A.J. Foyt The Greatest Racer of All Time
When A.J. Foyt was five years old, he challenged a professional racer to an impromptu match race . . . and won. From that moment on victory was expected, excellence assumed.
Anthony Joseph “A.J.” Foyt Jr. is one of the greatest race car drivers in history—some would argue the best—and he has the statistics to back it up. He was the first to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, he has the most wins in Indy car races and championships of any driver, and he still holds the world closed-course speed record that he set more than thirty-five years ago.
Numbers alone can’t begin to tell Foyt’s story. Through tireless research and extensive interviews with the biggest names in motorsports, author Art Garner has compiled an unprecedented look at the life and career of one of America’s most popular sports heroes.
The AJ Foyt book captures Foyt’s journey from a cocky five-year-old to a brash competitor and offers fresh insight and details about the battles off and on the track that defined one of America’s biggest personalities. Every moment is captured, from Foyt’s unbridled comments about what it truly takes to be at the top of your game, his propensity to stuff journalists he didn’t like into garbage cans, and the long list of people he simply punched in the mouth.
"This biography lives up to any expectations or hopes you might have had for the ultimate A.J. Foyt bio."
"Fans will love this AJ Foyt book. And if anywhere in these pages it says A.J. hates me, I know he doesn’t anymore. That was a few decades ago. Today we’re BFFs."
—Mario Andretti
"Garner is one of automotive journalism’s most gifted storytellers . . . An effort this comprehensive to tell [Foyt's] story is both overdue and much welcomed."
"As someone who has spent a lot of time studying A.J. and Indy car racing, I give this book my highest recommendation."
—John Oreovicz, author of Indy Split
Aldo Andretti and Mario Andretti lean in to hear what A.J. Foyt has to say after he led the first ninety-seven laps at the Hoosier Hundred only to snap a brake pedal and finish second. “I asked him why he was using his brakes,” Mario recalled. “I think it pissed him off.” Revs Institute, The Bruce R. Craig Photograph Collection
A.J. Foyt collects on a twenty dollar bet from J.C. Agajanian after winning his first Indy car race on September 5,1960, at the Du Quoin Fairgrounds in Illinois. Revs Institute, The Bruce R. Craig Photograph Collection, photograph by C.V. Haschel
Car owner John Mecom chats with A.J. Foyt during the 1965 Bahamas Speed Week and Phil Hill (right) chimes in. The Henry Ford, David Friedman Collection
A.J. Foyt, the first Indianapolis 500 four-time winner in Victory Lane. IMS Photography Archive
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