INDIANAPOLIS — A.J Foyt Racing saw moving the entirety of its operations to the Indianapolis area as the next step. 

For years, the team had built and prepared its cars in Waller, Texas, a suburb of Houston. But with other teams building headquarters in the Indianapolis area (including Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Andretti, and Prema), A.J. Foyt Racing moved the preparation of its cars to its Main Street location in Speedway.

For team owner A.J. Foyt, It came down to the number of race-minded people in the area.

“I shut down the shop in Houston about a month ago, and I moved everything up here,” Foyt told IndyStar at his book signing event in Speedway on Thursday. “When I was down there driving, it wasn’t hard, but it’s so hard to get people. And up here you’ve got a lot of race people. And I felt like since I had my shop up here, I’d do all my operations up here.”

The team had split its operations between Texas and Indianapolis for years, with a team of engineers in both locations. With the team becoming more and more competitive, team president Larry Foyt said, it was time to bring everything together.

“We had such a great team down in Texas, and we’ve made it work,” Larry Foyt told IndyStar. “But I think I just felt like, OK , we’re at that point now where the next step of competitiveness is probably bringing everything together. And A.J. was at a point where he was ready for it, and there were some good guys available up here. And it’s nice, because all our engineers were already pretty much up here in Indianapolis and out of this facility, and they like to be out and see their race car. They want to touch it. It just helps with a lot of things. It was just time to get everything under one roof.”

The decision to move their operations to Indianapolis comes after Santino Ferrucci, driver of the No. 14 Chevy, had one of the best seasons in A.J. Foyt Racing’s history. Ferrucci had 11 top-10 finishes, two top-five finishes, and one pole on his way to a ninth-place ranking in the series — the highest finish for an A.J. Foyt Racing driver since 2002.

Near the end of the 2024 season, Ferrucci signed a multi-year contract extension with the team. Ferrucci is testing IndyCar’s hybrid system, including the energy recovery system, in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s annual fall tests this week.

“He drove a hell of a season for me,” A.J. Foyt said. “I just really like him because he don’t put up with no bull(expletive). That’s what I like about him.”

A.J. Foyt Racing’s resurgence is also on the heels of a technical alliance with Team Penske, which gives A.J Foyt Racing technical support and additional engineering staff. The alliance between longtime friends A.J. Foyt and Roger Penske started in September 2023. After a full season in 2024, Larry Foyt is pleased with the results.

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“It was great for us to have some more teammates on board, working with them,” Larry Foyt said. “What an organization, obviously, I think we were able to do some things to help them out at Indy, and they certainly helped us all throughout the year. So far, I couldn’t be happier with the way that’s going and, I mean, couldn’t pick a better organization to be with, really, so looking forward to continuing that.”

Now, after a successful season in 2024 and the consolidation to Indianapolis, A.J. Foyt Racing is hoping to be in a place where it can win some races. 

The team also signed David Malukas, who is going into his fourth year in the series, to a multi-year contract starting in 2025. Malukas drove 10 races with Meyer Shank Racing in 2024 with a sixth-place finish in Toronto.

“I think the next step for us — last year, we got a pole, top-10 in the championship, had top-five (finish), but we want to take the next step,” Larry Foyt said. “Of course, we want to win the 500 and we want to win some races. And now I think we feel like we’re at a place where we can do that.”

Haven’t been able to snag tickets to see Taylor Swift in Indy?

There’s hope yet. Several organizations and businesses are still holding sweepstakes to give away tickets to the star’s sold-out Nov. 1-3 stop at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Here are a few ways you can enter sweepstakes to win tickets to the Eras Tour in Indianapolis.

Win Taylor Swift Tickets in Indianapolis

IU Health Foundation

IU Health Foundation is giving away four pairs of tickets to either the Nov. 1 or Nov. 3 Eras Tour to a few lucky donors. And they’re not just any seats — winners will watch the show from Lucas Oil Stadium’s Quarterback Suite, which includes buffet catering and a full-service bar.

To enter, go to bit.ly/3U2uhAc and donate at least $100 for your chance to win. Every $100 donated (up to $500) gets you another entry. All contributions made during the sweepstakes will go to the foundation’s Healthier Women campaign, supporting efforts in areas like oncology, maternal and infant health, bereavement and primary care.

