“What happened?” Most fans were confused by the commotion at the Salem Speedway. It turns out senior driver, Dale Shearer, had to be hospitalized after he reportedly suffered a heat stroke. He was taken to a local hospital in an ambulance.

The ARCA Race was supposed to unfold with much pomp and glory since Salem has been a staple on the calendar since 1955. However, the 64-year-old’s health complication caused a minor delay. Later, the ARCA Menard Series official account on X confirmed, “Dale Shearer, driver of the No. 98, has been transported to a local hospital for evaluation.”

On the broadcast, FOX Sports reported that the driver was awake and alert and being attended to by a team of professionals.

Then fellow stock car driver Robby Lyons also shared some prayers on social media: “Prayers for a quick recovery for Dale Shearer. Sounds like he might be dealing with heat stroke which is nothing to take lightly.”

Earlier during the race, it looked like Shearer’s crew was in scrambles. But now it looks like they were negotiating a potential driver swap.

Dale Shearer first started competing at the ARCA Menards Series in 2008 and has since competed in 30 such races. He ran four ARCA races in 2023, with a best finish of 18th. In the ARCA East series, he ran the full schedule. He finished sixth in points.

As per Frontstretch, he has a full ARCA Menards Series East schedule and is driving his self-owned Shearer Speed Racing No. 98. His two planned races include the ones at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

Paring along for this season is crew chief Ian Egert. Dale Shearer, earlier this season, was also seen sharing his excitement, “I have Josh’s Eggs as an associate sponsor for the whole ARCA East series and Daytona and Talladega in ARCA main, We’re gonna see what happens… first time I ran Daytona there was a 10-car pileup on the first lap.” But with the Salem on-track issues, Shearer’s remaining schedule remains dicey.

The news now has sent ripples in the racing community, leaving fans and even peers waiting with bated breath for further updates on his condition.

NASCAR community prays for Dale Shearer to get well soon!

The ARCA Menards Series came back to the high-banked, half-mile oval this past weekend and was bound to be a battle between the highest win-bearers of the season, William Sawalich and Connor Zilisch. As predicted, Sawalich prevailed in the end, drowning in confetti in his fourth victory of the year. However, at the other end of the field, the 64-year-old Chillicothe, Missouri native, Shearer, is battling to get back healthy.

As there’s no update on any of the ARCA Menard Series social media accounts about his health, prayers started pouring in for the veteran driver. One fan wrote, “Hope he is okay.” Another X user mentioned, “Agreed. Lack of information is very concerning.”

As per the Cleveland Clinic, recovery from a heat stroke includes resting for at least a week and reducing any physical activity. So it is possible that Shearer might not be out and about for a while.

Fast Track Racing, a prominent team in the ARCA Series with a foothold of over 30 years, also expressed their concern. They wished the 64-year-old a timely return, as the official post read, “Hoping for a speedy recovery Dale!”

Heat-related health issues are not new in motorsports. Remember the Indianapolis 500 in 1953? It was also dubbed the Hottest 500, as the trackside temperatures were around 100° Fahrenheit (37.77°C). Unfortunately, Carl Scarborough, who was a part of the race, was replaced by Bob Scott because he didn’t feel good. He was hospitalized. But a few hours later, he succumbed to heat exhaustion.

Other fans, too, were vocal about showing their support for Shearer.

• “🙏 for a full recovery, Dale…..”
• “Praying for Dale Shearer 🙏”

Sources indicate that Dale Shearer is currently stable. However, there have been no updates after that.

EssentiallySports’ thoughts are with Dale, his friends, and his family as he recovers in the hospital. We’re all hoping he can make a full recovery and get back behind the wheel soon.