Annett, DiBenedetto helped to care center after 5-hour ENERGY 301
RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings
LOUDON, N.H. – Following Sunday’s race, a pair of drivers were taken to the infield care center to receive treatment for heat-related issues.
No, this wasn’t the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway in the middle of July, it was … New Hampshire?
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After relatively cool — but somewhat expected — temperatures for practice and qualifying sessions Friday and Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sunday’s 5-hour ENERGY 301 was run under steamy, Daytona-like conditions. Humidity spiked, thermometers rose and drivers drooped.
Michael Annett and Matt DiBenedetto each had to be helped to the care center after the checkered flag dropped, spending about an hour and a half receiving treatment before being released. AJ Allmendinger also needed to be tended to in his hauler before leaving the track.
I’m fine. Had strep throat all weekend. Was warm in the car. Nothing a little water and ice after couldn’t fix afterwards. All good here.
— AJ Allmendinger (@AJDinger) July 19, 2015
Brad Keselowski, Sunday’s runner-up, looked paler than his white No. 2 Team Penske Ford when he was in the media center and all but needed to cut his press conference short just to regain his breath.
“Ready to go home,” Keselowski said. “Ready to go home.”
“It was hot out there,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed.
DiBenedetto was feeling better after being treated later tweeting “Thanks for the concern everyone … I got dehydrated and sick but the infield care center gave me fluids and I’m a little better. It was hot!”
It was abundantly clear that heat was the overlying theme of the race, as several drivers made a point to say how much the temperatures affected them and their race cars.
Hottest race of the year so far today. I drank 100oz of electrolyte fluids in the car (5 bottles), and another 60oz after. Still behind.
— landon cassill (@landoncassill) July 19, 2015
“That was a tough one for sure. It was hot out there. We worked hard,” said Austin Dillon.
“The heat of the day kind of threw us for a loop and we just weren’t very good,” explained Ryan Blaney.
Even super-athlete Jimmie Johnson, who has battled heat exhaustion before, noted that, “It was toasty for sure. It’s weird how much hotter we are in the cars at Dover and Loudon.”
An added condition that Allmendinger was battling was the dreaded mid-summer cold, too.
“I wasn’t as my best today either,” said Allmendinger, who finished 13th. “I’ve been battling strep throat. It was very hot today and I got frustrated at times because I wasn’t feeling good.”
One driver who was able to brave the elements and come out on the other side healthy — and in Victory Lane — was race-winner Kyle Busch.
“I’m definitely warm,” said Busch, who needed to fill up his water bottle and take long sips from it before answering questions in his post-race press conference. “I’m still trying to cool down right now, as cold as it is in (the media center). You get that brisk when you walk through the door but then after that you’re like ‘OK, I need more.’
“It’s warm. This is one of the warmest days I think I’ve ever remembered up here in this part of the country. Fortunately for me, I was all good. I’ve got a really good team of guys that work on my seat for me and I’ve really been nitpicking them this year to try and get more comfortable each week and it’s really paying off. Hopefully now that they see us winning some races and I’m thankful to them for giving me the right cooling and everything.”