Drivers at the NASCAR Race endure more than just punishing speeds; they also have to contend with intense heat in the driver’s seat. Professional racecar drivers must not only keep their cool in high-pressure circumstances, but they must also keep their cool on the racetrack to avoid heat exhaustion.
So, how exactly do they achieve this? Do they have the luxury of air conditioning like we, ordinary drivers do?
NASCAR drivers’ vehicles do not have air conditioning, and for that reason, they cool down by wearing a special suit and helmet. Cool air is also blown into a cushion between the driver and the seat by some drivers.
Why doesn’t Air conditioning Work for NASCAR Vehicle
Although NASCAR has made major advancements with cool boxes and air ducts to improve driver comfort and reduce carbon monoxide effects over the years, if the seats and blowers aren’t positioned right, drivers will feel the heat.
Driver air conditioning is required by NASCAR to provide air to the driver’s helmet and/or seat or to blow cool air into a cushion between them and the seat.
However, NASCAR forbids the use of any sort of refrigerant, as well as pressurized gases or liquids. Refrigerant would escape into the atmosphere if the air conditioner were to break down in an accident.
While newer refrigerants aren’t as harmful as Freon, they’re also not ideal. Even if NASCAR permitted the use of regular air conditioners, they consume a tremendous amount of electricity. Engine power is rarely used for anything other than speed, according to crew chiefs and engineers.
Because we’re talking about getting rid of a lot more heat, air conditioning a racecar would need a lot of energy, and the unit would be a lot bigger than the one in a passenger car. If the air comes out of a vent, the driver won’t feel much of it. It won’t help his core (the center of his body) keep cool if you put it completely through his helmet.
How NASCAR Drivers Get Air
To begin with, race cars do not have air conditioning because the air conditioning adds unjustified weight and reduces racing performance.
How do they keep cool in a car that’s 130 degrees?
Drivers’ protective gear often has a built-in ventilation system and hoses that blow air on the seat and at their feet because vehicle temperatures are inhumanely hot. Also, some racing helmets even have a hose attachment that can be put in to provide fresh air to the drivers.
These approaches may help in some cases, but they only reduce the temperature of the automobile by about 10 degrees.
Some drivers are required to wear heat and burn-resistant foot shields to prevent not only their shoes but also their flesh from melting at these extreme temperatures. It’s more about heat protection than being cool in this scenario. The majority of drivers say the heat is oppressive and apparent, but that they are able to ignore it since they are focused on racing.
NASCAR Driver’s Special Suits
There are a variety of cool suits available, but they all perform similarly. A network of tubing sewn into the material of cool shirts and suits lets chilled liquid move throughout the body to cool it. They’re created out of a variety of fabrics, including cotton and other mixtures.
These cooling suits are used by race car drivers because they are the most effective approach to reducing overall body temperature. The suits keep the driver cool while the air keeps the interior of the car cool. According to the premise, chilling the blood cools the entire body.
As a result of the increased sweating caused by the heat, blood circulation to the skin rises, aiding evaporation. Despite the blood’s constant efforts to chill the skin, it also needs to operate your brain, essential organs, and muscles in order to keep you alive.
If your body reaches this threshold, it will begin to shut down regular activities. The cool garments then assist the driver by cooling the blood and saving it for important driving activities such as increased reaction time.
Other Ways NASCAR Drivers Cool Down
A driver’s helmet keeps his head safe and cool to some extent. It contains a carbon monoxide filter and a hose linked to the back that blows air into the helmet. For extremely hot races, drivers can wear a cool shirt with piping that circulates a cool fluid through it, which can assist drop body temperature slightly.
It doesn’t make drivers feel chilly in the car unless it’s 50 or 60 degrees outdoors, but it does help them regulate their body temperature. The rear of the driver’s seat has a hole where the team may place a cooling tube to blow into the back of the seat and onto the driver’s back.
Another alternative is to run a hose off the side of the car that will suck air from the outside and direct it to the driver, although this can cause performance issues by interfering with the car’s aerodynamics.
Why NASCAR Engines Run So Hot
The ordinary vehicle engine today works at roughly 200 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas a NASCAR racing engine runs at around 290 degrees Fahrenheit, or around 90 degrees higher than a standard road car engine.
This minimizes the amount of air that must pass through the radiator, allowing teams to tape bigger areas of their grilles shut. This is beneficial to aerodynamics because oncoming air hitting tape flows over the car and contributes to downforce, whereas air entering a radiator grille bounces around the engine room and generates “cooling drag.”
Teams operate their engine cooling systems at heightened pressures (since a liquid’s boiling point increases with its pressure) to keep the water (and yes, it’s truly water, not ethylene-glycol-based coolant like what’s likely in your car) from boiling at these high temperatures.
To aid increase vehicle speed during qualifying, teams tape their grilles fully shut. Cooling drag is reduced, and there is more downforce; nevertheless, as you might anticipate, the engines heat very quickly in this condition. To remove the heat from the engines after a few laps, teams connect their cars to an external “cool-down unit,” which pumps ice water straight into the cooling system.
Conclusion
It’s not just an issue of comfort for a driver to stay cool: it’s also a matter of safety and performance. While brute force approaches are still used, science is increasingly presenting drivers with more options. The primary purpose for cooling the driver’s body is for safety rather than comfort.
Drivers jeopardize their health, and under these situations, their lives, by exposing themselves to such high temperatures. They wear specific body cooling equipment and use air that blows into their seat to help them lower their body temperature since vehicles do not have air conditioning.
We are far more aware today of the consequences of heat fatigue than we were a few decades ago. Simultaneously, enhancements to the car for speed and safety raise the driver’s temperature.
Scientists are working hard to find innovative techniques to cool the driver’s body without disrupting or slowing down the car in this popular sport. Although it is a dangerous sport, we believe it will be much more thrilling to watch after learning how hard drivers work for hours.
