Foyt undergoes heart surgery

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt is recovering in a Houston hospital after undergoing successful triple-bypass surgery.

The 79-year-old was admitted to Baylor St Luke's Medical Center with chest pains last Friday, and medical tests revealed blockages in arteries three days later. He is expected to be released from hospital next Monday.

Foyt has endured a number of hospital stays in recent years, many of which stemmed from his 1990 IndyCar accident at Road America. In 2013 he underwent separate back surgeries and hip and knee replacements, and a year earlier received treatment for a life-threatening staph infection following surgery to remove bone spurs from his artificial left knee.

His race team, which is managed by his son Larry, recently announced plans to run a second IndyCar for Briton Jack Hawksworth alongside Takuma Sato in 2015.