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Larry Foyt is Winston Cup bound
from motorsport.com
3 June 2002
Busch Series driver Larry Foyt is content with his 2002 season so far. After only 14 events, the driver of the AJ Foyt Racing No. 14 has two top-10 finishes and is 16th in points. After the entire 2001 season, he had zero top-10s and was 21st in the overall standings.
"I think we're getting it better. We're up to 16th in driver points now, which my goal for this year is to be top-15. So I think if we can just keep going the direction we're going, we'll be okay."
Beyond the 2002 season, the second-generation driver hints at Winston Cup as a possibility. "It's got to where the Busch cars are almost just as expensive to run as the Cup cars. With the pay the way it is in Busch and Cup, it almost makes more sense to go to Cup. The big companies want to go to Cup to get that extra exposure."
Foyt's current sponsor, Harrah's, is currently in negotiations with him to make the move. "Harrah's definitely, I think their goals are to go to Winston Cup. I've been trying to fight it because I'm still pretty new to the stock cars, didn't really wanna move up to Busch as fast as I did. I've always kind of left it up to my dad. He's directed my career the way it's gone and I trust his judgment on that."
Don't get him wrong, although he seems apprehensive of the next step, he wants to move up. The driver simply wants to make sure he's prepared. "I want to go to Winston Cup for sure, that's my goal. But at the same time I want to be ready. I don't wanna go and struggle like we did in the Busch Series."
Aside from stock cars, Foyt, following in his father's footsteps, dreams of a win at the Indianapolis 500. "That's why I wanted to be a racecar driver. Those guys who drove there are my heroes. I haven't forgotten about Indy. We've talked about it; it's something I definitely want to do. Indy, to me, is still the biggest race in the world."
On top of his full-time Busch Series ride, Foyt, who carries a degree in communications, is the general manager at Foyt racing. "Stepping into that role wasn't something I wanted at this point in time. But I certainly wasn't happy with the way things were going. My dad is simply too busy with all the IRL stuff to be there that often. So he has to be able to have someone he can trust there and I didn't feel like that was happening. So that is why I stepped into that role."
For a guy who races, manages and is part of the Foyt Racing legacy, he says his main objective is "to get the Foyt name back being associated with winning the way it used to be." If he keeps up on the pace he's going now, he'll have no problem fulfilling those goals.
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