Phillips excited by Foyt opportunity

New AJ Foyt Racing technical director Will Phillips says that he is looking forward to working in a competitive environment again following his recent detour into the sport's administrative side.

Phillips spent five years as IndyCar's technical director before leaving the series in early 2016. Prior to that he had held technical and engineering roles at a number of teams including March, de Ferran, Highcroft Rocketsports and Reynard, and said that he is excited by his new opportunity with Foyt.

"It is a privilege to join one of the most iconic teams in the IndyCar Series," Phillips said. "I have missed the competition and as such am looking forward to being back on the frontline. The depth of talent in the team is impressive and I look forward to working with them and helping create a cohesive engineering group to support Carlos [Munoz] and Conor [Daly]."

Phillips replaces Don Halliday, who retired at the end of last year. His arrival continues an extensive off-season overhaul within the team, which is going into 2017 with two new drivers, a new manufacturer partner in Chevrolet, and several new crew members on the No.4 entry. That car will be run primarily out of Indianapolis, while the No.14 will be based at the team's headquarters in Waller, TX.

"I've enjoyed getting to know Will Phillips," said Larry Foyt. "In our initial meetings, I liked his approach and demeanor, and felt it would be a great fit and benefit to our current young driver and engineer lineup. Operating two different race shops poses its challenges for sure, but I like the experienced personnel we have been able to hire to take on the challenge."

The team is scheduled to test tomorrow and Wednesday at Sebring.