What's more, he's trying to make a name for himself in NASCAR knowing that he carries the genes and notoriety of having the same surname as one of auto racing's greatest drivers, A.J. Foyt, his father.

Still, Larry Foyt has shown the same kind of resilience A.J. was known for during his own career. When things get rough for a Foyt, be it A.J. or Larry, they go back to their Texas work ethic: they just dig deeper, keep fighting and remain optimistic that a turnaround is right around the corner.

"Obviously, it's been tough, and being a rookie doesn't help," Foyt said. "Just our whole situation, trying to carry the name and getting extra attention from that certainly isn't easy, but I knew it wouldn't be easy going in. I knew the cards were kind of stacked against us when the season started, everything from being a small team to getting a late start, to me being a rookie to having a rookie crew chief in (Winston) Cup. There were a lot of new things there, and it has been a struggle.

"I feel the whole team and I feel I'm better than what we've been showing. We tested at Richmond for a couple of days two weeks ago and I think it went well. By the end of the test, I felt like we were running competitive times. So, we're hoping that maybe Richmond can be a good one for us this weekend and will be the place where we can start turning this deal around."

	Foyt is hoping to wake up from his nightmarish start.

After skipping Martinsville and having the successful test at Richmond, Foyt and the No. 14 Dodge team returned to the track at California with a full head of steam. It's doubtful any other team that has struggled as much this season has as much drive and determination to turn things around more than Foyt Racing.

The three-year-old team has a young driver, crew chief and primarily a young support team that is still learning its way, but has the promise and potential to make some serious noise once it gets itself on track.

"We're not giving up, but we've got to figure out what's going on here, and A.J. knows that," the younger Foyt said. "Yeah, he's hard on me, but at the same time he's been real understanding this year. If you look at the Cup field, there's 41, 42 cars out there with real good teams. Obviously, we don't know the answers yet.

"This NASCAR Winston Cup team has struggled for the past three years, but definitely, probably never this bad, and I think that just comes because we have so much new stuff going on this year. A.J.'s on me tough ... but it's something I'm used to. He doesn't put any more pressure on me than I already put on myself. I can't stand running like this. I've just been miserable with the way we've been racing, so hopefully we can get it turned around."

The team made some significant gains, particularly in the handling department, this past weekend at California, but the end results are all that people see: after running well for much of the race, Foyt was knocked out 24 laps from the finish by a crash and finished 38th.

"I think we learned a lot at California on some things we were doing wrong with things like shocks and things like that," Foyt said. "Every weekend we go to the race track, we gain and we gain."

Besides having a young team, carrying such a famous surname is difficult. But at the same time, Larry Foyt empathizes with his father. They both want to win -- or at least have the team perform well consistently -- and realize the only way that will happen is with more time in practice, testing and in races.

"A.J.'s been frustrated, I think, ever since he started this NASCAR thing," Larry Foyt said. "The team just hasn't performed the way he's wanted it to, or the way he's used to performing in racing. I hate it for him, but he understands our situation.

"It's just hard to get excited about it when you're running the way we're running. But I think we can weather the storm. I'm gaining tons of valuable experience and I think after every weekend I come out a better driver. How can you not when you're racing against the best stock-car drivers in the world? So, that's kept me going."

Learning from his father isn't the only source of inspiration and knowledge that the younger Foyt can draw from. He's solicited input this season from fellow drivers like last year's rookies, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson, as well as several veterans to help him.

	“	It's just hard to get excited about it when you're running the way we're running. But I think we can weather the storm. I'm gaining tons of valuable experience and I think after every weekend I come out a better driver. How can you not when you're racing against the best stock-car drivers in the world? So, that's kept me going. ”
		— Larry Foyt

"I've talked to quite a few drivers," Foyt said. "The guys around the NASCAR garage are all super helpful because they've all been there. Really, the majority of them have just told me to hang in there. They understand it. I feel there's anybody, from Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. to Rusty Wallace, that I can go up to and talk to and they'll all give me a straight answer. I've found most of them to be very helpful."

At the same time Foyt was skipping Martinsville and preparing for the test at Richmond, he admits he was down in the dumps with how poorly things have gone for him. But one phone call changed his mood, not only for the short term but also for the remainder of his budding career.

"This sport can really beat you down when things aren't going well, and I was really beating myself up," Foyt said. "Then one day, Ray Evernham called and needed a test driver to do some testing at Kentucky Speedway about three weeks ago. I went and it just went awesome. I think that really helped get me back and I'm not going to blame all this on myself.

"We realize that we have to get everything to go better, so what do we have to do? I think that picked me up and made me realize we just have to keep digging here and get this thing turned around.

"My dad is intent on turning this thing around, and I've got a super bunch of guys who are behind me and I'm behind them. They're doing the best they can and are improving every week. Winston Cup is just such a hard place to be for a young team trying to grow and improve, but that's just kind of the fight we have to fight right now."

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at motorsportwriter@yahoo.com.