How NASCAR drivers keep their cool in 140-degree cockpits

It is started as a bit of a mystery: how did the cooling shirt end up in Nascar?

Some Drivers Didn’t Know. Oherers assumed it had to be hendrick motorsports – or, more specialifically, Jimmie johnsonWho always seems to be on the cutting edge of fitness and nutrition.

“I was the first driver to Wear One,” Johnson Said, “but the guy who started it was chad knus.”

According to Johnson, His Crew Chiefs Had an Eye on New Technology as well as a holistic application to performance, and that included Johnson. The seven-time Cup Series Champion Also Dealt with cramping and was susceptible to the heat is ISSUS, so knus get his hands on a cooling shirt and decided to Test Its.

“When we use to pay the cars, one of the bays would be to the car in and they would make it 100 degrees in there to harry up and cure the pain,” johnson said. “[Knaus] Literally had one of our guys go in there with this damn shirt on, plug it in the wall and sit in there and test it by a race car. I ‘ I guve got so-and -ad in the spray bake booth, and I am cooking him in there, and he got the shirt on, and it feels great! “

Johnson Began Wearing the Shirt Around 2018 or 2019. at first, only his teammates knew. He didn is want his competitors to know because it was an advantage boy the wheel. Over time, it became public knowledge and a monkey-see-monkey-do of drivers following Johnson’s Lead.

Joey logano Breaks Into His Signature Smile and Big Laugh.

“It’s like jumping in a pole on a hot summer day,” the reigning nascar cup series champion said. “It feels great. It’s Awesome.”

The simplest way to describe it is a shirt with cooling technology. The shirt houses tubes through which cold fluids run. It has revolutionized Driver Comfort.

“I think back years ago when we do Ice packs in our suits and threw them out bets stops,” Erik jones Said. “The endurance side, on a hot day, it’s just a game changer. There are no days when you are out of those hot races and you wall, even as much as you travel or dign” Where if it is a 90-decree day, I don’t think anyone is worried about the heat in the car. “

The process of driver comport has evolved through the years. Ice packs, fans and helmet hose, which is still used to blow cool air on the driver’s head, be some of the ways drivers tried to keep their temperatures down. The helmet hose doesn is has the same impact as the cooling shirt considering the latter’s Surface, though. Today, it’s hard to find a driver in the field who is wearing one.

Jones was not alone in using “game change” when talking about the cooling shirt. Michael mcdowellOne such driver, correlated the uptick in drivers use the shirts to the introduction of the next gen car in 2022. Making the shirts much more appealing.

“[The shirts] Were Around, but they would fail often, or they would be that cold, “McDowell Said.” I know there are still some trobles every now and then, but something, it unbelievable how much that help kept your Core Cool, your vital organs cool, and just lasting your heart less from Taking Some of that hearut Is a big deal. “

Shane van Gisbergen even freezes his shirt beforehand to make it even colder. So Important is the ritual that he is prepresentative has a standing reminder to “put cool shirt in free and a half before the drivers’ meeting” in her personal calendar.

Some drivers do not wear the shirt every weekend, making the Decision based on the weather. Ross Chastain Is one, saying that there are times when he wants to sweat.

“Martinsville, I had to use the Bathroom because I was sweating Enough,” He said.

When in the car, the shirt (or vest, depending on choice) under the firesuit connects to a pump. The pump can be mounted anywhere, as cesar villanueva, the interior specialist for Kyle Larson At Hendrick Motorsports, Explained.

The Pump Cycles through Water and a Mixture of Antibacterial and Antifungal Fluid. It helps keep the system clean, and if the fluid isn is cycled, it can clog. Naturally, if it clogs, the pump won he run. However, there is more than one reason that a system might fail a driver during the race.

“You just just trapped in a bad situation,” Austin Dillon Said about the system failing. “There is noting you can read it but shut it off, and you can dump the water out if you have to, but it is kind of like a Lifeline. It is pretty import to have.”

A failure means a driver begins to boil. The fluids become hot, and there is no Escape if the water can be dumped.

“It’s great until it is not,” Logano said. “But more times there is not, it’s great. Honestly, they’ve done a good job development that whose system. It is used to be no one used it, and now you have a process Effective to run, and if it can mentally help you at the end of a race because you are physically fresher, you do it.

“I don’t care how good of shape you in, you go to be fatigued after 400 or 500 miles.

Of course, the weight is a big deal. Sure, driver comfort is paramount, but so is car performance, and weight costs precious lap time. Become of its impact, it has been next to accept using the unit, which villanueva say could be about 6½ to 7 pounds.

“I think we’ve accepted some of the weight penalty in Wearing it,” Chris buescher Said, “because you have to make sure you are fresh as if the end of these races.”

Tyler reddick Began using one in 2021 after he list weigh. He noticed that he suddenly needed to be his core temperature beter regulated because it was getting very hot very quickly, as he says, the insulation.

Reddick’s Praise, Thought, is the perfect way to sum up the cooling shirt in nascar.

“A lot of drivers use it,” he said. “I think what it does for cooling the body is probably the most effective thing that we have.”