By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

INDYCAR icon A.J. Foyt Jr. turned 90 on Jan. 16, and rest assured the Houston native did not mark the occasion by swigging a Screwdriver…or two.

A.J. Foyt. Photo courtesy of A.J. Foyt Racing

More on that later. The man synonymous with the Indianapolis 500 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway as driver since 1958 and team-owner since 1965 has watched his namesake NTT IndyCar Series organization go winless since 2013. Enter Santino Ferrucci and David Malukas, a revised pairing of 20-something talents whose intramural rivalry revolves around one pressing question:

Who will deliver “Super Tex” his next INDYCAR victory?

Japanese ace Takuma Sato scored A.J. Foyt Racing’s 44^th and most recent series win on the famed Streets of Long Beach, Calif., on April 21, 2013. Since then, the rollcall of drivers who have punched-in-and-out of Foyt’s Waller, Texas-based headquarters includes four-time INDYCAR champion Sebastien Bourdais of France and 2004 INDYCAR champ and 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, a native of Brazil recently appointed Team Principal of series rival Arrow McLaren.

Winner of a record 67 INDYCAR races and seven national driver championships, Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. often is viewed as an intimidating figure by this generation of drivers. A.J. begs to differ about “hisself.”

“I don’t ask my drivers to do all that I have done, the times are different nowadays,” said Foyt, first four-time winner of the Indy 500. “But I do expect them to give me 100 percent. That’s the name of the game. When I was running, all I wanted to do was win, and that’s the reason I probably won as much as I did. I never did want to settle for second or third.”

Team newcomer Malukas met Foyt last October during post-season testing at IMS, and exited the experience with a smile. “He surprised me in the fact that he treated me like one of his close friends,” Malukas said. “Was very friendly and open for conversation. Was nice to hear about his stories from his past.”

Ferrucci, meanwhile, will launch his fifth full NTT IndyCar Series campaign and third with A.J. Foyt Racing during this weekend’s 2025 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg street race in Florida. Driver of the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet, “Santucci” posted a career-high 11 top-10 finishes in 2024 en route to a career-best ninth in the final championship standings. Both marks were the highest for Foyt Racing in more than two decades.

Ferrucci scored the first NTT P1 Award of his career at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway on Aug. 25, the team’s first pole since Sato’s at Belle Isle in Detroit in 2014. Ferrucci also was a player during the Indy 500 for the second consecutive season, pushing his streak of consecutive top-10s to six by placing eighth in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet during the event’s 108^th edition last May 26. In 2023, Ferrucci finished a career-best third in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Despite that run of success, Team President Larry Foyt _ A.J.’s 48-year-old son and a graduate of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth _ has opted to pair Ferrucci with race engineer Mike Armbrester this season. That switch is allowing Malukas to work with Ferrucci’s former sidekick, James Schnabel.

“Obviously, changing engineers was not my call. It’s a team management decision,” said Ferrucci, a 26-year-old native of Connecticut living in Dallas. “But it’s a solid strategy, because I’ve already worked with James, and as much as I’d love to have been together for a second season with him and having a new teammate, it’s good to change things up and get everybody to gel a little bit quicker.

“After testing in Sebring, I believe Chevrolet has made some awesome improvements and I can’t wait to utilize them at our first round in St. Pete. Sebring was a good test to run through some setups that we’ve been wanting to try and just kind of being able to gauge where we thought those would be useful later in the season, and if they’d be useful at St. Pete.

“The other thing was, obviously, getting back into the rhythm of things. Working with Mike is definitely different. I very much enjoy working with him; he’s to the point, very direct, so that’ll help keep me focused. ”

David Malukas, 23, joined AJ Foyt Racing this season to drive the No. 4 Chevrolet as he enters his fourth year in the NTT INDYCAR. Photo courtesy of A.J. Foyt Racing

Malukas, a 23-year-old native of Chicago, will drive Foyt’s No. 4 Chevrolet during his fourth year in the series. A multi-time karting champion and the 2021 Vice-Champion in the developmental INDY NXT by Firestone series, Malukas has five top-five and 10 top-10 results in INDYCAR, with a best finish of second as a rookie on World Wide Technology Raceway’s 1.25-mile oval in Madison, Ill., outside St. Louis.

Recall that Malukas missed the first seven races of the 2024 schedule while recovering from a wrist injury suffered during an offseason dirt-biking training incident in February. That mishap eventually prompted his release from Arrow McLaren. Malukas then joined Meyer Shank Racing, where he rallied to save his career via a series of solid results. In 10 races with MSR, Malukas qualified in the top-10 on seven occasions, including each of the final three and six of the final seven races.

Malukas’ addition to Foyt’s lineup should strengthen the team’s oval-track program.

As for this weekend, Malukas termed St. Pete’s 1.8-mile/14-turn temporary layout one of his favorites. “Better yet, it’s the first race back. So, the nerves and energy are at their highest,” said Malukas, a first-generation Lithuanian-American. “A successful weekend would be staying out of trouble and getting a good result in the end. Want to make sure to start the season off in the right direction.”

The St. Pete track runs clockwise through downtown and includes a runway of Albert Whitted Airport. Friday’s schedule will begin with a 45-minute INDY NXT by Firestone practice at 1 p.m. (CST) televised on FOX Sports 2. The season’s first NTT IndyCar Series practice is set from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (CST) on FOX Sports 1. Saturday’s INDY NXT by Firestone race is scheduled for 45 laps/81 miles/55-minutes. Sunday’s INDYCAR main event is booked for 100 laps/180 miles and will be televised on the FOX network at noon.

