NASCAR driver Matt Tifft suffered another seizure in December

Matt Tifft continues to recover

Matt Tifft has been in a battle with health issues. It stems back to 2016. On July 21, 2016 the driver had surgery to remove a tumor on his brain.

He returned to racing full-time as early as 2017. He ran a full-time schedule with Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he finished 7th in the standings.

In 2018, he made the move to Richard Childress Racing. He collect 6 top-5’s with a season best of 2nd on the Road America. Tifft finished 6th in the standings.

In 2019, Tifft ran his first NASCAR Cup Series event. He signed with Front Row Motorsports, to complete full-time as a Rookie.

Last year, he had a best finish of 9th at Daytona. Outside of restrictor plate tracks, he had a best finish of 20th which he claimed three times at Phoenix, Charlotte and Richmond.

On October 26, 2019, Tifft showed up at Martinsville Speedway for another race weekend. However, he suffered an abrupt seizure in the team hauler.

Tifft exited the car for the remainder of the season. He began working on his health. On November 13, the team announced that the contract had been terminated as Tifft engaged in therapy.

Now, Tifft is opening up on a second incident. The driver was married last year. On December 12, while on his honeymoon, Tifft had a second seizure.

Matt Tifft and his wife
Matt Tifft and his wife

Matt Tifft comments details seizure and recovery

“A lot of you have been asking how I’ve been doing lately. Usually, I’m a very upbeat, positive person, but this health issue from the seizure has really put me mental health toughness to the test,” the driver stated via social media.

“As you all know, on Oct 26, I suffered a tonic clonic seizure at Martinsville. This did not phase me all that much, but did bring up some anxiety and fear, but it generally subsided quickly. This was in large part due to Jordan and I planning our wedding that was coming up Dec 7.”

“Luckily, I had seemed to restore to great health and had seemed to return to normal through this time. Unfortunately, on our honeymoon, I suffered another seizure on Dec 12.”

“This one rocked me pretty badly, as I was conscious for a lot more of the convulsions, and it really has taken everything in me to return to feeling somewhat normal.”

“Anxiety, PTSD, fear or whatever you call it of that seizure has played through my head nearly everyday. Luckily, these last few weeks I’ve finally seen improvements after going to therapy and trying to “rewire” my brain.”

“It started off really rough, where I could hardly leave my house without having intense anxiety and panic attacks about having another seizure, which I have never had in my life before.”

“I’m committed to “rewiring” my brain and to restore my mental health. I’ve never suffered a mental illness before. Even with the brain tumor in 2016 and first seizure, I never had these effects. I never knew how debilitating it could feel to live with constant fear and anxiety.”

“But now, I do see a light in this getting better, however as I continue with this road to recovery with these issues and finding answers, I just wanted to make it know that my deepest sympathy goes out to those who deal with these issues on an everyday basis, and I can’t thank my wife; family and friends enough for their continued support,” Tifft concluded.

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Matt Tifft provides medical update after seizure at Martinsville Speedway

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Matt Tifft | Front Row Motorsports | Martinsville Speedway | NASCAR

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