekend format, points, rules, race director, etc. This makes the transition very natural to INDYCAR as all of these things will stay the same.
Pedersen in the Lights Series season opener in St. Petersburg where he finished second. (INDYCAR Photo)
“From a car perspective, I can say firsthand that the Indy Lights car is a great car to transition from since it really rewards pushing to a high limit and almost over-driving a bit on the peak of the tire.”
Pedersen, who tested an Indy car for another team several months ago, noted the differences between the two formulas.
“When I had my debut Indy car test a few months ago, it was a very successful day topping the time charts and I found it very natural to transition into the Indy car,” said Pedersen, whose car will operate out of Foyt’s Speedway, Ind. shop. “The biggest differences were the brakes, dampers, tires, and aero. You have a much higher sensation of grip compared to the Indy Lights car and I actually felt the Indy car was a bit easier to drive in many regards. The carbon brakes are the biggest difference, and they allow you to brake so late and hard, and when combined with all the other things mentioned above, it’s nearly impossible to lock the brakes on the initial brake phase due to how much grip there is. It’s just a really enjoyable car to drive that really rewards attacking the brakes and also asking a lot of the tire laterally (side to side).”
The team will begin testing in Januaryas they prepare for the 2023 season which will open on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. on Sunday, March 5th.
Pedersen indulges in an ice cream – straight from the Foyt Racing ice cream freezer chest – along with crew members O’Ryan Bosek (left) and Jeremy Levenson. The Freezer filled with assorted Good Humor ice cream and ice pops has become a popular staple in Foyt’s Indy 500 garage.
INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 2, 2022) – INDYCAR officials have announced a six-position starting grid penalty for the entries of No. 2 Team Penske and No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises for unapproved engine changes following the Saturday, Aug. 20 race at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The teams were in violation of:
Rule 16.2.3.2 A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.
According to Rule 16.6.1.2, the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the Grand Prix of Portland Sunday, Sept. 4 at Portland International Raceway.
Dalton Kellett, driver of the number4 car for A. J. Foyt Racing, will serve a six place grid penalty in Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix for an unapoproved engine c hange before the Indianapolis 500.
The announcement from Indycar:
INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, June 3, 2022) – INDYCAR officials have announced a six-position starting grid penalty for the No. 4 AJ FOYT RACING entry for an unapproved engine change before the start of the 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.The team was in violation of:Rule 16.5.4. Once an Indianapolis 500 Engine is fitted to the Car, removal of the Engine prior to the Indianapolis 500 Race is an Unapproved Engine Change-Out, unless it is for Repair.According to the rulebook, the penalty for such a change at the Indianapolis 500 comes at the series’ next event, which is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday, June 5.
ABC Supply Unveils Homes For Our Troops-Themed Indy 500 Car and $1 Million Donation Match
BELOIT, Wis.—May. 9, 2022—When drivers start their engines at the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, race fans will see a new look for the No. 11 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet — and have a chance to make a million-dollar impact that supports military Veterans. Homes For Our Troops (HFOT), a nonprofit that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans to enable them to rebuild their lives, will be gifted the design of the Indy car by its sponsor, ABC Supply, to bring awareness to their mission. ABC Supply will also match all donations made to HFOT — up to $1 million total — from Saturday, May 21, through Monday, May 30.
A longtime supporter and friend of AJ Foyt Racing, ABC Supply continues its sponsorship of the team
in the Indy 500 while bringing attention to HFOT’s important work. With nearly 90 percent of its donations going directly to building homes and rebuilding lives, HFOT rarely advertises and relies on word-of-mouth awareness. The visibility at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will showcase their mission to a national audience. The car’s stars and stripes design celebrates American pride and prominently features the HFOT mission of “Building Homes. Rebuilding Lives.”
To date, HFOT has built and donated over 330 homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans. After the homes are built, the relationships between HFOT and their Veterans continue — the organization provides a pro-bono financial planner to assist with budgeting, homeownership education, a peer mentoring program and more.