During an interview conducted by longtime team public relations representative Anne Fornoro, Foyt addressed a number of career highlights. Included are victories in NASCAR’s Daytona 500 in February 1972 driving a Mercury fielded by the famed Wood Brothers and the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance classic with fellow-American Dan Gurney in 1967. Foyt and Gurney co-drove the red No. 1 Ford Mk IV Prototype to an all-American victory (drivers, chassis, engine) entered by Shelby American Inc.

A.J. Foyt catches up with his old friend Parnelli Jones at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2021. It was the last time they were together. Photo courtesy of A.J. Foyt Racing

Asked to select the racing moment of which he is most proud, Foyt kept it in the family. “I think my mother (Emma Evelyn Monk Foyt) and daddy (Tony Sr.) seeing me win Indy four times (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977),” A.J. said. “When I was coming up racing local in Houston, my dream was to someday go to Indianapolis. I did. My daddy always changed my right rear tire, he was part of my success. Having my mother and daddy seeing me win my fourth before they died made me real proud.

“I went to the racetrack and whatever it was, I tried to adjust to it. I went to Daytona and I was fortunate enough to win that. Then went to Le Mans _ Dan Gurney and I _ what a super guy he was to pick me and be on (Carroll) Shelby’s team and be fortunate enough to win Le Mans. I’ve had a wonderful life and if I passed on today, nobody could’ve had a better life than I had.”

Best day of his life? Not surprisingly, it was not the moment in 1955 when A.J. was married to Lucy Zarr of River Oaks, Texas, the beginning of a union that lasted for more than 68 years.

“I think passing my driver’s test at Indianapolis,” said Foyt, who launched his record run of 35 consecutive Indy 500 starts in May 1958. “I would say that was one of the greatest thrills of my life. I know it was.”

It was a moment that certainly called for a celebration, 1950s-style. “There used to be the White Front (restaurant and bar) down from the track on 16^th Street. After I qualified, I went there and Bettenhausen (Tony, Sr.) and Bob Veith and Freeland (Don), all of them were up there cause that’s where they all hung out.

“They said, ‘What are you doing here?’ And I said, ‘I’m gonna have a Coke.’ They said, ‘Here’s a Screwdriver, it’s like orange juice.’ I said, ‘Well, I’ll try one.’ So I had one, then two, then three and I had to go to the restroom. I stood up and the room kind of spun and I said, ‘Damn, I can’t see!’ Well, the next day they had all the rookies out, and I was one of the quickest ones (in fact, A.J. was the fastest rookie qualifier starting 12^th) but I had hugged onto the toilet all night long. I haven’t had a Screwdriver since 1958. And I don’t plan on having another one.

“That’s one of the highlights and after I won Indy (in 1961), someone said, ‘I bet you and your wife went out and really celebrated.’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’  They had a White Castle Hamburger (stand) right there in front of the Speedway and my wife and I had two White Castle hamburgers. I think they were 11-cents apiece. We really celebrated.”

Foyt insisted he would not re-do anything connected to his racing career, not even alter this laundry list of injuries:

1965, Riverside, Calif.: broken back, bruised aorta, fractured heel; 1966, Milwaukee: severe burns on his hands, face and neck; 1972, DuQuoin, Ill.: burns, broken leg and ankle; 1981, Brooklyn, Mich.: fractured arm; 1983, Daytona Beach, Fla.: broken back; 1990, Elkhart Lake, Wis.: broken leg, crushed left heel, dislocated right heel, compartment syndrome both feet; 1992, Daytona and Phoenix: broke same shoulder twice. Off-track, Foyt has survived two attacks from a swarm of killer bees while operating his beloved bulldozer.

“Nope, I come from nothing and had a wonderful life,” Foyt said. “Who’d ever think I’d be here now at 90-years-old? I don’t think I’m s’posed to live this long! I’m living for a reason, but I don’t know why.”

FOX SPORTS’ 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE

Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (FOX, noon)*

Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif.  (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (FOX, 4:30 p.m.)

Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (FOX, 1:30 p.m.)

Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (FOX, 4:30 p.m.)

Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (FOX, 10 a.m.)

Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (FOX, 12:30 p.m.)

Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (FOX, 3:30 p.m.)

Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (FOX, 5 p.m.)

Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)

*NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.

Final 2024 NTT IndyCar Series point standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 544; 2, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 513; 3, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 505; 4, Will Power, Team Penske, 498; 5, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 460; 6, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 456; 7, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 420; 8, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 401; 9, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 367; 10, Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren, 366;

11, Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 312; 12, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 306; 13, Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing, 300; 14, Marcus Armstrong, Chip Ganassi Racing, 298; 15, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 297; 16, Linus Lundqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing, 279; 17, Romain Grosjean, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 260; 18, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 251; 19, Pietro Fittipaldi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 186; 20, Sting Ray Robb, A.J. Foyt Racing, 185;

21, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 182; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 163; 23, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 154; 24, David Malukas, Meyer Shank Racing, 148; 25, Jack Harvey, Dale Coyne Racing, 143; 26, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 119; 27, Augustin Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 109; 28, Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren, 91; 29, Katherine Legge, Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, 61; 30, Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 46;

31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 45; 32, Toby Sowery, Dale Coyne Racing, 45; 33, Callum Ilott, Arrow McLaren, 39; 34, Luca Ghiotto, Dale Coyne Racing, 27; 35, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 26; 36, Kyle Larson, Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren, 21; 37, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 19; 38, Tristan Vautier, Dale Coyne Racing, 12; 39, Juri Vips, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 11; 40, Colin Braun, Dale Coyne Racing, 10;

41, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports, 6; 42, Hunter McElrea, Dale Coyne Racing, 6; 43, Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb Agajanian, 5.