HOUSTON – A Houston racing legend was at a Las Vegas race where a driver was killed on Sunday.
AJ Foyt, a four-time Indy 500 winner, was at a pit stop guiding his race team during Sunday's race in Las Vegas. Foyt, who retired from racing in the early 90s, is now owner and operator of AJ Foyt Racing. His driver, Vitor Meira, was in one of the cars involved in the wreck.
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"I knew it was terrible. It was just like an explosion; it wasn't like a wreck. It was like 'boom boom boom,'" said Foyt.
He said he was in communication with his driver on radios during the scary moments of the race.
"We seen him off the throttle and we radioed to him, 'Vitor, are you OK? Are you OK?' He said, 'Yeah, I'm OK,'" recalled Foyt.
Foyt said it wasn't long before he heard the news of Dan Wheldon's death. He said Wheldon's family members had come to watch the race.
"I knew Wheldon quite well. A good family man, a super good driver and had everything going for him. His career came to an end very early," said Foyt.
The tragedy changed the last race of the season, Foyt said.
"Nobody wants to win something that way. It just takes away the whole year that you raced to win the title," said Foyt.
Foyt said Meira was just in front of Wheldon and was hit by at least two cars. Foyt's car was damaged, but Meira walked away with no serious injuries.