A glaring issue with the cool shirts that NASCAR drivers wear became evident during the recent Cup Series at the Phoenix Raceway. Several drivers, including Alex Bowman and AJ Allmendinger, faced failed cool suits mid-race and had to struggle a lot in the heat. This incident has thrown a spotlight on how important this piece of technology is in the current age.
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The hot air from the radiator in the Next Gen car wraps around the A-post and heads into the cockpit where the driver sits. Back when the Gen 6 was used, teams did not use a side window when they raced on road courses and short tracks. This was to help with the aerodynamics of the car. But that isn’t possible anymore. The hot air makes it necessary to have them on all track types.
The windows block the hot air coming in from the right side. But the left side is still open, and the radiator heat gets in through there. But that’s not all. Former crew chief Todd Gordon explained on SiriusXM, “The exhaust runs right next to the frame rails. An exhaust right beside the driver. We used to have the exhaust hung underneath the car. They are now beside the frame rail.”
The King, Dale, Cale, Pearson…they didn’t wear cool shirts
So why do current drivers feel like they need them?@ToddBGordon explains the evolution of how much hotter the interior of Cup Series cars have gotten and why.
More #LateShift this week → https://t.co/QcAxDUTnOt pic.twitter.com/OWjw63IWsD
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) March 4, 2026
Drivers won’t be able to touch the exhaust. However, it is still situated closer to them than it used to be in previous generation cars. This increased the cabin heat to a considerable level. Gordon added, “You can’t touch it from the car. But all of that heat is right there beside the driver. So, the insides of the car are a lot hotter than they used to be.”
The failed suits at the Circuit of the Americas
To withstand such high heat, drivers wear cool suits that pump cold water through their shirts at all times during a race. It helps their body stay hydrated and withstand the temperature. When the suits fail, the drivers struggle to a level where they need to abandon their races midway. Alex Bowman did so on Sunday.
AJ Allmendinger got through the race, but fell on his knees on the pit road later. He was stretchered off to the infield care center. Veteran reporter Jordan Bianchi was absolutely shocked by such poor quality from NASCAR. He criticised the manufacturer for caring so little about the product and also lashed out at NASCAR for not verifying the suits’ quality.
He is just one of the many who are concerned about such occurrences. If not rectified, it could someday result in far worse health concerns.
