Matt Tifft reveals his departure from NASCAR is due to epilepsy

 

Chris Trotman | Getty Images

    Matt Tifft was a promising driver in the NASCAR Cup Series back in 2018 earning rookie of the year honors, and in 2019 in which he also showed impressive performance. Unfortunately at Martinsville Speedway in October of 2019 Tifft suffered a seizure which led to him missing the final races of the 2019 season. Tifft would not return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020, and John Hunter Nemecheck would take his place in the 36 car.

For nearly a year Matt Tifft has been very quiet about his illness, but today he broke his silence when he told NBC Sports that his seizures have been due to epilepsy. Matt Tifft has understandably suffered great anxiety over his illness, and has found it difficult to speak publicly about it until now.  

Tifft told NBC Sports “It can be very anxiety-inducing because it really changes almost everything you do in your regular life.”

Matt Tifft announced late last year that he would become a co-owner of a new team in the NASCAR Cup Series called “Live Fast Motorsports” with NASCAR veteran B.J. McLeod. Today it was reported that even going to work at the team has become difficult, as Tifft isn’t allowed to drive. Matt Tifft must be seizure free for 6 months (in the state of North Carolina) to regain permission to drive, until then Tifft has been using ride sharing services to get around.

While it is unclear if Tifft will recover from this illness, it is likely he will not be returning to drive in NASCAR any time soon. 

I understand that these must be difficult times for Matt Tifft, and I applaud him for his great courage and for speaking up about his troubles.