Foyt IV to Vision Racing

[O&A Virus]

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.d...RTS01/701030485


By Curt Cavin
[email:1dz8zzaw]curt.cavin@indystar.com[/email:1dz8zzaw]

Tony George's Indy-car team is expanding with one of the sport's more familiar names.

George will hire A.J. Foyt IV to drive his team's third car during the upcoming Indy Racing League season. Foyt, the grandson of the legendary driver, said today he expects to sign the contract later this week and will move to Indianapolis to be near the Indy-based team.
Vision Racing, which George founded in 2005, also will employ Ed Carpenter and Tomas Scheckter this season, which begins March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"I've kind of been hounding him (about a ride) for quite a while," said Foyt of George. "At this point, I don't even know who the sponsor is or what the car number is."
Also today, Andretti Green Racing confirmed the expected signing of veteran driver Dario Franchitti.
Ironically, Foyt's only race in 2006 was in a relief role of Franchitti at AGR. Franchitti missed the season-ending race at Chicagoland Speedway after suffering a concussion in a vintage car accident in England. Foyt finished 14th.
Foyt has started 48 races in his Indy-car career, with three top-10 finishes in cars owned by A.J. Foyt Racing, a team he left last year to pursue a career in NASCAR. Franchitti will be returning for his 10th season.
Foyt was to meet with his new teammates later today in Daytona Beach, Fla., where he will co-drive a Daytona Prototype with Scheckter, Carpenter and George in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona later this month.
Foyt Racing will employ IRL veteran Darren Manning as its driver this season.

[Jonesi]

Your link didn't work for me, but this should, or people can get there from http://www.indystar.com front page.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/SPORTS01/701030485/1004/SPORTS

[millencolin]

the moving chicaine is back! crap....

[weeflyonthewall]

Desperate times call for desperate measures I suppose. I wonder what that cool guy in Indy thinks of this escapade.

[Civic]

I'd rather have Townsend Bell in the third Vision car.

[O&A Virus]

Desperate times call for desperate measures I suppose. I wonder what that cool guy in Indy thinks of this escapade.


Agreed, but I think its affecting all of American open wheel racing - just look at the the Champ Car grid the past few years. Most of those guys wouldn't have even sniffed a ride back in the 90s IMO (ex. Legge, Zwolsman, Heylen and Kasemets to name four hacks).

[Mark in Oshawa]

O&A, you have that right. The fact is, they hire a guy who his own family has written off (AJ isn't the easiest guy to work for, but you don't write off family without good reason), while people like Patrick Carpentier cant get a ride. We wont even go into other competant drivers out there who cant buy a break. Face it, with two weak series, you have a lot of hacks getting rides because the cash vacuum is so large that only ride buyers can get in.

What I don't get is why AJ? Tony could hire anyone for his cars. Ed Carpenter, that is family, so his competance will not be questioned, and he has Tomas there as his legitmate up and coming driver. What does AJ bring? Grandad wont let him run no more, he flunked NASCAR racing in about 10 minutes so who does AJ IV have pictures of? Heck, the only way you could lose more credability as a talent scout is if you hired Marty Roth to drive for you....

[E5C4P3]

What does AJ bring?

He wants to market the names Andretti, A.J. Foyt, and Danica.

[Mark in Oshawa]

E5, the kid is killing the good Foyt name with his inept driving. I can hear the interview he made after crashing out of the 500 last year, and he just doesn't seem to have a clue. Nothing I have seen from him changes my opinion. The kid does NOT have the Royal Jelly...

[Civic]

We'll see if he lasts out the year.

I wasn't paying attention but how was his performance at AGR?

[Mark in Oshawa]

AJ the fourth? ummm has he any results in the IRL that really speak well for his ability? Didn't he bail on the IRL last year to get a NASCAR gig? Now he is back.

[Jonesi]

We'll see if he lasts out the year.

I wasn't paying attention but how was his performance at AGR?

One race last of season, qualified 11th, finished 14th. Don't remember what the problem was.
As I've said before, a lot of decent drivers have done poorly in his Grandfather's cars, that I'll wait until he's in at least a mid-pack car before deciding if he can race.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Jonesi, while I share your thoughts on how his Grandfather cant run a modern race team to any successful conclusion, AJ the fourth's performance at Indy where he knocked out Junquiera sold me on the fact this guy is in over his head. He didn't get any offers from any other team of note in the IRL, and that said a lot to me. IF he is some diamond in the rough who can show speed, it would have been apparent by now. His lack of situational awareness on the race track is showing he is just hanging on for dear life....

