RELATED: Texas race results | Johnson wins at Texas
Jimmie Johnson's celebration of his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the season was interrupted by a visit to the infield care center at Texas Motor Speedway.
Johnson complained about overheating and cramping up during his Victory Lane interviews, moments after posting his seventh win at the 1.5-mile track. He said he received three bags of intravenous fluids in nearly an hour spent in the care center.
"I knew I was warm, but I didn't feel too bad," Johnson said about the late portions of Sunday's 500-miler. "When I caught Joey (Logano, third-place finisher) and was racing with Joey, I started cramping pretty good on my left side, my chest and my biceps, my forearm, and I knew I was real low on fluids. And I got out of the car, and I was OK, certainly hot, but then again, when I started doing some other interviews in Victory Lane, big muscles started cramping, and I knew I needed to go get some IV then, some fluids."
Chad Knaus, crew chief for Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet, indicated that there was an unknown malfunction with the in-car cooling system. Johnson said that he has a button connected to an electric motor that pushes fluid to a bite valve in his helmet, but that the system did not work for the entirety of the race.
"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."
JJ Yeley also made a trip to the care center for fluids after his 27th-place finish.