Personal Notes: Graduated from Texas Christian University in May 2000 with a degree in communications; has attended every Indy 500 since his birth; enjoys playing video games.Personal Notes: Graduated from Texas Christian University in May 2000 with a degree in communications; has attended every Indy 500 since his birth; enjoys playing video games.Throughout his racing career Larry Foyt has proven to be a driver who accepts challenge, the bigger the better. Without a doubt, he is facing his biggest challenge to date this season.For the past two years he was the only driver-owner in the NASCAR Busch Series. This year, he sheds that distinction to enter the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as the driver of the No.14 Harrah’s Dodge Intrepid owned by his father A.J. Foyt. 

For the 26-year-old rookie--in just his third full season of NASCAR stock car competition--the step up to NASCAR’S premier series is as ambitious as it is exciting.“I have always left the major career moves up to my father,” young Foyt said. “I trust his insight and I am happy that he has the confidence in my ability to take this next step.“Initially, I wanted to remain in the Busch Series for another year but after a couple of test sessions in the new car, I am really excited about the possibilities this year holds for our team,” Foyt said.

In preparation for his son’s entry into Winston Cup, the senior Foyt made a number of changes within his Winston Cup team, chief among them, switching from Pontiac to Dodge and enlisting Ray Evernham Motorsports to build the engines.“I needed to make some changes within my team because I wasn’t satisfied with the overall performance,” A.J. Foyt said. “We had some good races but we never found the consistency we needed to stay in the top positions. I believe the changes I’ve made will lead to much better performances and a much needed consistency throughout the season.”

A.J. hired Mike Chase, a former driver who most recently worked as a shock specialist in the NASCAR Busch Series, as the team’s general manager. Chase, a native Californian and multi-time stock car champion on the West Coast who built and drove his own cars, has known A.J. since the late 1980’s. Foyt hired Chase to drive his Winston Cup car in a couple of races. The two have remained friends ever since.“One of the big advantages with Mike is that he is a former driver,” Larry said. “When we tested over the winter, we really hit it off because he understood what I was feeling in the car and with his mechanical background; he can explain why the car reacts certain ways. I know I am going to learn a lot this year.”

A.J. also hired Craig “Butch” Lamoreux as the crew chief. Lamoreux spent eight of his 13 years in NASCAR working under Ray Evernham.In his new role as driver only, Larry happily relinquishes the title of owner.“I’m looking forward to being able to concentrate entirely on driving this year,” Larry said. “I learned a lot about running a team but it can wear you out. My father will keep me involved in the major decisions because this is our business, but I am relieved I won’t have to deal with the personnel issues that arise.”Foyt’s two years in the NASCAR Busch Series as owner-driver were impressive given his lack of stock car racing experience.

“It was a sink or swim experience for me,” Larry said, “and at times, I had some doubts about keeping my head above water. But I got through it and I’m stronger and smarter for it, as a driver and as a businessman.”Last year, Foyt qualified in the top-10 three times, with two starts in the top-five. He finished in the top-10 twice with a best finish of eighth at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring. Overall he posted five top-15 finishes and nine top-20s.In his rookie Busch season, his best start was fifth at Michigan and his best finish was 12th at Talladega. He posted five top-20 finishes.

After making the jump from open-wheel racing to stock cars in 2000, Larry Foyt spent a season in the American Speed Association (ASA) -- leading laps in numerous events, while earning one pole and posting 10 top-10 starts and four top-10 finishes.  Foyt never thought there was an opportunity to pursue motor sports as a career because A.J. was always against his children racing.  Larry grew up playing sports like basketball, baseball and soccer.  In fact, the only race he attended regularly was the Indianapolis 500 to support his father.  It wasn’t until he was a freshman in high school that he became interested in driving race cars.

“It’s easy for my kids to look at the success I’ve had and think, yeah I’d like to do that,” said A.J., Indy’s first four-time winner.  “But I look back at some of the accidents I’ve had, the scars I have now and the friends I’ve lost over the years, and I think, who would want that for their kids?  I had to do it because I didn’t know anything else.  My success gave my kids choices -- like a college education.  That’s what I wanted for my kids and I tried to insist on it.” In 1993, with his mother Lucy’s help, Larry was given the permission to purchase his first go-kart, an Emmick chassis with a 100cc-engine.  He won the second race he entered at Gulf Coast Kartway near Houston in 1995.  A year later, he advanced to the 125cc-shifter karts, and won the Texas State Championship. Since racing was contingent upon completion of a college education, Foyt graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Fort Worth’s Texas Christian University in 2000.   A.J.’s vigilance could not compare to his youngest son’s desire and talent in the sport.

Foyt raced a selected USAC Formula 2000 Series schedule, competing on the oval tracks where his father’s Indy car team was racing the same weekend.  The brief schedule made it tough to be competitive with teams who ran nearly 20 times a year; however Foyt recorded his best finish of fourth place at Phoenix International Raceway. His finest performances were in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Formula 2000 road racing events in 1999, where he consistently won or finished second.  He also earned his Indy car license after several test sessions with his father’s IRL team, turning a best lap at more than 211 mph.  During the same year, Foyt was involved in the most serious wreck of his career at Atlanta Motor Speedway, an incident which provided the catalyst for his move to stock car racing.

Challenging for a top-five position, Foyt’s wheel was hit by another car, which propelled him into a horrifying flip.  When the car landed, another car clipped him and his car burst into flames as it slid towards the wall.  “Right before it happened, I had a bad feeling,” Larry said.  “I said to myself, ‘We’re all not going to come out of this.’  Afterward when I felt the heat, I got out of the car pretty quick and lay down.  I remember lying there and seeing A.J. standing over me and that’s when I thought I might have been dead.’” “I was scared,” A.J. recalled.  “It looked bad and he was very lucky.  After that, I started to think about getting Larry into something else.

“ASA was a great experience for him. When the opportunity to become a driver-owner in the Busch Series presented itself with a Harrah’s sponsorship, Larry accepted that challenge readily and did a great job.  Now it is up to me to provide him with the team he needs to be successful in Winston Cup.”For the Foyts, father and son, meeting challenges head on is what they do best.