Yahoo Autos Foyt’s Fornoro named 2024 Robin Miller Award recipient
Anne Fornoro, longtime communications and public relations specialist at A.J. Foyt Racing, is this year’s recipient of the Robin Miller Award.
The award honors “an unheralded individual who’s devoted a significant portion of their life to IndyCar racing while bringing unbridled passion and unrelenting work ethic to enrich the sport.”
The first recipient was Miller himself (2019), followed by Bob Jenkins (2021), Judy Dominick and the late T.E. McHale (2022) and Ziggy Harkus (2023).
Fornoro’s career in racing career began at the National Speed Sport News, where she worked alongside Chris Economaki. In 1984 she moved to help the promotions department at U.S. Tobacco, which led her to IndyCar racing and A.J. Foyt Enterprises.
On hand to present Fornoro with the award at Indianapolis Motor Speedway were Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles and the late Miller’s sister, Diane (pictured at left, above, with Fornoro and A.J. Foyt).
“I’ve had the privilege of knowing you for many years, and Robin loved you,” Miller said. “He loved you dearly.
“Robin used to tell stories that would just curl your hair about ‘Anne saved [A.J.’s] life again,’ ‘If it wasn’t for Anne, he’d be in prison, he’d be in jail. Somebody would have been knocked [in] the head.’
“You’re just great. You deserve this. I know [Robin} is smiling down from heaven and so thrilled that you were selected because you’re so deserving of this award, Annie. We love you.”
Fornoro was unaware she’d been selected for the honor until moments before it was announced.
“A little warning would have been nice!” she joked, noting that the first time she sensed something was up was when she came into the media center and saw A.J. there.
“I usually don’t get in front of the microphone. I feel like as a PR rep, you need to get these stars in front of the microphone,” Fornoro said. “But Robin was very special to me. I miss him a lot. I miss his columns. There were times when I didn’t agree with him, but he always wrote from the heart and I appreciated that. He appreciated the fact that I grew up in midget racing, and so I think I got a pass as far as some of the PR reps were concerned.
“I don’t even know what to say. This will go in a very special place in my home. Just thank you. Thank you very much.”
Among those present to see Fornoro receive the award was current A.J. Foyt Racing driver Santino Ferrucci, who was also the first person to grab the microphone when the floor was opened for questions. Ferrucci asked for a PG-13 story from Anne’s time working with A.J. (“I know there’s a lot of R’s,” he added.)
“Well, my first experience with A.J. was at the 1985 Indy 500, and he set the pits on fire,” Fornoro said. “I almost got killed because there was a stampede in the pits, as everybody was trying to evacuate. He had been having problems, and he told his crew, ‘I’ll show you how to vent the thing,’ and he sticks his arm in the buckeye, and… poof.
“But it did make People magazine, and Copenhagen, it was a full page… I thought, ‘Well, it turned out OK because we got a lot of publicity from it.’
“There are a lot of stories about A.J. People say, ‘You should write a book.’ I say, ‘He pays me not to write the book.’”
