NASCAR Drivers Get 'Severe' Headaches After Racing At One Speedway

09/12/2024 12:04 PM

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs are in full swing, and drivers will be challenged by one of the more unique tracks on the schedule for the second race of the postseason.

The playoffs will head to Watkins Glen, a road course that has been a part of NASCAR for nearly 30 years. Watkins Glen has been a staple on the NASCAR schedule for decades, but some drivers have complained about the toll driving there can take on their health. Drivers like Kyle Larson reportedly experienced over 18Gs of force to their heads while driving over the old curbs at the track. That curbing has been changed in advance of this weekend's race, and one driver says it's a welcome adjustment. He has had some pretty bad experiences with one track in particular.

"We run such tight head surround foam for the headrest that your head just kinda feels like a bouncy ball in between the left and right side of the headrest," said driver Aric Almirola, speaking with FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass.

"When the race was over, Watkins Glen was probably the worst headache I've had from any race I've run, and it wasn't carbon monoxide poisoning or from being dehydrated, it was from my head bouncing off of the headrest."

Almirola explained that the rigid padding is more commonly used with the Cup Series cars, as the Xfinity Series cars can better absorb the shock from the curbs.

"But the Cup cars are so rigid and they run them so stiff and they bottom out on the shock limiters. So, when you hit those curbs in the Cup car, it was just violent," he added.

"For Watkins Glen, I really wanted to see it, because it felt like I was crashing multiple times a lap," Larson said about the mouthpiece data from last year's race at Watkins Glen.

His data from that race was a key catalyst for getting the curbing changed, and hopefully making the Glen a safer place to drive for all of NASCAR's best.

Related: Denny Hamlin Not Comfortable With NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings