"Hitting The Marks" The Heat is On for Pocono

Story By: Justin Marks - 6/1/2010

Well it's June 1st which means everyone in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards is preparing for the first of two annual trips to Pocono Raceway.  It also means that as we continue into the 2010 season, the teams and drivers will soon have to prepare for an important and crucial variable: heat.

Only recently in the professional motorsports industry have participants been making an effort to learn about how to physically prepare for the harsh environment inside a racecar during the summer months of the season. 
Physical fitness has always been an important part of my approach to racing.  I've always believed that a fit and prepared body means a fit and prepared mind.  The less time a driver spends thinking about being hot, thirsty, and tired, the more time he or she has to think about racing.  Just like all us drivers prepare our racecars and strategy for the run at the end of the race, we should do the same to prepare our bodies.  This means making an effort in three important areas of physical preparation: Strength, Heat Tolerance, and Endurance.
These days, physical strength plays a much less crucial role in driving stockcars than it once did.  With castor split, camber, offset bodies, power steering, etc., the physical requirements of the driver are less significant.  It does not mean they aren't important however.  A strong core takes pressure off the back which has always been important to me after a lower lumber injury a few years back.  Also, in 2008 in the Camping World Truck Series, I lost power steering at Gateway and on a warm, muggy evening in Memphis, TN before the first pitstop.  It takes a substantial toll on the body fighting through an inoperable power steering unit on a short track for 200 laps.
One of the more important factors facing drivers in today's professional series is that of heat tolerance.  It's no secret that stock car interiors can reach over 120 degrees on warm days.  Add full-face helmets, gloves, and racesuits, and you have a recipe for overheating.  Obviously, hydration plays a vital role in replacing lost fluids during a race.  I began drinking water in the car early in my career but after spending some time with athletic trainers and doing research, I have often used drink mixes that replace not only water, but also some of the important chemicals that are lost through perspiration such as sodium.  In hot environments it is vital to monitor breathing to maximize the continued delivery of oxygen.  A friend of mine who races every week suggested I start spending time in a sauna or steam room and practice deep breathing.  I never knew it before but you can train your body to be a more efficient machine in high temperature, closed environments.  In all of my experience in racing, from NASCAR to sealed endurance sports cars in the American Le Mans Series, the number one cause of driver fatigue is heat.  Recent innovations in the industry have delivered us cool suits, driver a/c units, lightweight and moisture-wicking nomex, as well as a number of specialized driver aids.  In the end, hydration and heat training has always been the best weapon for the long summer months.
Endurance kind of goes hand-in-hand with heat tolerance.  While driving these cars is not a physically difficult thing to do, cardiovascular health can't be overlooked as a vital component of a driver's preparation.  A fit body processes oxygen more efficiently which is important in an environment that doesn't make a lot available.  In addition, a fit body is a fit mind.  The fittest people I know aren't nearly as impressive in their ability to push themselves harder and further than anyone, it's that they can do it while thinking clearly, strategizing, and being in complete control.  A tired driver loses the ability to focus, be consistent, and dig deep at the end of the race to win.
Now all this may seem overkill for a series that has relatively short races and a type of racing that isn't physically difficult and there is definitely a lot to be said for the power of desire and dedication overcoming difficult situations.  International forms of motorsport such as Formula One combine incredibly difficult environments (see Bahrain Grand Prix in March) with racecars capable of creating g-forces unmatched in any other form of racing.  But preparing, training, hydrating, and acclimating can help drivers in all forms of racing. 
With the meat of the ARCA Racing Series Presented by RE/MAX and Menards championship in the waning months of the summer and into the fall, heat and humidity will greet us whether we like it or not at a number of events.  The successful drivers will be the ones taking care of themselves and preparing their bodies in the same way they are preparing their cars.

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