Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion A.J. Foyt is, obviously, very much synonymous with the legendary race. But despite his status as a Brickyard icon, his team hadn’t been atop the series championship entering Indy since 1979, when he himself was leading the USAC standings going into the 63rd running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
But thanks to his current driver, Takuma Sato, that drought has come to an end. Sato’s second-place finish on Sunday in Sao Paulo enabled him to assume the IZOD IndyCar Series championship lead by 13 points over Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti. In addition, Sato is the first Foyt driver to lead the series’ table at any point since Kenny Brack did it on his way to the 1998 title.
A team that had been condemned to back-marker status for years is now ruling the roost. It’s a sign of just how much the IZOD IndyCar Series has become an unpredictable free-for-all this season.
But it’s been a pleasure to watch from the observer’s standpoint. One can safely assume that it’s been especially fun for A.J. Foyt Racing, which is going full speed ahead into the event that made its namesake famous.
“I don’t think I’ve ever come down Gasoline Alley [at Indianapolis Motor Speedway] and had to take a left to our pit box,” said team director Larry Foyt in reference to the series’ top teams pitting near the end of pit road for the “500.”
“This team is really doing a fantastic job. Takuma is driving just amazingly. It’s been good going into the month of May. Obviously, this is a long month and anything can happen, but [it’s] always a positive to have good momentum going into Indy.”
As for A.J. himself, he was feeling well enough to attend last weekend’s Kentucky Derby following recent back surgery that had kept him from seeing Sato’s win last month at Long Beach (he watched the race on television from his home in Texas before going under the knife a few days later). He did not attend the Sao Paulo round because of the long flight’s potential for hindering his recovery, but he is set to return to his customary spot atop his team’s pit box at Indy.