---
title: "American Racing Legend A.J. Foyt Survives Vicious Killer Bee Attack"
description: "A.J. Foyt has now beat the bees twice."
date: "2018-03-18"
modified: "2018-03-19"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19361/american-racing-legend-a-j-foyt-survives-vicious-killer-bee-attack"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "A.J. Foyt"
  - "Bees"
  - "indycar"
  - "Indycar Series"
  - "racing"
  - "Racing News"
---

# American Racing Legend A.J. Foyt Survives Vicious Killer Bee Attack

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/03/03-16-foyt-on-pitlane-phxopentest.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Legendary American race car driver A.J. Foyt couldn't fulfill his role as Grand Marshall at this weekend's [12 Hours of Sebring](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19330/spirit-of-daytona-takes-pole-for-the-2018-12-hours-of-sebring>) after being viciously attacked by Africanized Killer Bees while working on his ranch in Texas on Wednesday afternoon.

This week's incident wasn't Foyt's first encounter with the savage breed of bees. In August 2005, Foyt was [hospitalized](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/13254/jeremy-clarkson-hospitalized-for-pneumonia>) after sustaining over 200 stingers from Africanized Killer Bees in his face and lips. Both encounters happened while the four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 accidentally disturbed beehives while operating a bulldozer on his property, according to a statement by Foyt Racing.

![message-editor%2F1521393713960-404304\_ba53ff12248a4e799c5980a8fabc0473mv2.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521393713960-404304_ba53ff12248a4e799c5980a8fabc0473mv2.jpg>)
*A.J. Foyt., *Foyt Racing**

“I’m very sorry I can’t be there because I was really looking forward to this weekend,” said A.J. Foyt. “I was doing some work on my ranch out west and got attacked by killer bees. I look like I had a fight with Mike Tyson and lost. Right now I’m on so much medication that I’m not feeling that great so I’ll take the doctors’ advice to rest for the next couple days.”

Dubbed "Super Tex" by the racing fraternity, Foyt is known for leading a dangerous life on and off the race track. Not only does he have a thing for eating sticks of butter with salt and pepper (which has severely affected his health), but he enjoys doing arduous manual labor and other things most folks wouldn't expect an 83-year-old icon to do.

Foyt's absence in Sebring also meant that he couldn't be honored at a gala where he was to be inducted into the track's hall of fame. Sebring and Foyt have a rich history together, with the pair's most recent headline dating back to 1985, when Foyt scored his last major victory as a race car driver at the [12-hour endurance race](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19350/ferrari-488-gt3-flips-in-dramatic-fashion-at-12-hours-of-sebring>).

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)