win/win for the Foyts????

[Vogler fan]

Looks like there's a good possibility that IV is going to the Busch series next year. Good for him change of scenery and fresh air should do him good. The quote on the NASCAR home page about wanting to race in a car that he has a chance to win each weekend should about do it for his relationship with Granddad. Granted this is a true statement, you must wonder what AJ thinks about that.
Now with a seat open and a driver dieing to get in an Indy car full-time, I hope he givers Larry a go at it. Anybody that has met Larry knows the guy is passionate about Indy cars. Seems to have just as much talent as Quattro; they’re always around the same speeds at Indy. Larry even gets less practice since he is Indy only. Plus Larry has move experience, driving NASCAR for a few years and I believe came up through the FF2000 series and maybe some SCCA experience as well.
I think Larry even handles AJ a little better and just kind of laughs off the a$$ chewing’s they get from him.
I would love to see this happen. In my past two years hanging out in the garages at Indy, there's not a better guy or more passionate driver than Larry Foyt.

[indyracefan]

...while I would love to see Larry in a full-time open-wheel ride, I suspect that if IV goes Busch racing AJ will shut down his racing operation.

[Vogler fan]

...while I would love to see Larry in a full-time open-wheel ride, I suspect that if IV goes Busch racing AJ will shut down his racing operation.

I believe is ABC supply deal is for two more years. I heard 3 years, 9 million dollars. If cost controls are put in place I don't see why he would quite.

[indyracefan]

I believe is ABC supply deal is for two more years. I heard 3 years, 9 million dollars. If cost controls are put in place I don't see why he would quite.

...I hope you're right.

[lkchris]

The quote on the NASCAR home page about wanting to race in a car that he has a chance to win each weekend should about do it for his relationship with Granddad. Granted this is a true statement, you must wonder what AJ thinks about that.

Granddad disses Toyota every chance he gets. He knows the score.

[Radny]

I'm not a big AJ fan, but would like to see him stay. I like Larry better than IV also. Another possibility might by Giaffone, if he doesn't want to put Larry in the car.

[irlricefan13]

Why has Indy car racing has to let these guys go but employ some road racers like Ryan Briscoe, who crash in every race. AJ Foyt IV is very talented and could be just as successful as his grandfather in the 60s or 70s if he had a good ride.

[Z28]

...while I would love to see Larry in a full-time open-wheel ride, I suspect that if IV goes Busch racing AJ will shut down his racing operation.

I believe in addition to driving AJ's stock car Larry Foyt managed the operation, which took a little away from his driving but he would be knowledgable enough to give guidance to Anthony about getting into the right situation for him. Larry being more mature might be better able to handle AJ and maybe get him to look at a computer and engineer.

[Jimmy Hendricks]

If it happens, its another real bad deal for the IRL. But, with the current direction the league seems to be taking, I wouldn't be a bit surprised that Grandpa is actually pushing for this to happen. I say there is no way that AJ keeps his IRL team going full-time without Anthony. He will still enter cars at Indy, but that would likely be it.

If Foyt IV does well in Busch with Evernham (and with his operation, is there any doubt he will eventually do well), he will become (yet another) open-wheeler that will make his/her permanent home down south. He could join the list that includes the following (all former open-wheelers that "just didn't want it bad enough" to be long-time, marketable IRL/CART stars) that all have migrated (or been forced to migrate south in the past 15 years):

1. Jeff Gordon
2. Tony Stewart
3. Casey Mears
4. John Andretti
5. Kasey Kahne
6. Ryan Newman
7. JJ Yeley
8. Tyler Walker
9. Bobby East
10. Tracy Hines
11. Aaron Fike
12. AJ Fike
13. Kraig Kinser
14. Erin Crocker (who actually has won a race in her life)
15. Swindell's kid
16. Carl Edwards
17. Kyle Krisiloff
18. Sarah Fisher
19. Boston Reid
20. Kenny Irwin Jr (RIP)
21. Jason Leffler
22. Probably a few more I can't remember right now...

Some can make fun all they want of Foyt's race team and take pot shots at Anthony (some of which are well deserved), but in American open-wheel racing, the 3 most famous names are Foyt, Andretti and Unser (and 4th place ain't even close). The absolute smartest thing that the league SHOULD do in the next couple of years is make sure that Anthony, Marco and Al III are all in their series and all in stable, well run (i.e. winning) operations for years to come. Of course, it probably makes too much sense to ever happen....

[Vogler fan]

Why wouldn't Grandpa keep this going for his son Larry? They would love to run two cars this year if Larry could find sponsorship. If IV goes, well they have a sponsor ready for Larry. And you mention if the league keeps going in the same direction, well it doesn't sound like that's the case with the new engine specs with independent builders.
To me if Grandpa is pushing for it, he's doing it because it 's best for IV. He's over his head and not getting better. He can go to a feeder series like Busch, make just as much money and get the experience he needs. I don't think he'll ever end up in NASCAR, so it will be a few years in Busch and he'll either call it quits, or Grandpa rescue's him back to openwheel.
One thing you can be certain of is Larry's loyalty and love for openwheel. He's not a very big fan of stock cars.

