Types of Injuries With Race Car Driving

Injuries sustained by race car drivers on the track or on the road range from minor muscle cramping to fatal burns and severe organ damage. Racing organizations have continually stressed the need for greater safety measures to be implemented in race cars to limit the possibility of severe injury and death, but with crashes occurring at such high speeds no safety measure is a sure one.

  1. Muscle Strains and Pulls

    • Long hours in one position maintaining an intense focus can place a great strain on a race car driver's muscle groups and tendons. The problem has become such a problem that pit crews have taken to including certified athletic trainers as part of the team according to the website for the National Athletic Trainers Association. These professionals can effectively manage muscle cramping, dehydration and other common race injuries as well as tend to any pulled muscles that the pit crew may sustain while conducting quick auto part changes.

    Skin Burns

    • Drivers can sustain extensive burns when being involved in crashes at the high speeds common in the world of car races. According to the Galveston County Daily News, a 2010 fundraiser was held in the Texas town to help pay for medical bills incurred by race car driver Travis Rilat. The driver sustained extensive burns after a "barrel racing" race car trick went horribly wrong resulting in the explosion of the race car's fuel tank. He sustained burns over 62 percent of his body.

    Broken Bones and Organ Damage

    • The velocity at which crashes occur places race car drivers at increased risk of broken bones and organ damage. A drag racer in New Jersey was killed at the June 2010 NHRA Supernationals after sustaining head injuries resulting from a high speed collision with a retaining wall according to CBS News. While injuries are not always fatal, professional race car driving has a long list of prominent drivers, from Jim Clark to Ayrton Senna to Dale Ernhardt that lost lives as the result of organ damage and broken bones sustained in race car crashes.