Race Day: Hydration, Fueling and Cooling for Drivers

This article contains affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

Mid-July, a Saturday-night short-track race. The grid forms up under the lights and the air is still 32 °C. Strapped into the seat with the belts pulled tight, in a fire suit, gloves, balaclava and helmet, the driver can already feel the sweat running down their back, and the green flag hasn’t even dropped. Race day in motorsports is a heat day, almost always. It’s also a day of waiting, then intense concentration, sometimes several times over: practice, qualifying, heats, the feature, or stint after stint in an endurance race. This page is about what you drink, eat and do to stay cool and sharp from the first session to the checkered flag, at any level: kart races, club and regional car racing, motocross motos, and the pro series.

General guidance for healthy drivers and riders. If you have diabetes, a heart or kidney condition, high blood pressure or special diet needs, follow your doctor’s or a registered dietitian’s plan. For an overview of the sport, see our motorsports hub.

How much fluid do drivers lose?

It varies with the car, the weather and the race length, and the research gives a useful range:

• NASCAR Pro Series, hot race: in a study of nine stock car drivers, the average driver lost about 0.6 liters of sweat per hour (0.63 L/h) and 0.77% of body weight over the race, while core temperature rose from 38.0 to 38.5 °C. The researchers warned that without a drinking plan, losses could pass 3% of body weight in longer races.
• Formula 1: sports scientists writing in The Conversation say cockpit temperatures can exceed 50 °C and drivers can lose more than 3% of their body weight in a race.
• Closed cockpits are hotter: a study of male and female drivers found closed-cockpit cars produced higher core temperatures and physiological strain than open-cockpit cars.

Does it matter for driving? In a short simulated race, 1% and 3% dehydration didn’t change lap times, but drivers felt less alert, less focused and more light-headed. In a longer, hot simulator test with 20 elite pro drivers in a 38 °C chamber, drivers using a standard in-car bottle drank in big gulps at odd moments, ran warmer and more dehydrated, and lapped about 4% slower, mostly from errors in high-speed corners, than when a hands-free system prompted them to drink regularly. The longer and hotter the race, the more drinking matters.

Hydration plan for race day

• Start hydrated. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests about 5–10 mL of fluid per kg of body weight in the 2–4 hours before exercise (350–700 mL for a 70 kg driver), aiming for pale yellow urine. Keep sipping through the day rather than drinking a liter right before the grid.
• Know your sweat rate. Weigh yourself (in minimal clothing) before and after a practice session and add what you drank: each kg lost is about a liter of sweat. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) advises keeping losses under about 2% of body weight, and not drinking so much that you gain weight, which can cause dangerously low blood sodium (hyponatremia).
• Drink in the car if your car allows it. Many pro cars carry a drink system with a tube into the helmet. Small, regular sips work better than big gulps, as the hands-free study above showed.
• Make it cold. In a 2025 randomized trial of 2-hour simulated racing at 40 °C, participants given ice-cold water (about 5 °C) drank more (436 vs 333 mL per hour), their core temperature rose less (1.17 vs 1.69 °C at the end) and they felt more comfortable than with room-temperature water. All finished the cold-water trial; only two of eight finished the full two hours with ambient water.
• Add sodium on long, hot days, especially if you’re a salty sweater (white streaks on the suit). Electrolyte tablets like Nuun Sport (300 mg sodium per tablet, maker figures) or a drink mix like Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix are easy to carry in the trailer.
• After the race: ACSM suggests replacing 125–150% of the fluid lost, with some salty food.

Fueling: steady energy for a long day

Race days are long and nerves kill appetite, so many drivers simply under-eat. A study of 16 long-distance race car drivers found average daily intake (about 2,100 kcal) and carbohydrate intake below the recommendations for athletes. Blood sugar matters for concentration: in a six-year case study of IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball, who has type 1 diabetes, blood glucose levels affected his reaction time and g-tolerance in testing, and the team found a target range where he performed best. You don’t need diabetes for low blood sugar to dull your focus late in a race.