[Jimmy Hendricks]

Why wouldn't Grandpa keep this going for his son Larry?

He can go to a feeder series like Busch, make just as much money and get the experience he needs. I don't think he'll ever end up in NASCAR, so it will be a few years in Busch and he'll either call it quits, or Grandpa rescue's him back to openwheel.

My perception of Larry (and this might be different from yours), is that he is more into the business side of racing than he is the actual racing part of it. Many have said that once AJ is gone, that Larry would be a natural to take over and run the operation. I also think that both AJ and Larry have come to the realization that Larry might just not have the talent or the drive to be a big-time race driver (again just my perception) and he is much more comfortable in other aspects of the race team. I think that AJ still has a lot of hope for Anthony and sees, at least, enough to show him that he might have what it takes to become a big-time race driver. I also think that AJ might have come to the realization that AJ's IRL team may not be helping Anthony show whether or not he can cut the mustard as a racer. And, I know that AJ has to be fed up with the current state of the IRL and what could lie ahead for the series.

Unfortunately, if Anthony goes to Busch full-time with Evernham, 3 scenarios are likely to happen:

1. He does well with Evenham and shows enough talent to help him get a full-time Cup ride with Ray (or another Cup owner). His IRL career (besides the possibility of a Indy one-off is over.

2. He does well with Evernham and shows enough talent to get his Grandad and Larry into NASCAR as team owners for him. His IRL career (besides the possibility of a Indy one-off) is over.

3. He doesn't do well with Evernham and it is decided that Anthony doesn't have what it takes to become a big-time race driver. His IRL career is obviously over with this one.

I don't see Anthony ever returning to the IRL in any major way in any of these 3 scenarios. I believe him when he says that he loves open-wheel racing and truly wants to be a open-wheel racer for his entire career. But, we all know that sometimes that doesn't really matter much.

[Vogler fan]

If AJ doesn't like the current state of high money racing teams like the IRL, than he won't be going NASCAR. And I know for a fact Larry will never return, that's out of the horses mouth.
AJ not returning to the IRL is bit of a reach. The kid is only 21 and has a lot of racing ahead of him. Whether he does well or not in stock cars ,still does not shut the door on him returning to openwheel racing in the next 15 years. That would only put him at 36 years old.
And yes, I'm the one that has posted many times that I believe Larry will take over the Foyt racing team when AJ retires. But the statement that his old man doesn't think he's talented enough is inaccurate. He wouldn't be in a car at Indy if AJ doesn't think he's a big time driver. Larry was next in line before IV to drive an Indy car, he got the NASCAR bug and headed south. As a result he blew his opportunity. Me thinks he might be getting another shot

[Novi-]

Why wouldn't Grandpa keep this going for his son Larry? They would love to run two cars this year if Larry could find sponsorship. If IV goes, well they have a sponsor ready for Larry. And you mention if the league keeps going in the same direction, well it doesn't sound like that's the case with the new engine specs with independent builders.
To me if Grandpa is pushing for it, he's doing it because it 's best for IV. He's over his head and not getting better. He can go to a feeder series like Busch, make just as much money and get the experience he needs. I don't think he'll ever end up in NASCAR, so it will be a few years in Busch and he'll either call it quits, or Grandpa rescue's him back to openwheel.
One thing you can be certain of is Larry's loyalty and love for openwheel. He's not a very big fan of stock cars.

I find it interesting that this is coming about at this time, as in the IRL has said that they basicly have the new rules ready to go. Are those rules not going to enable AJ to compete as he did in the pre-CART IRL and he knows it? If in fact as you say they are going to independent builders(link would help) then AJ would be better able to compete on a closer to level field and if that's the case I believe Anthony would still run the IRL and when time allows do some other races. Doesn't look that way though.

It's pretty sad when the one person that Indy has more meaning to than Al jr is all but ready to say see ya. Al jr could have been, in the popularity sense, to the IRL what Earnhart was to NASCAR. Even in a less than #1 team he still won and finished in the top 10 in points, saddly no good team could see the value in having him in the IRL. For sure no CART team would touch him so that left Panther, instead we get Enge, who has shown he has far more abilty in a race than Rahal's media star, but neither has nowhere near the drawing power of Unser, period. Now we're on the verge of loosing Foyt, this is not good.

I've said it before, having CART teams with as much control as they have is not good, 2 teams control a 3rd of the field, lose 1 and it could be devastating. Does Barnhart et al see this? They have to come up with rules that enable Foyt, Buhl etc to compete on a much more level field and also make it enticing for any new teams to join the IRL. Add 4,5 or more 1 or 2 car teams and the loss of 1 big team can be absorbed much easier and hopefully the racing is better for it. The way things are you will never know how good drivers like Anthony really are or could be.