The entry period ends Oct. 13 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET, and winners will be notified no later than Oct. 23.

For full rules and terms, visit bit.ly/3Yj1XMz.

Ready for it? Your guide to Taylor Swift in Indianapolis for Eras Tour shows

Condado Tacos

What’s better than tacos? Perhaps two tickets to Taylor Swift and tacos. Condado Tacos is giving away a pair of tickets for the Nov. 3 show plus a $100 gift card to one lucky Instagram follower. Here’s what you have to do:

• Follow @CondadoTacos on Instagram
• Like Condado’s Eras Tour sweepstakes announcement post
• Share the post on your Instagram story with the hashtag #Condado_Sweepstakes
• Tag a Swiftie you follow — or several — by adding their Instagram handle to the post. You’ll get one entry per tagged Instagram handle.

The entry period ends Oct. 18 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET.

No purchase is necessary. Participants must be U.S. residents 18 or older as of Sept. 25. A random drawing will be conducted around Oct. 21, according to the terms and conditions, and the potential winner will be contacted via direct message.

For full rules and terms, visit condadotacos.com/erasgiveaway.

European Wax Center Lavender Days Giveaway 

European Wax Center is also giving away a pair of tickets to the Nov. 3 show. Simply go to the sweepstakes page, waxcenter.com/pages/lavender-days-giveaway, and enter your email address for a chance to win.

The entry period ends Oct. 18 at 11:59 p.m. CT.

European Wax Center lists several locations in the Indianapolis metro area:

• 2902 W. 86th St., Suite 120
• 1340 E. 86th St.
• 2772 E. 146th St. in Carmel
• 13170 Harrell Parkway in Noblesville

For full rules and terms, visit waxcenter.com/pages/lavender-days-giveaway.

Looking for things to do? Our newsletter has the best concerts, art, shows and more — and the stories behind them

Contact IndyStar pop culture reporter Holly Hays at holly.hays@indystar.com. Follow her on X/Twitter: @hollyvhays.

INDIANAPOLIS — On Monday, the city of Indianapolis unveiled two new houses on the near west side that were built to provide homeownership opportunities.

Construction started in May and Mary Anderson has watched the two houses go up across the street from hers.

Anderson has lived in the Haughville neighborhood for more than 60 years.

“It’s getting much better, it really is. I know one thing, our taxes are outrageous,” said Anderson.

Home prices are also going up.

“Everybody’s not rich, you know what I’m saying?” said Anderson.

The two new houses are part of the city’s Vacant to Vibrant program. Last year, the city allocated nearly $6 million to turn vacant lots or properties into homeownership opportunities.

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“I happen to be a resident in this area and have driven by these vacant lots for years and years. It was nothing but accumulating trash and just being a nuisance to the community,” said Beverly Mukes-Gaither, the CEO of the Westside Community Development Corporation.

Mukes-Gaither says not only the west side but other neighborhoods in Indianapolis are struggling to provide affordable housing.

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“We have basically been victims of equity investors that do not provide quality rental housing and then the overall shortage of quality home ownership,” Mukes-Gaither said.

The Westside CDC is focused on homeownership rates. Mukes-Gaither says for over 10 years, the rate of home ownership has dropped. It’s now below 40% on the west side.

“Any community that is vibrant and thriving needs a high percentage of home ownership,” said Mukes-Gather.

The houses are expected to be done in November and are on the market. Families making less than 80% of the area’s median income qualify.

PREVIOUS | Vacant properties and land being turned into affordable housing

Vacant to Vibrant

Mukes-Gaither says they would also like families to go through a home-buying education or counseling program. Those interested can fill out this form.

WCDC was given $300,000 from the city. They also leveraged funds through the Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative (IAAQLI) and a low-interest line of credit from Citizen’s Energy Group to redevelop the previously city-owned lots into high-quality, affordable homes.

That funding will allow them to build 15 additional houses over the next two years.

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The Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP) also provided a small grant in support of the WCDC’s affordable housing program and is working with the WCDC and the listing realtor on referrals of qualified buyers and a potential mortgage lender.

Both homes are included in the upcoming INHP posted tour of available properties for sale to low-and-moderate income buyers.