It is not uncommon for athletes and sportsmen to have a protein-rich meal before a physically demanding event. But seldom does a pre-race meal be sufficient enough to not tire out a driver behind a NASCAR stock car. This is why many drivers choose to have small snacks like protein bars handed to them by the pit crew during the race. But how exactly do they eat it wearing those bulky helmets and fire suits?
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Answering a fan’s question on the Joe Gibbs Racing social media page, the #19 Toyota Camry driver Martin Truex Jr. revealed the secret. Admitting to having the occasional granola bar when behind the wheel of his car, Truex Jr. said, “Generally, it’s under caution. When you are not like, racing. You are not going to unwrap it and stick half of it in your mouth at once up in the helmet. Not during a green flag. It’s gotta be a caution for sure.”
The drivers receive whatever it is they want to have during the pitstop and eat it when the cars are moving slowly during the caution. The choice of food or drink is always something that is not too heavy on the gut. Drivers restrict their choices to foods that will keep them energized and make up for the 12 pounds of fluid that they can lose during a race.
However, demands for sandwiches and hotdogs aren’t exactly unheard of. Jeff Gordon once famously asked for a hot dog during a race which his crew delivered. Mark Martin had the habit of eating a turkey sandwich every time he got out of the car after a race.
Jimmie Johnson, on the other hand, was someone who preferred drinks to food. He talked in 2009 about how great it felt to eat when behind the wheel, and yet, red Gatorade was his go-to beverage when racing.
How are snacks handed over to the drivers during a pitstop?
Talking about the ‘snacks giving’ procedure that his Hendrick Motorsports crew followed, Johnson said, “They just cut up bars into like fourths or thirds, and on that pit stop they will hand it to me in the pits with the guy that services the window and stuff.” That is pretty much the case for other drivers as well.
First, the pit crew opens up the wrapper of a granola or protein bar and hands it over to the driver. Second, a bottle of water is given with a straw attached to it, making it fairly easy to consume with the helmet on. Cough drops are stuck to the bottle so that the driver doesn’t have to fumble around with it.
Owing to the insane amount of dehydration, they are also given ice packs and salt tablets to tackle the 130-degree F that is generated inside the car.
