Texas Motor Speedway winner Jimmie Johnson visits care center
Hendrick Motorsports machines had a possible malfunction with cooling system.
“Oh, it was hot in there,” Johnson said in the midst of his post-race celebration. “I got cooked in the car today. I didn’t have any fluids so I’m not feeling the best, but we got into Victory Lane.”
He complained of cramps following possible dehydration and/or heat exhaustion. His plan was to get a few IV bags at the care center. An hour after the race Jimmie Johnson still hadn’t completed his media obligations. He went directly to the care-center post race, he was in there over an hour.
Today was not the best days to have an in-car air cooling failure. It was over 80 degrees in Fort Worth, TX today.
Add that these drivers were racing on a brand new surface. A surface netted a newly declared ‘fastest track in NASCAR’. Drivers were manhandling the racecars today.
Chad Knaus indicated that there was an unknown malfunction with the in-car cooling system. He’s the crew chief for the #48 Hendrick Motorsports car driven by Jimmie Johnson.
“To be frank I don’t know what that is yet,” Knaus said. “We’ve got to look at it and see what’s happened there. I don’t … I really don’t know. I can’t comment on too much because I don’t really know what happened. Jimmie felt like it was an isolated situation, but I really don’t know a heck of a lot yet.
“He was hot after the race. He’s a pretty tidy, lean, neat guy, and when things get hot, he can get hot pretty quick, but we got him cooled off and he’s looking good. He’s ready to go have a weekend off like the rest of us.”
Jimmie Johnson wasn’t the only Hendrick car to have issues. Dale Earnhardt Jr climbed from his car complained of cooling issues as well. His thoughts were that it wasn’t routed correctly. He thinks a possible vacuum of air was pulling the cool air out of the car before it made it’s way through his helmet.
JJ Yeley also made a trip to the care center for fluids after his 27th-place finish.
