A J Foyt is an American retired auto racing driver….who has raced in numerous genres of motorsports…..with his open wheel racing including the United States Automobile Club Champ cars, sprint cars and midget cars….plus, he raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC….while having won several major sports car racing events….whereas he holds the USAC career wins record with 159 victories….along with the American championship racing career wins record with 67.
His father was an auto-mechanic who owned and raced midget race cars as a hobby. Foyt’s father built A.J. a toy racer with a lawnmower engine when he was five years old…..as Tony recalled that when he and his wife left an eleven year old A.J. home to attend a race….they returned to find the boy had done considerable damage to the home driving the family’s other race car in the yard….while causing the car’s engine to catch on fire. While angry, Dad Tony did accept the likelihood of A.J. having a future as a driver.
