Spend any amount of time with A.J. Foyt and you quickly understand that the undisputed king of Indy Car racing is a portrait in extremes. Brash, dedicated, stubborn and, yes, sensitive. The legend of Foyt is just half of this complex man's equation.

"I guess I can't back it up the way I used to," joked the five-time Indy 500 winner -- four as an owner/driver and one as owner of Kenny Brack's 1999 winning car.

Foyt's career spans more than five decades. It started when his late father, Tony Foyt fell on some down times with his midget racing operation.

"My dad was very successful running midgets in Texas," Foyt said. Then, his two drivers ran into some bad luck. People started saying that Daddy had lost his touch. That it was the cars and not the drivers. I wanted to race just to prove all those people wrong."

Thus was born Foyt's "my way or the highway" attitude that has defined his career.

"I'm no where as tough as my father," Foyt said. "I really think that I am more open to change than he was."

Nonetheless, Tony Foyt's philosophies are still in practice at A.J. Foyt Racing.

A tour of his sprawling shop just outside Houston reveals a "no frills" environment that while lacking some of the cosmetic amenities prevalent in other shops still has some cutting edge approaches to running cars in the Indy Racing League.

Assembly bays dot a wide open shop floor. Hidden away in an adjacent shop is a state of the art chassis dyno.

"I had it built just for the Indy cars," Foyt said. "Racing today has become a case of R&R -- remove and replace."

Gone are the days where most everything was hand fabricated. Foyt's legacy includes the Coyote chassis, the Foyt engine and numerous other inventions that established him as an innovator long before the arrival of Roger Penske.

The event Foyt has and continues to center his existence around looms on the horizon. Gasoline Alley at Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for cars on May 1 and Foyt's two teams were hurriedly preparing cars, spares, engines and equipment for transport to Indy for the month-long preparations for this year's Indianapolis 500.

Unlike other years, Foyt was also busy finalizing his agreement with Greg Ray to replace the injured Eliseo Salazar in his No. 11 Dallara for the rest of the 2002 campaign.

"It was terrible that Eliseo got hurt," Foyt said about his third-year-driver who suffered a torn vertebral artery in a crash during a private test at Indianapolis. "I know Eliseo is upset that he's missing out on Indy and a good part of the year, but at least he came through the surgery well. The doctors don't think he'll be back before next year, but Eliseo is determined to get back ahead of schedule, so we'll just have to wait and see. I promised I'd have a car for him if he does."

Ray joins Foyt's other driver, Airton Dare, who replaced an injured Donnie Beechler in the Harrah's Dallara after Beechler crashed preparing for the IRL's season-opener in Homestead, Fla.

Regardless of Salazar's progress, fellow Texan Ray is signed through 2003.

"When I drove for A.J. before, I really enjoyed working with him and the team," Ray said. "Over the last 10 years, I've spent a lot of time hanging out with the guys on Foyt's team -- with the Texas connection they really feel like my extended family. I always raced against him at Indy, so teaming up with A.J. there will be a special experience for me. Our personalities match extremely well, so I'm sure that's worth a couple tenths."

While Ray and Dare comprise Foyt's current stable, there is one driver Foyt is eyeing for a future ride. His grandson Anthony Joseph Foyt IV currently changes the right front tire on the Harrah's car while waiting for his 18th birthday.

Anthony has won in everything he has driven from Junior Dragsters to Karts. A USAC Silver Crown car sits ready for him in his grandfather's shop, but USAC's minimum age requirement leaves the third-generation Foyt waiting for his upcoming birthday.

"The A.J. Foyt Hulman Hundred at the (Indy) Fairgrounds runs the day before his birthday," A.J. said. "When Anthony found out that he was shy by one day he told me, 'Pops, let's pray for rain.'"