Foyt on open wheel drivers in NASCAR
So what did he make of all those top-notch open-wheel drivers who came into the sport last year and struggled or failed?
"Whoever said they were good open wheel drivers?" Foyt said yesterday. "Top open wheel drivers came over here and did pretty damn good. Look back at Jeff Gordon, he was pretty good in open wheel, Tony Stewart was pretty good in open wheel, Ryan Newman was pretty good in open wheel. So you can name quite a few of them. You are going to have some of them that was never that good in open wheel I feel, you have to call a spade a spade, but your top open wheel guys did pretty decent over here. I probably didn’t give you the answer you wanted to know, but I am going to tell you what I think."
Actually, A.J., that's exactly what we wanted to hear. We journalists do love controversy.
Foyt went on to say it's not something you can really learn.
"I think that is something that you are born with," Foyt said. "…I was one of the fortunate ones that could cross back and forth and it really didn’t make that much difference to me. … I think that’s something you are born with and gifted with, I don’t think that is something you can train yourself or make yourself do. I think it has to fall automatic. When it falls automatic, you are going to be very successful." Orlando Sentinel