MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Front Row Motorsports confirmed Saturday afternoon that driver Matt Tifft has been released from a local hospital after suffering a “medical condition” at Martinsville Speedway.
Tifft, 23, was transported from the infield care center to a local hospital roughly half an hour before the scheduled start of opening practice Saturday morning.
He was replaced by NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Matt Crafton for both practice sessions, and Front Row Motorsports general manager Jerry Freeze confirmed to FOX Sports that Crafton will continue in the interim driver role for both qualifying and Sunday’s First Data 500 at the .526-mile Virginia short track.
A team statement released as the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race was beginning Saturday afternoon noted that Tifft had been released from hospital care.
“This morning, Matt Tifft was transported to a local hospital in Martinsville, Va., for further evaluations and tests after suffering a medical condition at the track,” the statement read. “Tifft was evaluated and released from the hospital and is returning home. Further updates will be sent when appropriate.”
Tifft is in the midst of his rookie season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and has one top-10 finish in 31 starts this year, a ninth-place finish at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway in July.
He underwent brain surgery in July of 2016 to remove a low-grade glioma tumor.