Starting in midgets and advancing to IMCA sprint cars, he rapidly progressed to USAC and the progress he made there caught the eye of Al Dean, who ran one of the big-time championship car teams. Of the 33 drivers who started that race alongside Foyt, 15 later died behind the wheel of a race car. Starting in that 1958 race, Foyt did not miss an Indy 500 until 1993. It was also the last time Foyt would win a race at Indianapolis, but the record had been established — four Indy 500 victories. Foyt had heroes, too, but they were few and far between. “I just respected the way that he acted,” Foyt said of “The Duke.”. Foyt, at Stewart’s debut race as a NASCAR team owner in 2009, said Stewart was just like him…in a distinctly Foyt-ish way.

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