“We are thrilled ABC Supply is choosing to spotlight Homes For Our Troops through this initiative,” says HFOT President and CEO Tom Landwermeyer. “In addition to generating revenue, it will raise much
needed awareness about our mission. ABC Supply has been a tremendous partner and we are grateful for their commitment to our mission of Building Homes and Rebuilding Lives.”
ABC Supply Co. Inc., the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding and other select exterior building products, has been a multimillion-dollar supporter of HFOT since 2020.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be back at the Indy 500 with AJ Foyt Racing and raise awareness for
our friends at Homes For Our Troops,” says Mike Jost, chief operating officer of ABC Supply. “HFOT is an incredible organization and we’re honored to play a part in bringing more attention to the great work they do.
“I think the fans will love it, and I think the fans will be so happy to see the American flag — especially
with our team,” says A.J. Foyt. “I would like to thank ABC Supply for supporting Homes For Our Troops. It’s great.”
“To support this organization at the Speedway, bring attention to Veterans and some of the challenges that they face, and to highlight the things that people and organizations like Homes For Our Troops are
doing to give them opportunities to better their lives is such a special thing to be able to be a part of,” says J.R. Hildebrand, driver of the No. 11 car.
Learn more about the “Homes For Our Troops” Indy car and how the organization is supporting Veterans.
ABC Supply Unveils Homes For Our Troops-Themed Indy 500 Car and $1 Million Donation Match
BELOIT, Wis.—May. 9, 2022—When drivers start their engines at the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, race fans will see a new look for the No. 11 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet — and have a chance to make a million-dollar impact that supports military Veterans. Homes For Our Troops (HFOT), a nonprofit that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans to enable them to rebuild their lives, will be gifted the design of the Indy car by its sponsor, ABC Supply, to bring awareness to their mission. ABC Supply will also match all donations made to HFOT — up to $1 million total — from Saturday, May 21, through Monday, May 30.
A longtime supporter and friend of AJ Foyt Racing, ABC Supply continues its sponsorship of the team
in the Indy 500 while bringing attention to HFOT’s important work. With nearly 90 percent of its donations going directly to building homes and rebuilding lives, HFOT rarely advertises and relies on word-of-mouth awareness. The visibility at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will showcase their mission to a national audience. The car’s stars and stripes design celebrates American pride and prominently features the HFOT mission of “Building Homes. Rebuilding Lives.”
To date, HFOT has built and donated over 330 homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans. After the homes are built, the relationships between HFOT and their Veterans continue — the organization provides a pro-bono financial planner to assist with budgeting, homeownership education, a peer mentoring program and more.
“We are thrilled ABC Supply is choosing to spotlight Homes For Our Troops through this initiative,” says HFOT President and CEO Tom Landwermeyer. “In addition to generating revenue, it will raise much
needed awareness about our mission. ABC Supply has been a tremendous partner and we are grateful for their commitment to our mission of Building Homes and Rebuilding Lives.”
ABC Supply Co. Inc., the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of roofing, siding and other select exterior building products, has been a multimillion-dollar supporter of HFOT since 2020.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be back at the Indy 500 with AJ Foyt Racing and raise awareness for
our friends at Homes For Our Troops,” says Mike Jost, chief operating officer of ABC Supply. “HFOT is an incredible organization and we’re honored to play a part in bringing more attention to the great work they do.
“I think the fans will love it, and I think the fans will be so happy to see the American flag — especially
with our team,” says A.J. Foyt. “I would like to thank ABC Supply for supporting Homes For Our Troops. It’s great.”
“To support this organization at the Speedway, bring attention to Veterans and some of the challenges that they face, and to highlight the things that people and organizations like Homes For Our Troops are
doing to give them opportunities to better their lives is such a special thing to be able to be a part of,” says J.R. Hildebrand, driver of the No. 11 car.
Learn more about the “Homes For Our Troops” Indy car and how the organization is supporting Veterans.
Tatiana Calderon seems to have found some pace at Long Beach. She attributes the improvement to her training regimen and adjustments to the car. She hopes returning to natural road courses will give her confidence a boost.
