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INDYCAR: Foyt Close To Deal With Takuma Sato
In what would be one of the most unique IndyCar team/driver pairings in ages, SPEED.com has learned Takuma Sato is close to driving for A.J. Foyt.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted December 04, 2012  
Takuma Sato is close to inking a return to the IndyCar Series with the Foyt team. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
It appears the recent visit by the Formula One series to Texas won’t be the only cultural exchange happening in the Lone Star state during the final weeks of 2012.

As this writer chronicled in a September 25th silly season update, "Although the thought of a Sato/Foyt pairing is off the charts on the Unintentional Comedy Scale, that’s also a longshot to come to fruition," but SPEED.com has learned that this most unlikely union is actually close to being finalized.

Reached Tuesday afternoon by phone, a team representative declined to comment on the topic. Sato also declined to comment when reached Tuesday morning in Japan.

With the A.J. Foyt-owned, Larry Foyt-led team working on deal that would see Japan’s Takuma Sato in the cockpit of the famed No. 14 entry, the prospect of the cantankerous 4-time Indy 500 winner fielding the F1 veteran has all the makings of a season-long reality show.
Sato, who impressed on numerous occasions in 2012, would take over the Honda-powered No. 14 ABC Supply car. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

But a Sato/Foyt partnership could also present the best chance for both parties to find Victory Lane.

Recently completing his third season in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Sato made great strides with the Honda-powered Rahal Letterman Lanigan team, earning a pair of podiums and nearly winning two oval races (between crashes) under the firm guidance of Bobby Rahal.

His first two IndyCar seasons, run within the more relaxed and accommodating KV Racing camp, was filled with accidents and unfulfilled promise, yet a switch to the no-nonsense RLL team—where he was held to a higher level of accountability--seemed to get the best out of Sato on a more consistent basis.
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