Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports entered the NASCARCup Series race at Circuit of the Americas with a sickness. The race in Austin, Texas, was held in over 80-degree heat, and many NASCAR drivers suffered heat exhaustion. Bowman was one of a couple of drivers to face physical results, parking his car late in the race as Hendrick Motorsports called on a first-time racer to back up the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet.
To everyone’s surprise, Hendrick Motorsports had no backup driver on the scene to hop into the No. 48 Chevrolet. This prompted the team to find Myatt Snider and ask him to race the final laps with caution, keeping the No. 48 clean and finishing above the other wrecked cars to gain as many points as possible.
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Snider currently works as a pit spotter for media at NASCAR races. On the Fox broadcast, Jamie Little explained that Bowman’s team asked her if they could take Snider from her as a pit road spotter for the broadcast. She explained that, without hesitation, the answer was yes. The No. 48 got relief, salvaged a few points, and Snider was able to race a dream for a little while.
Live events for the NASCAR DuraMax Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.
Who is Myatt Snider?
Myatt Snider, driver of the #91 Tree Top Chevrolet, enters his car during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Nashville Superspeedway on May 31, 2025, in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
((Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images))
Snider is a pit road spotter for various media sources, including the television broadcast. The job is referenced as a suggestion from Snider’s father, who had done the same job years ago.
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The 31-year-old Snider is not new to racing. In 2025, he entered four races in the O’Reilly Series; however, he would finish with zero top-10s. In total, Snider has 112 O’Reilly series races with one win, five top-5’s, and 24 top-10’s. His last full-time season was in 2022 for Jordan Anderson Racing.
Snider ran one full-time Truck Series season in 2018. In total, Snider has 36 Truck Series starts with zero wins, four top-5’s, and 13 top-10’s.
On such short-notice, Snider had to gain as much knowledge as possible in the shortest amount of time. Former NASCAR driver Brad Perez shared a text on X showing he was discussing braking points at the Circuit of the Americas with Snider.
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Alex Bowman Leaves COTA Race With Sickness
Snider appeared from the clouds to race the No. 48 car of Alex Bowman. The scene was called “frantic” by Jeff Gluck as Bowman was carted to the care center. The swap is the first mid-race driver switch in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2020.
Per NASCAR, Bowman had been released from the care center shortly after the race ended. Earlier in the race, Bowman’s Crew Chief, Blake Harris, told Bowman to risk nothing permanently to his health in the car. Bowman responds, “Yeah, I’m pretty (expletive) here, buddy.”
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Bowman was not the only driver to suffer. AJ Allmendinger finished the grueling race despite his cooling system failing him throughout. The team prepared for his medical assistance post-race, as he was seen lying down and receiving medical attention. Heat exhaustion is no joke.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
