Hot weather took center stage last weekend at Circuit of the Americas, where several drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series found themselves battling the heat inside their cockpits more than the track. Some even reported sickness during the race. A few stepped away from the event after their bodies waved the white flag. William Byron has now spoken on the matter, revealing what the conditions in Austin truly were and what the possible solutions to the problem might be.
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During the race, the air temperature climbed into the mid 80s while the track baked under the sun. Inside the car, conditions can feel like sitting in a kettle once the laps pile up. When asked whether he faced trouble with cooling gear and what teams or the sanctioning body could do if those systems fail, Byron said the issue was not new.
“Yeah, I’ve definitely had my share of races where it doesn’t work. It’s an interesting phenomenon because when I really think about my career, I’ve been wearing that thing since I started Cup racing,” the Hendrick Motorsports driver said per Speedway Media.
“It really was coming on board in 2017. Jimmie (Johnson) and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.), I think, were really adamant that it was a good thing. Definitely, when it works, it’s great. But I feel like there’s definitely a handful, if not more times, that it doesn’t work.”
Byron further stated that the shirt can turn from friend to foe when the system fails. The gear traps heat when it is not running, which can leave a driver feeling worse rather than better.
“That shirt is very insulated. I was at a Martinsville test one time and was wearing it and didn’t turn it on for most of the day, and just started to feel sick because just the way it insulates your body and kind of has the opposite effect when it’s not on. I think I’m open to other options. We used to just have blowers in the car that would just blow air on your back,” he added.
The system works when everything clicks. When it does not, the driver can feel like he is wearing a coat inside the car. Drivers rely on fire gear supplied by Alpinestars, which uses materials that help the body manage sweat as temperatures rise.
For now, the cooling shirt remains part of the routine across the NASCAR Cup Series garage. Still, the events at Circuit of the Americas put the spotlight on the limits of that system when heat turns the cockpit into an oven, and drivers must ride it out until the start/finish line.
