This biography is from Larry's Official Site
I plan to write my own shortly. :o)
|
Full Name: |
Larry Joseph Foyt |
|
Birthdate: |
February 22, 1977
|
| Age: |
26 |
| Height/Weight: |
5'9" / 170 lbs. |
| Hometown:
|
Houston, Texas
|
|
Residence:
|
Cornelius, N.C.
|
| Marital Status: |
Single |
| Hobbies: |
Volleyball, golf, tennis, video games, books and movies
|
|
Education:
|
Texas Christian University, Ft. Worth, Texas (B.A. -
Communications) |
|
|
Personal Notes: Graduated from Texas Christian University in
May 2000 with a degree in communications; has attended every Indy
500 since his birth; enjoys playing video games. |
Throughout his racing career Larry Foyt has proven to be a driver who accepts
challenge, the bigger the better. Without a doubt, he is facing his biggest
challenge to date this season.
For the
past two years he was the only driver-owner in the NASCAR Busch Series. This
year, he sheds that distinction to enter the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as the
driver of the No.14 Harrah’s Dodge Intrepid owned by his father A.J. Foyt.
For the
26-year-old rookie--in just his third full season of NASCAR stock car
competition--the step up to NASCAR’S premier series is as ambitious as it is
exciting.
“I have
always left the major career moves up to my father,” young Foyt said. “I trust
his insight and I am happy that he has the confidence in my ability to take this
next step.
“Initially, I wanted to remain in the Busch Series for another year but after a
couple of test sessions in the new car, I am really excited about the
possibilities this year holds for our team,” Foyt said.
In
preparation for his son’s entry into Winston Cup, the senior Foyt made a number
of changes within his Winston Cup team, chief among them, switching from Pontiac
to Dodge and enlisting Ray Evernham Motorsports to build the engines.
“I
needed to make some changes within my team because I wasn’t satisfied with the
overall performance,” A.J. Foyt said. “We had some good races but we never found
the consistency we needed to stay in the top positions. I believe the changes
I’ve made will lead to much better performances and a much needed consistency
throughout the season.”
A.J.
hired Mike Chase, a former driver who most recently worked as a shock specialist
in the NASCAR Busch Series, as the team’s general manager. Chase, a native
Californian and multi-time stock car champion on the West Coast who built and
drove his own cars, has known A.J. since the late 1980’s. Foyt hired Chase to
drive his Winston Cup car in a couple of races. The two have remained friends
ever since.
“One of
the big advantages with Mike is that he is a former driver,” Larry said. “When
we tested over the winter, we really hit it off because he understood what I was
feeling in the car and with his mechanical background; he can explain why the
car reacts certain ways. I know I am going to learn a lot this year.”
A.J. also hired Craig “Butch” Lamoreux as the crew chief.
Lamoreux spent eight of his 13 years in NASCAR working under Ray Evernham.
In his
new role as driver only, Larry happily relinquishes the title of owner.
“I’m
looking forward to being able to concentrate entirely on driving this year,”
Larry said. “I learned a lot about running a team but it can wear you out. My
father will keep me involved in the major decisions because this is our
business, but I am relieved I won’t have to deal with the personnel issues that
arise.”
Foyt’s
two years in the NASCAR Busch Series as owner-driver were impressive given his
lack of stock car racing experience.
“It was
a sink or swim experience for me,” Larry said, “and at times, I had some doubts
about keeping my head above water. But I got through it and I’m stronger and
smarter for it, as a driver and as a businessman.”
Last
year, Foyt qualified in the top-10 three times, with two starts in the top-five.
He finished in the top-10 twice with a best finish of eighth at Talladega
Superspeedway in the spring. Overall he posted five top-15 finishes and nine
top-20s.
In his
rookie Busch season, his best start was fifth at Michigan and his best finish
was 12th at Talladega. He posted five top-20 finishes.
After
making the jump from open-wheel racing to stock cars in 2000, Larry Foyt spent a
season in the American Speed Association (ASA) -- leading laps in numerous
events, while earning one pole and posting 10 top-10 starts and four top-10
finishes.
Foyt
never thought there was an opportunity to pursue motor sports as a career
because A.J. was always against his children racing. Larry grew up playing
sports like basketball, baseball and soccer. In fact, the only race he attended
regularly was the
Indianapolis 500 to
support his father. It wasn’t until he was a freshman in high school that he
became interested in driving race cars.
“It’s
easy for my kids to look at the success I’ve had and think, yeah I’d like to do
that,” said A.J., Indy’s first four-time winner. “But I look back at some of
the accidents I’ve had, the scars I have now and the friends I’ve lost over the
years, and I think, who would want that for their kids? I had to do it because
I didn’t know anything else. My success gave my kids choices -- like a college
education. That’s what I wanted for my kids and I tried to insist on it.”
In
1993, with his mother Lucy’s help, Larry was given the permission to purchase
his first go-kart, an Emmick chassis with a 100cc-engine. He won the second
race he entered at Gulf Coast Kartway near Houston in 1995. A year later, he
advanced to the 125cc-shifter karts, and won the Texas State Championship.
Since
racing was contingent upon completion of a college education, Foyt graduated
with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Fort Worth’s Texas Christian
University in 2000. A.J.’s vigilance could not compare to his youngest son’s
desire and talent in the sport.
Foyt
raced a selected USAC Formula 2000 Series schedule, competing on the oval tracks
where his father’s Indy car team was racing the same weekend. The brief
schedule made it tough to be competitive with teams who ran nearly 20 times a
year; however Foyt recorded his best finish of fourth place at Phoenix
International Raceway.
His
finest performances were in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
Formula 2000 road racing events in 1999, where he consistently won or finished
second. He also earned his Indy car license after several test sessions with
his father’s IRL team, turning a best lap at more than 211 mph. During the same
year, Foyt was involved in the most serious wreck of his career at Atlanta Motor
Speedway, an incident which provided the catalyst for his move to stock car
racing.
Challenging for a top-five position, Foyt’s wheel was hit by another car, which
propelled him into a horrifying flip. When the car landed, another car clipped
him and his car burst into flames as it slid towards the wall.
“Right
before it happened, I had a bad feeling,” Larry said. “I said to myself, ‘We’re
all not going to come out of this.’ Afterward when I felt the heat, I got out
of the car pretty quick and lay down. I remember lying there and seeing A.J.
standing over me and that’s when I thought I might have been dead.’”
“I was
scared,” A.J. recalled. “It looked bad and he was very lucky. After that, I
started to think about getting Larry into something else.
“ASA
was a great experience for him. When the opportunity to become a driver-owner in
the Busch Series presented itself with a Harrah’s sponsorship, Larry accepted
that challenge readily and did a great job. Now it is up to me to provide him
with the team he needs to be successful in Winston Cup.”
For the
Foyts, father and son, meeting challenges head on is what they do best.