• Pre-race meal: ACSM’s position statement suggests 1–4 g of carbohydrate per kg body weight 1–4 hours before; keep it low in fat and fiber and familiar: rice, pasta, a sandwich, oatmeal, bananas.
• Between sessions: small snacks every couple of hours (a banana, a bagel, a granola bar, a sandwich, pretzels for salt) so you never go into a session hungry or stuffed.
• Endurance stints: in races over an hour or two, ACSM suggests 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour for efforts of 1–2.5 hours. Drivers usually take it between stints (gels, sports drink) rather than in the car.
• Caffeine: some adult drivers use it for alertness, but it isn’t for everyone (sensitivity, heart conditions, pregnancy), and energy drinks are not for kids and teens, says the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Day-to-day eating and supplements are covered on our motorsports nutrition and supplements page.

Cooling: before, during and between sessions

F1 performance coaches interviewed for a 2026 review describe three layers of heat management: acclimation in the weeks before, precooling before the session and per-cooling during it. What the evidence says about the in-car options:

• Cold air into the suit worked best. A 2026 lab study had fit volunteers cycle for an hour at 32 °C and 80% humidity in full fire-protective gear. A suit blower with cold air gave the lowest skin and core temperatures; a helmet blower with cold air also helped a lot; a cool shirt (a tube shirt that circulates iced water) gave limited cooling in that test. Blowers with uncooled air were stopped early for safety.
• Precooling and the wait on the grid: stay in the shade, keep the suit top tied around your waist until the last moment, use a cold, wet towel on the neck like the MISSION Original Cooling Towel, and drink cold fluids. These make you feel cooler; they don’t replace fluids and rest.
• Between sessions: get out of the suit, into the shade or an air-conditioned space, and drink. Weigh in if you can to track losses through the day.

Know the danger signs. Dizziness, headache, nausea, cramps or unusual fatigue are early warnings. Confusion, odd behavior or collapse may be exertional heat stroke, a medical emergency: NATA’s rule is cool first (cold-water immersion is most effective), transport second. Call for the track medical team right away. More on heat illness is on our motorsports injuries page.

Your race-day bag

• A cooler with cold water and an electrolyte drink, plus a big bottle like the Nalgene 32 oz
• Easy snacks: bananas, bagels, bars, pretzels, sandwiches
• Cooling towel, a shade tent or umbrella, a spare dry T-shirt and socks
• A bathroom scale for sweat-rate checks
• Sunscreen and a cap for the paddock

Pro teams use in-car drink systems such as the FluidLogic VMR System (a programmable pump with a steering-wheel drink button, about $979 at the maker), the system tested in the hands-free drinking study above. Check your series’ rules before fitting anything to the car. Electrolyte options are compared in our best electrolyte powder guide, and the same race-day ideas for a team sport are on our soccer game day page.

Race day: FAQs

How much weight do race car drivers lose in a race?

It depends on heat, car and race length. In a hot NASCAR Pro Series race, drivers lost about 0.8% of body weight on average (sweat rate about 0.6 L per hour). F1 drivers can lose more than 3%, according to sports scientists. Weighing before and after practice tells you your own number.

Should drivers drink cold water during a race?

Cold helps. In a 2025 trial of simulated racing at 40 °C, ice-cold water led people to drink more and kept core temperature lower than room-temperature water, and they felt more comfortable.

What should I eat before a race?

A familiar, carb-based meal 1–4 hours before (ACSM suggests 1–4 g of carbohydrate per kg), low in fat and fiber, then small snacks through the day. Don’t try anything new on race day.

Do cool shirts work for race car drivers?

They help some, but in a 2026 lab study a suit blower with cold air cooled drivers far better, and a cold-air helmet blower also beat the cool shirt. The best choice depends on your car, power supply and series rules.

Can a driver drink too much?

Yes. NATA warns against drinking so much that you gain weight during exercise, which can lead to hyponatremia (low blood sodium). Aim to replace most, not more than, what you lose, and include sodium on long, hot days.