Who's A.J. Ford?

I'm talking with my boss the other day about her invitation to the Indy 500. I told her that although I am a native Hoosier, and now live in Speedway, IN, just a few miles from the track, I really would have no interest in going. She said she doesnt' like racing, but that practice is actually pretty cool, and you get to rub shoulders with people like A.J. Foyt. Well, I didn't hear Foyt... no, no... I heard Ford. So, I ask, "Who is A.J. Ford?" She just looks at me, doesn't respond, and I'm left to wonder the rest of the day who this A.J. guy is. So, later, I'm talking to my boyfriend Shaun, and I'm telling him this story... he starts laughing hysterically, and says, "It's Foyt honey, not Ford." (As if this clears anything up for me). So, to make the story even funnier, I am riding in the car with Sam and we are driving by The Speedway, something I do at least twice a day... I notice this HUGE sign with a picture of A.J. and his name in HUGE letters, with a bunch of years on it. Years he won races I'm sure. So, why I didn't notice this until 2 days ago, I don't know... I guess Shaun's right... I am pretty clueless to my surroundings.