Driver A.J. Foyt IV gets ready to go.





Foyt takes stock of his career path

By ANTHONY ANDRO

Fort Worth Star-Telegram


The name A.J. Foyt and open-wheel racing have been linked for decades.
After all, A.J. Foyt won four Indianapolis 500s and is a legend in the sport.

But that's not the A.J. Foyt who will be racing at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.

A.J. Foyt IV, the grandson of the legend, will make his TMS stock-car debut Saturday when he runs the Busch Series' O'Reilly Challenge.

Foyt, who raced for three years in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, is making his second Busch start of the year in preparation for a full-time run next year for Akins Motorsports, which has the backing of Ray Evernham.

And the 21-year-old Hockley resident will do so with the support of his grandfather, who raced occasionally in NASCAR and won the Daytona 500 in 1972.

"I told him I was going to get something going here, and he gave me the go-ahead," said Foyt, who will drive the No. 38 Dodge Charger. "He said he'll support me, and it's always great to have him behind me."

Foyt is getting a crash course in stock-car racing. After Akins Motorsports signed Foyt in early October, he made his Busch debut two weeks ago and finished 32nd after being involved in a pair of accidents. Including Saturday's race, he'll run in the final three events this year.

Foyt is hoping the change in series will get his career back on track. He won the IRL Infiniti Pro Series title in 2002 before moving up to the IndyCar Series in 2003. But in three years of racing for his grandfather, he finished no better than ninth in a race and 18th in the points.

"It was a great series and I had some good times there, but it seemed more bad than good," Foyt said. "One of the biggest things going now is NASCAR. The IRL is the top of the class in open-wheel, and the Busch Series is a steppingstone, but I think it's a step up for me."

It's also a different step. Foyt, who had the fastest Busch car in testing at TMS last Tuesday, is used to running wide open in the IRL. He is learning to back out of the throttle at the right time and getting a feel for the bigger cars. He had success at TMS, winning here in the Infiniti Pro Series. But he said nothing in the IRL cars can carry over in the Busch Series.

He's had to lean on the support of a strong team. Evernham Motorsports chose Foyt to be one of its developmental drivers, along with Erin Crocker. He's taking advantage of everything the team has to offer.

"We're willing to help him all we can, and hopefully he'll take that and maybe learn something from us," said Jeremy Mayfield, who races for Evernham Motorsports' Nextel Cup team. "It's a really tough transition. ... If he can do it, he'll definitely be a good driver."

While Foyt would eventually like to move up to the Cup Series, his current goals are simpler.

"We want to run hard and run good and get as many laps as we possibly can," said Foyt, who will move to North Carolina later this month. "We want to have some confidence and know what to expect for a full season.

"With Akins Motorsports and Ray Evernham, it's a great situation.

"Next year, we not only want it to be a learning process but do well and get into Victory Lane."