Jimmie Johnson Illness: Updates on NASCAR Star's Status

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 9

USA Today's Nate Ryan reports on why exactly Jimmie Johnson had issues with the heat over the weekend:

Original Text

Jimmie Johnson finished eighth Saturday at the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway, but he had a scary end to his night as he battled a bout of severe dehydration. 

Fox Sports' Tom Jensen had the news:

ESPN's NASCAR Twitter feed and USA Today's Nate Ryan provided some of the details:

"

Jimmie Johnson was helped to a medica cart and taken to Infield Care Center. He got out of the car on his own; but not feeling well.

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) September 7, 2014"

USA Today's Jeff Gluck had an update as well:

Jimmie's brother Jarit shared some encouraging news:

ESPN's Marty Smith and Bob Pockrass of Sporting News had an update on what happened:

This is just another reminder that race car driving is no joke. The inside of those cars get extremely hot, and drivers not only need to be in terrific shape but also well-hydrated. ESPN's Lewis Franck provided his thoughts on the matter:

Fortunately, Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400, the last race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, didn't really matter to Johnson. He entered the night sixth in points, and with three wins on the year, he is qualified for one of the final 16 spots. 

The hope is that he'll be back and healthy in time for next Sunday's The MyAFibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.