LONG BEACH, Calif. — A.J. Foyt, one of the most legendary American drivers in history, was presented with the prestigious Spirit of Ford Award in a ceremony at the Road Racing Driver’s Club dinner Thursday night.
The Spirit of Ford Award is Ford Motor Co.’s highest honor in auto racing, recognizing lifetime achievement and contribution to the industry both on and off the race track. Foyt becomes the 26th recipient, joining an international list of honorees from all forms of racing and racing media.
Foyt was presented the award during the RRDC dinner by Edsel B. Ford II, great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford and a member of the company’s board of directors.
Foyt was on hand for the dinner along with Dan Gurney, as part of an event helping commemorate the 50th anniversary of the duo’s victory at the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours, the first and only victory at Le Mans by an All-American team featuring All-American drivers.
“A.J. was one of my heroes in racing when I first followed the sport,” said Ford. “When looking back at his magnificent career, the question isn’t what did A.J. drive, but more what didn’t he drive and win in? His passion for driving and his commitment to the sport since his retirement have made him more than worthy for all the halls of fames he is part of. Many of his most significant victories — including the ’67 Le Mans win — came with Ford power, and it’s truly my honor to be able to present him with our Spirit of Ford Award.”
Foyt is best known as being the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, but his career spanned into many forms of racing. He has a record 67 wins and seven championships in Indy Car racing. He also was a seven-time winner in the NASCAR Cup series, and has a total of 172 victories and 14 championships during his career.
He is also the only driver in history to win the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona.
He is currently still involved in the sport as the owner of the two-car A.J. Foyt Racing team that competes in the Verizon IndyCar Series.
Spirit of Ford Awards Winners
Bill Stroppe, 1988
Bob Glidden, 1989
Chris Economaki, 1990
Richard Petty, 1992
Bob Bondurant, 1993
Mario Andretti, 1994
Jackie Stewart, 1994
Bud Moore, 1995
Parnelli Jones, 1996
Jim Clark, 1997
Phil Hill, 1998
Stirling Moss, 1998
Bill France, Sr., 1998
Bill France Jr. 1998
Junie Donlavey Jr., 1999
Glen Wood, 1999
Leonard Wood, 1999
Dan Gurney, 1999
Denise McCluggage, 2000
Bill Elliott, 2000
Carroll Shelby, 2001
Wally Parks, 2001
Ned Jarrett, 2003
Mose Nowland, 2005
Jack Roush, 2006
John Force, 2010
Kevin Kennedy, 2011
A.J. Foyt 2017
