WALLER, Texas – A young Englishman will be relocating soon to the Greater Houston area to be near his new employer.
“We’re going to break him in,” says A.J. Foyt Racing team director Larry Foyt, which prompts a quizzical expression from Jack Hawksworth.
“I guess that means I’ll be getting cowboy boots and a big hat,” the newest team member says.
Many things will be different heading into the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season for A.J. Foyt Racing, which is expanding to a full-time two-car operation for the first time since 2002. Hawksworth will drive the No. 41 car and Takuma Sato will return for a third season in the No. 14 car. Both will carry ABC Supply Co. primary sponsorship and utilize Honda power and the new aerodynamic body kits.
Hawsworth qualifying eighth, fifth and second in three of the first four Verizon IndyCar Series races caught the attention Foyt, who kept tabs on the rookie driver throughout the 18-race season.
“When you do that on a single-car team like we were, I think that says more about a driver’s ability to produce,” Foyt said.
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Hawksworth, 23, was the second-youngest full-time competitor in the Verizon IndyCar Series season. The 2012 Pro Mazda champion (eight wins, five pole starts in 16 starts) won three races and finished fourth in the 2013 Indy Lights championship.
“The one thing that jumps out about Jack is that everything he’s done recently he’s won a lot of races, whether it was Pro Mazda or Indy Lights,” Foyt said. “He’s obviously very quick, and for us it’s important that he’s been to every track on the Verizon IndyCar Series circuit.
“As much as there were some great rookies I wanted to work with, I didn’t feel like a rookie going through a whole year of development was the right thing to do. Jack has a lot to learn, but I think with that year under his belt he has a better chance to come out of the gate running and a chance to win races.
“He’s gone through that rookie year, and I thought he did a great job. One of his more impressive drives was at Milwaukee (qualified 17th, finished 10th); that’s not an easy place. To start in the back and run in the top 10 all day you learn a lot. I looked at some of the things that Jack did, such as starting on the front row for the Indy Grand Prix. We’ve really struggled on that type of course; it has been our weak spot as a team. I liked his hunger. I liked his dedication.”
Video: Highlights from the announcement
Hawksworth advanced a total of 37 positions relative to his qualifying spot in the 17 races he competed (he was not medically cleared to drive in the Pocono INDYCAR 500 fueled by Sunoco after a practice crash) and placed 17th in Verizon IndyCar Series standings. He was voted the Voted Tony Renna Rising Star Award winner.
“I came down to meet Larry and the guys in September. Having spent the day here, I knew this is where I wanted to be, a program I really believe in," he said. "It just really excited me. After that, I pestered my manager to try to get the deal done.
"I’m just excited to start working and moving here I can learn quickly about how the team works together and operates. The thing about racing is it’s a team effort; to win races it comes all the way from the truck drivers to the race car drivers. I believe there are a lot of things in place and we can build on it. I want to win and I believe I’m in a great place.”
