Award-winning author Art Garner's A.J. Foyt Legacy continues the definitive biography of one of America's greatest racing legends, chronicling Foyt's remarkable comeback from a near-career-ending crash, his transition from driver to team owner, and his lasting impact on motorsports. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, the book offers an in-depth look at Foyt's later career and enduring legacy, with publication scheduled for July 2026.
AUSTIN, Texas, June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- When the brakes failed on A.J. Foyt's race car at Wisconsin's Road America racetrack in 1990, first responders to the crash scene feared for his life. Doctors preparing to operate on him in Milwaukee hoped they could save his legs. Only one person thought he would race again. Asked if he had anything to say to reporters as he was being wheeled into surgery, Foyt said, "Tell them I'll be back." Not only would he be back, but he would also be back on the front row of the Indianapolis 500 just seven months later.
This is just one of the many stories told in A.J. Foyt Legacy that cemented Foyt as not only one of the greatest race car drivers in history, but also as one of the most compelling figures American sports have ever produced.
Award-winning author Art Garner weaves together years of research and interviews with the biggest names in motorsports to deliver the most authoritative and revealing portrait of A.J. Foyt ever created. In this second volume of his landmark biography, Garner chronicles Foyt's later years starting in 1978 up until now and his enduring impact on the sport—from miraculous comebacks after the worst crash of his career shattered his legs and feet to hard-fought victories on and off the track and his evolution into a team owner and mentor who steered his drivers to Victory Lane.
Race fans will be treated to a raw and gripping account of the man they thought they knew. Garner captures the vivid life of a competitor who never softened, never filtered his opinions, and never lost his edge.
With an official publication date of July 2026, A.J. Foyt: Legacy is available for pre-order now from Octane Press. Volume II continues the story from the 1978 season through the later chapters of A.J.'s driving career, tracing his transition into mentor and his lasting impact on American motorsports.
To reserve advance copies or discuss excerpts for publication, please contact Jo Snyder at [email protected] or 1.512.507.7867.
Title: A.J. Foyt Legacy, Vol. II
Subtitle: The Epic Story of an American Sports Legend
Author: Art Garner
Foreword: Tony Stewart
ISBN: 9781642341959
Publication Date: July 2026
Format: 6 x 9 in, jacketed hardcover
Pages: 704
Retail Price: $46.95
About the Author
After retiring from a forty-year career in journalism and automotive public relations, Art Garner took to writing books. His latest work is A.J. Foyt, Volume I, the epic biography of Foyt's life and racing career through 1977. That book won multiple independent publishing awards—see below. Garner's first book was, Black Noon: The Year They Stopped the Indy 500, about the tragic 1964 race. It was a finalist for the prestigious PEN/ESPN award for literary sports writing. Subsequent titles include Indy 500 Memories: An Oral History of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing and Hood to Coast Memories, about the running relay race staged each year from Mt. Hood to the coast of Oregon.
Awards for A.J. Foyt, Volume I
A.J. Foyt by Art Garner won three independent book publishing awards:
- BOOK OF THE YEAR, Royal Automotive Club (2025)
- GOLD WINNER, IBPA Award, Sports & Recreation category (2025)
- SILVER WINNER, IBPA Award, Biography category (2025)
Praise for A.J. Foyt, Volume I
"This biography lives up to any expectations or hopes you might have had for the ultimate A.J. Foyt bio." —Mike Pryson, Autoweek
"Fans will love this A.J. Foyt book." —Mario Andretti
"If you want to hear about the stories, read the book. I'm telling you, read the book." —Santino Ferrucci
About Octane Press
Octane Press has published more than 200 books since 2010, won forty independent book awards, and reached more than one million readers.
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Media Contact
Jo Snyder, Octane Press, 1 512-507-7867, [email protected], https://octanepress.com/
SOURCE Author Art Garner’s A.J. Foyt Legacy
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