NASCAR drivers have been officially allowed to use biometric devices to measure heart rate while driving for the first time this year, and have had mixed feelings using the devices.
Devices eligible for use are certain models made by Garmin, Misfit, Polar, Samsung, TomTom and Jawbone. The wrist-worn devices may not transmit data or connect to the vehicle and must operate on an internal battery, and they can be used during races.
Jimmie Johnson told ESPN he is open to using it and hopes it will help fans gain more insight into what his experience is inside the car while Clint Bowyer said he won’t be wearing one.
“Hell no,” Bowyer told ESPN. “Why? The last time I checked, nobody ever paid me to wear a heart monitor or to do anything other than finish these races up front and hopefully win.”
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Driver Joey Logano told the Florida Times-Union he has gained some interesting insights from wearing the tracker.
“I learned that I’m going crazy inside the car like (everybody) thinks I was,” Logano said. “My heart rate doesn’t slow down. I’m antsy in general. I’m too wired.”
Some drivers say that they haven’t used it all. AJ Allmendinger told ESPN that it is “too much technology for him.” Chase Elliott said while he hasn’t worn his while driving yet, he has tried it out while mountain biking and exercising.
“I don’t know why everybody is doing it,” Elliott said. “I haven’t worn mine in the car very much. You all know when you’re trying hard and when you’re not trying hard.”
But for those that do wear it, it provides a certain amount of validation. NASCAR is a sport, but often people think “the car does all the work” or that it doesn’t take any athletic ability to drive the cars. By seeing heart rates elevate and change, it makes it easier for those who aren’t in the car to understand just how much driving can take out of a person.
“Being a race-car driver is probably one of the most underestimated of athletic professions, and it’s good to have information like that to share with everybody to spread the word of what we are and what we do,” Brad Keselowski told ESPN.