NASCAR legend was poisoned during races

Driving in a NASCAR race is tough if you are in perfect physical condition, but what about if you were constantly being poisoned?

When the superstars of the past say the words “it was better in my day” they might be right about most things - but definitely not about everything.

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It is not quite as big an issue for Cup Series drivers in 2025, but back in the day carbon monoxide poisoning was a constant peril for the sport’s very best.

The great Richard Petty, the now 88-year-old seven-time Cup Series champion, talked about this exact problem when he joined Jeff Gluck of The Athletic for its regular ‘12 Questions’ feature.

Not surprisingly, he counts it as the most miserable thing about being inside a racing car.

Richard Petty on carbon monoxide poisoning

He revealed: “The biggest part was getting carbon monoxide (poisoning). And you don’t feel anything, you just slow down. But as far as hurting, sometimes you’d have ribs broken or legs broken or something. You had to drive a race car, so you just took a Goody’s and went on down the road.”

So carbon monoxide of course does not smell and it is invisible, so how did drivers like Petty work out that they were being poisoned inside the car?

“What happened is you’d just start slowing down. You’re thinking you’re running wide open and first thing you know, somebody who is 10 laps behind passed you. So you say, ‘OK, it’s time for me to get out of this thing’.”

Petty was bothered by carbon monoxide poisoning for most of his Hall of Fame career, and there was only ever one solution to the problem.

“You get out and start getting some oxygen, and they’d give you pure oxygen. First time I got it was Atlanta, and it bothered me the rest of my racing career - I think it was ’61 or ’62. But a lot of times, I’d feel it coming on quick, and I’d get out of the car, get some oxygen and then get back in the car.”

Still an issue in recent years

While you won’t hear quite as much talk about it these days, carbon monoxide poisoning still does impact drivers on occasion. Back in 2021, Cody Ware missed two Cup Series races after poisoning left him “cross-eyed” and “starting to black out” at Darlington.

Current Cup Series great Denny Hamlin also believed he was the victim of carbon monoxide poisoning after suffering nausea and double vision at Dover in 2019.

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