Montreal, September 6, 2019 – Alex Tagliani spent several days in the hospital this week after contracting a minor myocarditis viral infection. The virus was transmitted to Alex from his daughter who developed a severe cold, which, when passed to wife Bronte, became gastroenteritis, before going on to attack Alex’s heart. Following a battery of medical tests, his doctor ordered him to refrain from any physical activity this weekend. The only good news in this sad story is that there will be no long-term effects, but Alex must rest to recover fully.
Because of this unfortunate development, the Quebec driver will not compete in round 11 of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series at Autodrome St. Eustache this Saturday. Alex is sorry to be unable to represent his sponsors EpiPen, RONA, St Hubert and Spectra Premium this weekend especially since he obtained his best oval track results, a third-place finish, three weeks ago at Riverside International Speedway in Nova Scotia.
“I am extremely disappointed to miss out on the championship chase in this fashion,” said Alex Tagliani. “The team collected a promising result last time out on the oval in Nova Scotia, and everything looked great for the upcoming final three oval races of the season. But I was hit with bad luck. The chances of contracting this type of viral infection are miniscule, but I did, and I have to take the doctor’s advice very seriously, if I don’t want this condition to get worse. I must rest to come back stronger than ever. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how life goes sometimes.
Team 22 Racing will still field the number 18 Chevrolet Camaro EpiPen-RONA-St Hubert-Spectra Premium in St-Eustache this Saturday with Scott Steckly behind the wheel. Scott knows his team and the car extremely well. I have no doubt that he will do the sponsors proud. For me, rest in the order of the day.”
Four-time NASCAR Pinty’s Series champion Scott Steckly now runs the 22 Racing Team.
“On behalf of myself and the 22 Racing team, we are all sad to hear that Alex will not be able to compete this weekend,” said Team owner Scott Steckly, who is also a four-time winner at St-Eustache. “The entire team wishes him a return to full health as soon as possible.
“As a team owner, I am here to support my drivers in any way I can. If that means putting on a fire suit and getting behind the wheel, then that is what we do as a team.”
The NASCAR Pinty’s Series visits the 0.4-mile short track at Autodrome St. Eustache for the last time in its history on Saturday, September 7 at 8:30 p.m., as the track will close at the end of the 2019 racing season.
TSN and TSN Direct subscribers can watch all NASCAR Pinty’s Series races live on TSN.ca and the TSN app. Watch NASCAR Pinty’s Lucas Oil 250 live stream on TSN.ca or on the TSN app on Saturday, September 7 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Check NASCAR Pinty’s listing for exact time. The United States fans can watch all the races live on FansChoice.tv.
For more information on Alex Tagliani, please visit www.tagliani.com, follow him on Twitter at @TAGLIANI, @tagliani18 on Instagram and like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Tagliani
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Photo Credit: 22 Racing