JGR Team Member Speaks Out After Scary Health Battle and NASCAR Return

NASCAR’s spotlight usually finds the drivers, but the real magic happens in the shadows, those lightning-fast pit crews who turn a 12-second stop into a race-winner. Tire changers, jackmen, fuelers, they’re the choreographed heartbeat of a team, swapping rubber, pumping gas, and tweaking setups under blinding lights and crushing pressure. One slip, and you’re a lap down; get it right, like Kyle Larson’s No. 5 crew at Phoenix in 2021, and you vault from fourth to first with 20 laps left, sealing a championship.

Pit crews aren’t just background noise; they’re the difference between a trophy and a top-10. They’re the unsung warriors who make NASCAR tick, executing with military precision while the crowd roars. For JGR’s No. 11 team, that meant leaning on tire changer AJ Rosini, whose story of a terrifying health scare and comeback is as gripping as any race.

AJ Rosini’s road back from the brink

On a recent JGR team interview, AJ Rosini got raw about the night that changed everything. “In February, I had a seizure. I fell off the bed, broke my nose, was out for about 30 seconds, and had no idea what happened,” he shared. At home with his wife, Rosini collapsed, waking up bloody and disoriented. With no prior history, he suspected undiagnosed episodes before, but this one hit like a wreck at Talladega.

Emergency docs confirmed the seizure, and the fallout was swift. No climbing ladders, no hazardous work, nothing for six months. “Once you have a seizure, you can’t compete. You can’t climb ladders. Anything hazardous is off the table for six months,” he said. For a pit crew guy, that’s like benching a quarterback mid-season. The Daytona 500 and early 2025 races were off-limits, a crushing blow after years of flawless stops.

Rosini didn’t sit idle, though. “I worked with Austin [Maloney] and the 11 team, still down to practice and offer input wherever I could,” he explained. While sidelined, he mentored Austin Maloney, the tire changer who filled his shoes, sharing tips on team flow and pit dynamics. It kept him connected, but the itch to return was real.

After five months of supervised practice sessions with trainers and neurologists, he got the green light to ease back in. “I was able to practice for five months out of those six months I was out,” Rosini said, praising the safety protocols that let him rebuild without risk. Those sessions weren’t just physical; they were mental, keeping his edge sharp for the high-stakes world of JGR’s playoffs.

The downtime taught him more than pit stops. “While I was out and not able to go to the racetrack, I helped coaches and learned about sponsor accounts. Everything was really interesting,” he reflected. Diving into coaching and sponsor relations opened his eyes to NASCAR’s business side, from how deals fuel the team to the bigger picture beyond the wall.

It’s a perspective that’ll make him stronger when he’s back, blending pit precision with a broader team mindset. Rosini’s story is a reminder of what these crews endure, not just the adrenaline, but the personal battles that come with the job.

From pit crew comebacks to driver clashes: JGR’s resilience

Rosini’s comeback ties right into JGR’s playoff grit, where small slips can cost big. At Loudon, Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs’ Stage 2 clash, Hamlin bumping Gibbs into the wall while chasing stage points, showed how teammate tensions flare under pressure. Hamlin vented, “This is some teammate bulls**t,” frustrated by Gibbs holding him up for 11th. On Actions Detrimental, Hamlin said, “My teammate out of the playoffs should not be the hardest car on the track to pass.”

Dale Jr. backed him on Dale Jr. Download, “If you’re the leadership at JGR, that’s frustrating. I bet they’ll sit Ty down and tell him, this was avoidable.” Gibbs’ “Game on” retort and tow truck jab added fuel, but his post-race brevity spared Joe Gibbs further embarrassment.

Joe Gibbs, though, preached patience to his grandson, “Yeah, this sport is really hard. I keep telling him [Ty], honestly, I use the word ‘patience,’ and two races ago we were talking after the race, and he said, Coach, will you quit using the word patience; I don’t want you to use it ever again.” At 22, Ty’s hungry for his first Cup win after leading 201 laps at Bristol but finishing 10th. Joe admired the No. 54’s youth and fight, noting Chris Gabehart’s early focus on Ty to snag a playoff spot.

“Now we kind of worked back away from that. We’ve got Tyler [Allen] back making the calls there,” Joe said. As JGR’s three playoff drivers, Hamlin, Bell, and Briscoe, push for the title, Ty’s role is to support without stealing the show, much like Rosini’s behind-the-scenes grind. Both stories show JGR’s resilience, from crew comebacks to teammate truces, as the playoffs heat up.