Off-season? What off season? Verizon IndyCar Series team owner A.J. Foyt and his son, Larry Foyt, have been busy since the 2014 season ended two months ago.
They have expanded the Verizon IndyCar Series team from one car to two, hired a rising star to drive while retaining the veteran driver who sparked life into the program. They made a deal with ABC Supply Co. Inc. to sponsor two cars for the next two years, and they bought another race shop in the shadow of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
For the past 12 seasons, AJ Foyt Racing has been a single-car team, but that will change in 2015 with the hiring of 23-year-old driver Jack Hawksworth, the 2014 winner of INDYCAR’s Tony Renna Rising Star Award. Hawksworth, of Bradford, England, will join veteran Takuma Sato, who returns for his third season with the ABC Supply Racing team. Their Dallaras will be powered by Honda engines and incorporate the Honda aerodynamic bodywork kits.
Hawksworth, who as a rookie this past season, qualified in the top six in three of his first six races and posted his best finish of the year –third– in Houston2.
“This is a great opportunity for me. Ultimately, I want to win races and I feel that this is the place I can do that. We’ve got everything in place, great sponsors, and good people who build quick cars, so we have the potential to build something really special. That’s what excites me. It’s a growing project and I want to grow with it, be a part of it and be a part of its success.”
Sato, who won two pole positions in 2014, is ecstatic about the expansion to a two-car car team.
“It is absolutely fantastic news that AJ Foyt Racing is expanding to a two-car team,” said Sato. “I really feel positive about it and welcome Jack in joining us. I am thrilled to continue racing in IndyCar for a sixth season and being with the same team for the third straight year. The continuity of working with my engineer, Don Halliday, and the same crew gives us a strong momentum in learning and more confidence overall.
For the Foyts, this offseason is just the prelude to a busy and successful 2015 race program.
Article by: Anne Fornoro of AJ Foyt Racing
