5 times NASCAR got Too Hot to Handle!

So it’s summer, and we’re all hot as hell, but imagine the drivers. Having to go 200 MPH in these small, compact metal cockpits on pavement or concrete, and you know that’s hot! So, it should be no surprise that sometimes even NASCAR drivers can’t handle the heat, so let’s get into it.

5. Kevin Harvick’s arm failure in 2004 at Bristol!

Harvick, one of the most significant drivers of this generation, faced 1 of his greatest challenges during a hot as hell night in Bristol!  On lap 323, after a long green flag, Harvick’s arm suddenly went numb.

“My arm just fell asleep during that long green flag run,” explained Harvick. “My seat was pinching a nerve under my left bicep, and it just went numb. I tried to bring it back to life after that pit stop. But once we went back to racing, it fell right back to sleep. “I knew the only thing to do was have someone replace me because I knew I couldn’t drive the car with one arm.”

It was so bad that Kyle Petty, who was driving for his father’s team, stepped in after an early crash to finish the race for him—even earning a 45K fine from Dodge for driving a rival manufacturer.

4. Kyle Busch vs. Carbon Monoxide at Charlotte

Kyle Busch was hunting down his 2nd title two years after he won his very first in 2015 when a unique challenge was presented to him. His exhaust system experienced a malfunction, causing carbon monoxide to enter the cockpit, making the car’s heat the least of his concerns. Battling systems like dizziness and nausea while going 150 MPH for hours and hours. By the end of what he called an evil race, he finished 29th but had to be attended to by medics, suffering a heat stroke on the track. Showing the world how challenging these races can be and how tough he is.

3. Kahne’s Career Performance at Indy

Continuing in the 2017 Cup Series season, Kahne made sure his last win was his greatest one, coming at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was a challenging and grueling race for everyone, with constant delays making it a 6-hour endurance test in hot temperatures. However, for Kasey, especially, he suffered from dehydration issues throughout his career, which ultimately led to his retirement the year following this win. After outlasting former champion and future winner of this event, Brad Keselowski, he went on to win. He almost collapsed in his post-race interview, showcasing his remarkable determination.

2. Bubba Wallace’s Terrifying Cup Debut

Also in 2017, RPM was already coming off a disaster, which is why Bubba Wallace was initially called in. With Cuban-American driver Aric Almirola, who was supposed to drive the famous No. 43 full-time that year, suffering a back injury at Kansas that saw him out for several weeks. Bubba, who was at the time a hot Ford development prospect, was called in to be his replacement, but RPM almost had to find a replacement driver for their replacement driver.

As at Pocono, Bubba was already battling the pressure of debuting in the Cup Series; it turned out he was fighting with the hot temperatures of the day as well. After three speeding penalties, he finished 26th, but in post-race interviews, the day itself was so overwhelming that he passed out and was taken to the infield care center.

“I’m just so bummed out and frustrated with myself,” he said during his post-race press conference in the hot heat of a Pocono summer. “I know my family is going to be hard on me after this, not to be so hard on myself, but I’m competitive, and I want to win races, and I want to lead laps. It’s happened three times now where I’m very hard on myself, and I’m super pissed off at myself, and I’m just so mad I just pass out.”

1. Alex Bowman Is Left Gasping for Air After an Incredible Playoff Comeback

In 2019, Alex Bowman, the Showman, achieved his career-best performance, which remains unmatched to this day. Heading into the Roval race, Bowman had playoff elimination hanging over his head, but that wasn’t enough adversity for the Dale Jr. protégé as he was also dealing with illness all week, which only made battling the hot temperatures worse. Despite all that, he earned pole position, but damage in practice sent him to the back for the start of Sunday’s race. To make matters worse, it was brutally hot for the duration of a long race.

As soon as it started, the race started as poorly as can be. Lap 1: Bowman got into the right rear of Dillon heading into the corner. He tangled with the same car he did last week at Richmond. But his day was far from over. A few laps later, tempers would boil over with Bubba. Wallace began as he also got into the back of Bubba on lap 1. It continued with a Lap 42 collision that saw Bowman push Wallace down the backstretch before intentionally dumping him after the chicane and before oval turn 3.

Lap 40, Alex Bowman was all over the bumper of Bubba Wallace. They were racing hard. Wallace stuck his middle finger out the window multiple times, driving the whole place with one hand. That only got Bowman hot. “If he doesn’t put that finger away, he’s going to get one,” Bowman radioed. And he wasn’t lying, as two laps later, Bowman dumped coming back onto the oval part of the track.

After that, Bowman climbed through the field despite harsh conditions. “Yeah, I mean probably about Lap 10 of the race, I was pretty done and out of it just from a physical standpoint,” Bowman said. “I just tried to keep digging, and obviously, I tried to give it away on Lap 1. As soon as I touched the brake pedal, it started wheel-hopping and turned around on me. I apologize to those who got caught in that. I feel like I hurt myself more than anybody on that one. But I’m glad we were able to rebound, and the guys obviously gave me a really strong car to get back through the field.”

Final Thoughts: Bowman’s Late Pitstop Comeback

A late pit stop gave him fresher tires than most of the leaders, and he used all of his talent and those tires to drive back up to 2nd. With 3 to go, Bowman was tied with Ryan Newman for the final transfer spot. The second-place result and Newman choking near the end made sure a playoff spot rewarded Bowman’s comeback.

“That’s what this team does, you know,” Ives told NASCAR.com. “There are several instances where we don’t qualify well or we have an issue. I feel like our issues today were self-inflicted, a little bit. Some of my speech and words of advice didn’t really go as planned, taking it easy and making sure there’s a clean race car at the end. Just proud of the way the team kept on fighting.”

After the race, Alex Bowman climbed from his car. He sat exhausted on the ground, against the door of the No. 88 car, having battled the hot and humid day with illness. The NASCAR medical team was also present. That’s when Wallace, at his most hot-headed, charged towards Bowman and yelled at him before splashing the water bottle Bowman was drinking in his face, walking away after that.

“He doesn’t like to race,” Wallace told NASCAR.com after the race. “He just runs over everybody. He gets to Lap 1, and he runs over me and Austin Dillon into the back chicane. We’re back there in the trunk, man. Just take it easy for a lap”. He had a fast car, and he just ran over us, shot us through the chicane, and then we got a penalty for it. Every time he gets to me, he just runs over me.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if he was mad about the first lap, or what, but that was just a mistake,” Bowman said. “And then I got flipped off every single straightaway on the entire racetrack for three laps. I got flipped off by him for like three or four laps in a row at Richmond, so I’m just over it. “I’ve got to stand up for myself at some point, right? He probably wouldn’t have gotten wrecked if he had his finger back in the car.”You think Bubba would be more empathetic after facing dehydration issues of his own, but we all have our low moments; his happened to be captured on TV.  Thanks a bunch for reading!