[Alexamateo]

One race last of season, qualified 11th, finished 14th. Don't remember what the problem was.
As I've said before, a lot of decent drivers have done poorly in his Grandfather's cars, that I'll wait until he's in at least a mid-pack car before deciding if he can race.

I believe this is what happened. He outqualified all of AGR teammates. Then in the race, he stayed out on an early yellow and led some laps. He lost it on the green to Penske and Target cars. Another yellow never came so he lost a lap when he pitted and he never regained it. He finished behind Kanaan, and ahead of Herta and Marco in the teammate comparison.

[Mark in Oshawa]

ok, but why is he not back at AGR? From your description Alex, he didn't do a horrible job. However, whenever I turned on the TV for an IRL event, AJ usually was at the back and involved in a wreck sooner or later.

The kid has not managed to impress his grandfather, but then again, that is no surprise, AJ wont accept anyone but himself 30 years ago as a driver, but that said, if AJ has this talent, why didn't AGR keep him? To get Danica?

[Alexamateo]

Mark,

I don't know if he has talent or not, but for sure this is a make or break time. Vision's not a top team for sure, but they started running and qualifying better at the end of the season, and having teammates certainly gives you a benchmark to measure with.

AGR was a one-off probably to get an extra test day as he would be granted a refresher.

I don't know any of these people personally of course, and every family dynamic is different, but I think it's best not to work with family in their case, and I think they know it. Some families members can work together, some can't, from what I've seen they can't.

FWIW, I don't believe Foyt can run a modern professional team. All his wins as a driver for his own team were when his father AJ Sr. was running things. True, he won and was competitive in the early IRL years, but when the true professional teams arrived (Penske, Ganassi,AGR) His teams assumed their former place in the pecking order in the back. I think Foyt has now realized this with the naming of Larry to run things. Hopefully, they'll hire engineers etc. But it remains to be seen if this is truly the case.

[Mark in Oshawa]

You have that right that AJ cannot run a modern team. I saw him in the CART days at Toronto, and he ran the team with an iron fist, but it was obvious they had no engineer, just AJ's ability to cajole, yell and think. AJ however great a driver he was, is not set up to be an active man behind the pit wall.

AJ iv though I think was pushed too far too fast in his career. If he had a body of experience in IPS or Atlantics where he was one of the top guns against good competition, I think I would feel different, but I cant forget that every time it seemed I watched the IRL on TV, AJ iv was either in trouble or at the back. AS bad as his Grandfather's cars have been, he made errors that didn't indicate to me an awareness of what is going on the race track around him....

[weeflyonthewall]

Agreed, but I think its affecting all of American open wheel racing - just look at the the Champ Car grid the past few years. Most of those guys wouldn't have even sniffed a ride back in the 90s IMO (ex. Legge, Zwolsman, Heylen and Kasemets to name four hacks).

There are many drivers who'd prefer to race against those four 'hacks' than Foyt IV. You can put Junky at the top of the list. The reason Foyt didn't run Atlantics against them was becasue he knew he would get lapped by at least three of them - Zwolsman, Legge, and Kasemets. Grandpa couldn't take that kind of embarrassment.

[O&A Virus]

There are many drivers who'd prefer to race against those four 'hacks' than Foyt IV. You can put Junky at the top of the list. The reason Foyt didn't run Atlantics against them was becasue he knew he would get lapped by at least three of them - Zwolsman, Legge, and Kasemets. Grandpa couldn't take that kind of embarrassment.

You got me there, Legge doesn't run into other drivers. She destroys equipment like a champ, but she doesn't "run" into drivers.

[Mark in Oshawa]

O and A, the wing coming off is NOT her doing, but hey, why let a little thing like video tape of the incident get in the way of a good smear job eh?

[Mark in Oshawa]

Hey Starter, he had to bring it up!!!!I can divorce myself from talking about Champ Car on this side of the fence. The IRL is its own wonderfully wacky universe eh?