Vacuum Central

A.J. Foyt, racing legend, has a new speed racer with his Hide-A-Hose vac.

There aren’t many people who haven’t heard of professional racecar driver A.J. Foyt. (Did you know he’s the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans? The man’s totally a legend.) So when VACUFLO® dealer King Tieken got a call from A.J. Foyt, he thought it was a prank.

Tieken, a motocross racer himself, said it was typical for his friends to call the dealership pretending to be Ricky Carmichael or Evel Knievel.

“I was at the office one afternoon when the phone rang. My secretary started laughing and said A.J. Foyt is on the phone. Then we all laughed,” said Tieken. “I picked up and it didn’t take long before I realized it was the real deal!”

Foyt wanted a central vacuum system installed in his ranch outside Houston. Tieken went out to do a walk-through of the home and ended up getting the full tour. The rest, as they say, is history.

A.J. Foyt and VACUFLO® dealer King Tieken in front of Foyt's powerful central vacuum system.

“We just hit it off immediately,” recalled Tieken. “I guess it was that common bond that thrill seekers share. He showed me all of his NASCAR, Indianapolis and Formula One trophies, and we set up an install for a few days later.”

Naturally, Tieken was eager to do the work himself, although he ended up with a little unexpected help: “I had to run back to my truck to get something and, when I came back, I found A.J. Foyt on my ladder running pipe. I kept saying ‘A.J., let me do that.’ But he would smile and keep going.”

Only two days into the job, another opportunity emerged. Foyt asked Tieken to hop into his truck so they could take a little drive about 50 miles outside of Houston. The destination was Foyt’s racecar shop – A.J. Foyt Racing.

“We pulled up to this giant orange building with glass offices on top and these amazing vehicles down below,” said Tieken. “You could actually eat off the floor.”

Foyt said he had been thinking about getting a central vac for the space and Tieken got to work installing a commercial system to clean up carbon fiber and metal shavings. As if that wasn’t enough to cement the bond between the two men, Tieken was also asked to install a VACUFLO System for Foyt’s son, A.J. Foyt, III.

The next time Foyt and Tieken worked together was even more remarkable. Tieken installed a Hide-A-Hose system in Foyt’s 12,000-plus square foot home in the River Oaks area of Houston. Tieken explained, “The day of the demonstration, I show up and A.J. is there – along with wife, Lucy, one of his sons, a maid who’s been with the family 30 years, and several contractors. I had just started my demo of Hide-A-Hose for Lucy and the maid when Lucy said ‘Wait, A.J. has to see this.’ A.J came back and couldn’t believe his eyes. He was amazed that the system held 50 feet of hose in the wall, amazed that it retracted so easily, amazed by its power.”

Foyt's Hide-A-Hose is a clean winner!

Foyt then went off to get the plumber, the trim carpenter, and the superintendent. Before long, a small crowd had gathered and Foyt announced that his new central vacuum was the coolest amenity he’s ever had in a house.

“All this from a man with just about every high-tech gadget, and who can operate his entire house from a laptop,” Tieken added. He elaborated, “This central vacuum was something he just inherently understood. It was so useful – not just a gimmick or keeping up with the Jones’. It was mechanical and he was excited by how well it worked. Next thing you know, A.J. Foyt is happily vacuuming the living room while we all watched.”