Foyt IV an Indy 500 longshot

After taking a sojourn in NASCAR, A.J. Foyt IV will attempt to capture a race his grandfather won four times this Sunday in Indianapolis. Michael Hickey/Icon SMI

Late in the summer of 2006, A.J. Foyt IV's career was at a standstill. Prospects for next season looked bleak. Then, out of the blue, Michael Andretti called.

Dario Franchitti had been injured driving in a historic event in England and Andretti wanted to know if Foyt would drive for him at the IndyCar Series finale at Chicagoland Speedway. Foyt jumped at it.

Foyt had spent three seasons in IndyCar but had decided to switch to NASCAR following '05. He signed a deal with Evernham Motorsports and plunged into the Nationwide Series, driving in four races to close out '05 and seven to begin '06. But, for reasons out of his and Ray Evernham's control, Foyt hadn't raced since April.

At Chicagoland, Foyt was solid, qualifying 11th for Andretti Green Racing. He was the fastest of the four AGR drivers, ahead of Tony Kanaan (13), Marco Andretti (14) and Bryan Herta (18), in his first time in an IndyCar in a year. AGR had been outraced badly by IndyCar's other two powerhouse teams, Penske and Ganassi, that season on the 1.5- and 2-mile tracks.

In the race, AGR, as it frequently did that season, decided to split the pit strategies in a way that might produce a win. Foyt stayed out during an early caution and led his initial three laps in IndyCar, but the strategy backfired when he had to pit under green and went two laps down. Foyt finished 14th.

It didn't matter. Foyt's speed in practice and qualifying, running ahead of his teammates, proved he could be competitive in IndyCar. Chicagoland became the pivotal race of his career.

When Vision Racing owner Tony George decided to expand, he hired Foyt, who is now in his second season with the team. He'll start on the inside of the 11th and last row Sunday in the 92nd Indianapolis 500.

"[Michael Andretti] gave me a chance and it really helped me out getting back to IndyCar," Foyt said. "I was always willing to come back with a good team."

You might recognize the name. Foyt IV is the grandson of the four-time Indy 500 winner as a driver and once as an owner and one of the greatest drivers in American history. A.J. Foyt Jr. also won the Daytona 500 and was selected as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers,

Foyt IV was his grandfather's protege, and it fast-tracked him to IndyCar. In his first full professional season in '02, Foyt won four of seven races and the championship in the Indy Racing League's development Firestone Indy Lights series. At 18, Foyt probably didn't have the experience to make the jump to IndyCar but there wasn't much to be gained by going back to Indy Lights. He was promoted into the famous No. 14 and raced three seasons with little success. Foyt's best finishes were a pair of ninths in '05.

The small and underfunded one-car Foyt team was overmatched against the multi-car Penske, Ganassi and Andretti Green outfits, who had access to more information and resources. Foyt IV also struggled on road courses, which IndyCar added in '05. After crashing out of St. Petersburg, Foyt was replaced by Jeff Bucknum for the road races at Infineon and Watkins Glen.

Foyt decided to try NASCAR and, on his own, made a deal with Evernham. There were no bad feelings between him and his grandfather, who thought the separation was necessary for Foyt IV to grow as a driver. Foyt and his grandfather remain close.

Evernham farmed out Foyt to Akins Motorsports. Like most open-wheel drivers, the transition was difficult for Foyt. He had three DNFs in the four '05 starts and was 33rd or worse in six of the seven 2006 races.

Braun Racing purchased Akins in April and it put Foyt out of a ride. Braun was a Chevrolet team and Foyt's contract with Evernham required he drive Dodges, which Akins used. Evernham scrambled to find a Dodge team to take Foyt, but wasn't successful with the exception of one DNQ with FitzBradshaw Racing.

Beyond giving Foyt a chance to drive again in IndyCar, Andretti's decision to hire Foyt was an endorsement of his talent. AGR had plenty of choices.

"He's got a lot of natural talent," Michael Andretti said in the release announcing Foyt would drive at Chicagoland.

George, better known as the CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and founder of the IRL, had started Vision as a one-car team with stepson Ed Carpenter driving in 2005 and recognized he needed more cars to be competitive. In addition to Foyt, George also brought Tomas Scheckter on board. Scheckter left after 2006, leaving Carpenter and Foyt as the team's two regular drivers.

Vision has been moving toward becoming a top-tier team. Foyt led 13 laps and finished third at Kentucky last season. This season, with the larger fields brought on by the Champ Car teams arrival, Foyt has been eighth at Kansas and ninth at Homestead.

"Tony has been putting in a great deal of effort, time and money to make us a top-notch team," Foyt said. "We've had top-fives [one by Foyt, two each by Carpenter and Scheckter] and we need to break that barrier and get that first win.

"Obviously, our expectation at Indy is to win the race. We need to stay on the lead lap early and work our way up."

Foyt and Carpenter are longshots. The smart money is on Gansssi's Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon, Penske's Helio Castroneves and AGR's Danica Patrick, Kanaan and Marco Andretti.

This will be Foyt's fifth Indy 500 and it coincides with his 24th birthday. He's got a seat in the game, which means he's got a shot to win if everything falls right. And if it doesn't, there's always next year and the years after that. Time is on his side.