Take 5 With A.J. Foyt

No one calls him Anthony, Tony, or Junior.

- John Pearley Huffman

Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. is always “A.J.” and, occasionally, “Super Tex.” And those initials don’t just represent his name but a certain kind of male American swagger. It’s the sort of confidence that can seem increasingly rare.

He is the alpha amongst America’s most storied and versatile generation of race-car drivers. Mario Andretti has a Formula 1 championship, but he only won the Indy 500 once. A.J. has four Indy wins. Parnelli Jones, Richard Petty, Mark Donohue, and the Unser brothers all achieved amazing records, but all of them together can’t equal A.J.’s astonishing achievements in so many different motorsport disciplines.

As 2016 winds down, 2017 brings with it significant milestone anniversaries for Foyt. In February, it will be 45 years since he won the 1972 Daytona 500. In May, it will have been 50 years since he won his second Indy 500. The 40th anniversary of his second straight International Race of Champions series win seems almost obscure in that company. In July, it will have been 50 years since he and co-driver Dan Gurney utterly dominated the entire 24 Hours of Le Mans in the spectacular Ford GT40 Mark IV. A victory that remains the only overall win at that event for American drivers in an American car.

Keep in mind that 1967 wasn’t just Foyt’s best Le Mans finish, it was the only time he ever raced in that event. So he’s a perfect one-for-one in what is considered by many to be the world’s greatest race.

In fact, A.J. Foyt is the only driver to have won the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And at 81, the team he owns is still actively campaigning in the IndyCar series.

HRM] The 50th anniversary of your win at Le Mans in 1967 is approaching. You won the Indianapolis 500 that same year. Which was the bigger thrill?