The great A.J. Foyt turns 78 today. A.J. was one of the greatest drivers ever. He is the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500-which he won four times, the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

A.J was always entertaining. He was very..cantankerous. When I was young I would watch the Indianapolis 500 every year with my grandfather [I have continued to watch the 500 every year since mostly out of tradition now, I don’t watch any other Indy races but I have continued to watch the Indy 500-because of the memories I have of watching it with my grandfather.} A.J. it seemed would either win the race or have bad luck. It was always fun when A.J. would blow an engine or have to leave the race due to car problems and they would say “Down to Chris Economacki with A.J. Foyt” and I would already start to smile because I knew A.J. would be pissed off. He never disappointed.

He drove in the Indianapolis 500 for 35 straight years, winning it 4 times. He ran his last 500 in 1992. I remember a feeling of sadness when he retired. Not that I rooted for him but it never seemed like the Indy 500 without him. A.J. WAS the Indy 500.