One NASCAR driver sparked worries after being stretchered off of pit road on Sunday.
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After a ninth-place finish at NASCAR Cup Series' DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne, driver A.J. Allmendinger, age 44, laid down on pit road after racing with what NASCAR.com reported as a "a malfunctioning cool suit." Medical personnel at Circuit of The Americas stretchered him off of pit road to undergo a medical evaluation.
Good to see. Be well, AJ. pic.twitter.com/XARrZaybbB
— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) March 2, 2026
According to our very own John Newby, who was on hand in Austin, Texas, during the incident, officials released Allmendinger from their care not long after. The whole ordeal only lasted around 10 minutes. However, dramatic broadcast images of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet driver, who faced a similar heat-related incident in 2022, being stretchered away sparked worries online.
Kaulig Racing was quick to calm fans' nerves, assuring the public that Allmendinger "will be okay" and describing him as an "absolute warrior." Allmendinger himself soon shared an image of him back on his feet with the caption "all good."
AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet, looks on in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 14, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Allmendinger later updated his condition and explained the ordeal on the podcast Gluckcast, ensuring fans he was now "fine."
"(I) got a little hot in the race car and needed to get out as quick as possible once the race was over," the driver said, as transcribed by On3. "The medical team did a great job of getting me IVs and iced up, and I would say I was back to 90% at least within the hour flying back home."
He went on to describe driving with a malfunctioning cooling suit, saying, "Put yourself in the smallest box possible where you're sitting down in it and there's nowhere to move and crank the heat up as high as it goes. The heat is one thing, but, at the end of the day, the anxiety starts building where you know you can't get out. It's almost like panic sets in a little bit. You're just like, 'OK, I just don't wanna be here anymore, but I gotta focus, I gotta do the best that I can.' ... It's a struggle. These cars are hot. That's something that's part of it. ... You just fight through it and make the best of it."
Allmendinger is expected back on the track for the Straight Talk Wireless 500, which goes down on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. He qualified in the 23rd position.
