For Foyt, Fontana brings back memories of Ontario

By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
April 26, 2001
6:04 PM EDT (2204 GMT)

FONTANA, Calif. -- A.J. Foyt's doing fine in 2001. And with his Indy Racing Northern Light Series team second in the points and his NASCAR Winston Cup operation firmly in the fight for Raybestos Rookie of the Year, A.J. Foyt Racing's future is secure.

But as the Winston Cup Series pulls into California Speedway for Sunday's NAPA Auto Parts 500, it's acceptable and downright appropriate for Foyt to wax a little nostalgically about the late, lamented Ontario Motor Speedway that was located a short California condor's flight from Fontana in the 1970s.

A.J. Foyt won the first two NASCAR Winston Cup races at Ontario.

Foyt by then had already secured his Hall of Fame status in Indy cars and sports cars. He was well on his way there in stock cars as well, after back-to-back Daytona wins in the mid-summer Firecracker 400. The gritty Texan was the "master of Ontario" the first two times the Winston Cup Series visited, and by the end of the 1972 season, his status in stock car lore was no longer in any doubt.

Ironically, the speedway in Ontario was fashioned as a copy of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and at 2.5 miles in length, was close enough to another facility that was dear to A.J.'s heart that his transition was made with ease.

"Ontario was a lot like Indianapolis and I always enjoyed running at the bigger facilities," said Foyt, who never ran more than sparingly in stock cars as he piled up seven Indy car national championships and 67 victories, including four in the Indianapolis 500.

The Wood Brothers' team from Stuart, Va., ran limited schedules with the best driving talent available, and their match with Foyt was made in racing heaven.

The pairing won the Ontario inaugural on Feb. 28, 1971. It was the 1,000th race for the series that began life as NASCAR Strictly Stock, became Grand National and was celebrating its first year as the Winston Cup Series. As such, it had what at the time was a record purse, $207,675.

Foyt won the pole with a lap averaging 151.711 mph and dominated the race in the No. 21 1969 Mercury. He led 108 laps, averaged 134.168 mph and won $51,850. In what was definitely a different era for all of motorsports, 51 cars started the race and that winning purse figure was more than "Super Tex" took in the following year for winning the Daytona 500 for the Woods.

A.J. Foyt won 67 Indy car races, including four Indianapolis 500s.

"The Wood Brothers always had great equipment," Foyt said, smiling at the memories. "I sat on the pole and set a new track record there as well as won the race. I really enjoyed running for them."

At the time Foyt, who defeated teammates Buddy Baker and Richard Petty, said, "This is one of the best races I've ever driven. They said this speedway wasn't built for stock car racing. But let me tell you, it's a wild race track for any type of machinery."

Foyt came back the following year and, on a roll after scoring a win in the "Great American Race," locked up his second straight at Ontario in an even more dominant performance, leading 132 laps and averaging 127.082 mph in another No. 21 1971 Mercury.

Unfortunately for Foyt, Ontario was an idea hatched just a bit before its time. The facility struggled financially throughout its existence, was closed after the 1980 season and eventually razed.

A.J. Foyt's focus now is on Winston Cup rookie Ron Hornaday.

While he is wholly in favor of the Winston Cup Series' move to bigger facilities and bigger markets such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, Kansas City and Chicago, Foyt still bemoans the loss of one of his favorite playgrounds.

"I think Ontario was 20 years ahead of its time," Foyt said. "It was in a nice location and was easy to get to. It had a beautiful Victory Circle -- a lot like the ones they have today.

"It had nice garages, suites on the frontstretch, a big dining room and nice parking facilities. I think it was a lot nicer than the track that's there now."

Foyt made it a point of reiterating that last point several times. But despite that feeling, there's no doubt he is looking forward to his Conseco Pontiac team hitting the facility.

Since former engineer Fred Graves stepped into the crew chief's role in the last two races, rookie Ron Hornaday has still had trouble qualifying but has raced effectively, leading at both Martinsville and Talladega.

"I'm glad we're going back," Foyt said of his 2000 effort, which included a 15th-place qualifying run by driver Rick Mast, who went to the front before a mechanical problem knocked him back to 39th. "Last year, Rick was running pretty good there but we had an oil line break, so I'm anxious to go back there with Ron Hornaday. It's Ron's hometown track and I look for big things to happen there."