[Vogler fan]

[QUOTE=Novi-]I find it interesting that this is coming about at this time, as in the IRL has said that they basicly have the new rules ready to go. Are those rules not going to enable AJ to compete as he did in the pre-CART IRL and he knows it? If in fact as you say they are going to independent builders(link would help) then AJ would be better able to compete on a closer to level field and if that's the case I believe Anthony would still run the IRL and when time allows do some other races. Doesn't look that way though.


You need a link on IRL looking at independent builders again? Dude have you been missing for the last few weeks? Brian has been quoted on saying the exact same think in three to four differnet articles.

On the NASCAR test, they had to be in the works probabely before the season started. Those things don't come together in just a few short weeks. We all know AJ wasn't to happy with the IRL at the beginning of the season.
But with the engine changes(and go look up the links yourself because there's a bunch of them) to be to Foyts liking, he'll be around for a while

[oldtimer]

I agree that Larry is every bit as talented as IV. But both of them together, standing on each other's shoulders, wouldnt reach AJ's knees. If AJ wants a winner, he'd better go outside the family.

I've always loved AJ, always supported him. He and Indy have always gone together. I want him to stay in Indy racing, but he has never had a real competitor inside the family, and he never will. Only the name remains; the talent is long gone. Hornish in a Foyt Toyota will beat IV in an Andretti Honda nine times out of ten. It's not just the engine.

[Coyote]

I haven't read the other threads on this so maybe I don't 'get it'.

But AJ IV's comment would seem to me to be the gist of it. The young man needs to get in a car that can win and he knows it. Grandad's Indycar team is still a mess. It isn't the engines. They are almost always the slowest Toyota by quite a bit. Quattro either can't set up an Indycar or he and grandad can't cummunicate. AJ IV would surely learn from Evernham or at least Evernham thinks he can. I was beginning to wonder if Quattro just wasn't bright enough to learn the setup stuff but I think Evernham hires well, so he sees something.

My own guess would be that AJ would either run Larry for the full season or else hire the best shoe he can get, and some good ones with experience would still try the Foyt ride I believe. I also think Larry is currently better at setting up a car then Quattro. It just has looked to me like AJ has run Larry with more downforce at Indy to try to have one car supposed to run to the end and just pick up some cash although that has not worked either. But when both Larry and Foyt IV crash every year at Indy I don't think it's the drivers because Larry is usually more conservative then that yet he still stuffs it.

AJ need a couple good engineers and driver who can understand what the heck he (AJ) is telling them. AJ also needs engineers that he will listen too and that's the rub.

[Novi-]

[QUOTE=Vogler fan]

I find it interesting that this is coming about at this time, as in the IRL has said that they basicly have the new rules ready to go. Are those rules not going to enable AJ to compete as he did in the pre-CART IRL and he knows it? If in fact as you say they are going to independent builders(link would help) then AJ would be better able to compete on a closer to level field and if that's the case I believe Anthony would still run the IRL and when time allows do some other races. Doesn't look that way though.


You need a link on IRL looking at independent builders again? Dude have you been missing for the last few weeks? Brian has been quoted on saying the exact same think in three to four differnet articles.

On the NASCAR test, they had to be in the works probabely before the season started. Those things don't come together in just a few short weeks. We all know AJ wasn't to happy with the IRL at the beginning of the season.
But with the engine changes(and go look up the links yourself because there's a bunch of them) to be to Foyts liking, he'll be around for a while

Come on dude, I mean, like, where have you been? You talk'n like this quote man: " "Everyone seems to forget that status quo, with slight modifications to lower costs, is a very good option," Barnhart said."

Give me a break. No one has said definitely what the rules are except you, like: "And you mention if the league keeps going in the same direction, well it doesn't sound like that's the case with the new engine specs with independent builders", that's not the same as: "You need a link on IRL looking at independent builders again?". Barnhart has danced around with several thoughts, but my money says Foyt probably knows and has known and more than likely is/was consulted with about them, so yes Anthony going to NASCAR has been in the works for some time, for as you say these things don't come together in a few short weeks, well neither do new rules. Besides the IRL already has independent builders, it's just that they have to find a mfg willing to put their name on their engines. It's the ability to readily have your engine rebuilt by an outside rebuilder such as Speedway, Roush etc that changed the game for the likes of Foyt.

[Grinder-Tank]

This comment about "direction" is overstated. 4 road races with 16 or 17 ovals is fine with me. If 4 goes to cup, ok. But I will bet he will be in a Ganassi IRL car before Busch, that is if Grandpa takes his bat and ball and goes home.

[indyracefan]

But I will bet he will be in a Ganassi IRL car before Busch, that is if Grandpa takes his bat and ball and goes home.

...don't wager alot on that one.

[irlricefan13]

...don't wager alot on that one.

I am sure that after some training and seat time AJ IV would do a much better job than Ryan Briscoe, who crashes in every race.