“I trained quite hard physically for Long Beach, changed my routine even changed a few things in the car that I was not that comfortable with. Finding some setup stuff that I feel more confident now and I’m happy to be bac on a permanent track that I’m more used to and exploring the limit of the car. “
Calderon, a rookie with A. J. Foyt Racing, said her first Indycar race was a shock because it was the first time she had spent more than 20 laps in a row in the car.
She is most familiar with natural, permanent road course and is looking forward to this afternoon’s practice.
“First practice, the goal is to be as prepared as possible for qualifying. And I think step by step getting confidence. This is a completely different setup. type of track to the ones previously so it’s going to be very different. And I hope that I can just maybe be quicker, straight away so that I have this new work for tomorrow’s practicing.”
Tatiana Calderon at Long Beach Phot by Chris Jones
“Certainly, I think, you know, knowing in your mind that you will be go leaping into a corner you’re not facing the worst. You’re you’ve got your back on I think that that gives you an extra feel of confidence to explore the limit a little bit more I think I’m more comfortable with that. So hopefully that’s a good sign.”
For the rest of the season, Calderon is looking forward to several tracks.
“Obviously Indianapolis has that history that it has. I’ve never been around it in any type of car so that’s very interesting. And Road America seems like very big elevation changes. A certain flow that we like and Mid Ohio because that’s the only track I’ve been through in an IndyCar where I just did my test for the first time.”
In a not shocking announcement, A. J. Foyt Racing confirmed J. R. Hildebrand as the oval driver for the number 11 ROKit car which Tatiana Calderon drives on the street and road courses. Hildebrand drove for Foyt in the 2021 Indianapolis 500. He will be a great mentor to rookie Kyle Kirkwood.
The announcement from the team:
INDIANAPOLIS (March 11, 2022) — J.R. Hildebrand has been signed to drive the No. 11 ROKiT Chevrolet on the oval tracks in the NTT INDYCAR Series this season. The 34-year-old Boulder, Colorado resident will share the car with Tatiana Calderón, of Bogota, Colombia, who is driving the No. 11 ROKiT Chevy on the road and street circuits.
“I’m excited to have this opportunity to get back in the car, do a little more racing, and work with the AJ Foyt Racing squad again,” said Hildebrand. “Although the results may not have looked special on paper, I was really impressed by what we accomplished last year at the 500 and look forward to attacking these other ovals on the IndyCar schedule alongside Kyle and Dalton.”
The first of five races for Hildebrand will be the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 20. He will also compete in the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Hy-Vee doubleheader at Iowa Speedway in July and the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway in August.
Last year, Hildebrand signed with AJ Foyt Racing to drive the team’s fourth entry in the Indianapolis 500 with sponsorship from Foyt’s longtime sponsor ABC Supply. He qualified 22nd and finished 15th, the highest finisher on the four-car team.
A.J. Foyt shares an anecdote with J.R. Hildebrand last year in the Foyt garage at Indy.
“We had a great experience working with J.R. last year, and there is no doubt he is very competitive at Indianapolis,” said Team President Larry Foyt. “He is still very motivated to drive Indy cars and is a setup-savvy, technical driver who will be a strong addition at our oval races this year.”
Hildebrand scored his career best finish of second as a rookie in 2011, the Centennial Running of the Indianapolis 500. It was a bittersweet finish for the then 23-year-old who had taken the lead with two laps to go. Passing a lapped car, his car pushed high and tapped the outside wall which slowed him enough to allow Dan Wheldon to win the historic event. In 11 Indy 500 starts, Hildebrand has qualified in the top-10 four times and posted four top-10 finishes.
The 2009 Indy Lights champion has started in 66 INDYCAR races and claimed 17 top-10s including seven top-5s, three of which were on the podium.
The XPEL 375 will be broadcast live on NBC starting at 12:30 p.m. ET. Qualifying will be held on Saturday and streamed on Peacock starting at 2 p.m. ET.
Hildebrand drove the No. 1 ABC Supply Chevrolet in last year’s Indianapolis 500. The livery was designed to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Foyt’s first of four Indy 500 victories in 1961.
