Foyt feels healthy, plans to attend every IndyCar race - MotorSportsTalk

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt hopes to attend every IndyCar Series race this season.

And he feels healthy enough to make it happen.

The 81-year-old Foyt was at Daytona International Speedway on Friday to take part in a ceremony to open the renovated track’s center fan entrance. Foyt, NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray and other past champions donated a piece of motorsports history to display in the fan “injector” during Speedweeks.

Foyt donated a Copenhagen driver’s suit. But just being at Daytona – and moving around without assistance – was huge progress for Foyt.

“I’m feeling good,” said Foyt, who had a triple bypass procedure in November 2014 and knee replacement surgery last September. “I kind of stagger a little bit and I’m just now getting to where I can walk again and out of the wheelchair and the walker.

“I made up my mind I wasn’t going to walk with no cane. Every now and then, after I’ve been sitting down, I kind of look like I’m drunk. You don’t realize at 81 years old you’ve got to learn to walk again. Who would have ever told me that, I would have told you you’re crazy. I’m getting there. Every day is a better day for me.”

Foyt missed the first five IndyCar races of 2015 following heart surgery. He missed the final two following knee surgery.

He hopes to make them all this year. Foyt Racing fields IndyCar entries for Takuma Sato and Jack Hawksworth. Foyt said he expects to field a third car for the Indy 500.

“I hope to go to all of them. I’m planning on it,” he said. “Now, how we’re going to go? That’s something nobody can figure out today.”

As for the Indy 500 in May, the 100th running of the series’ premier event, Foyt has high expectations.

“I hope we win it. We made a lot of changes,” he said. “I think we’ll run pretty good.”

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

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