The running of the Indianapolis 500 this Sunday will see some of most finely tuned cars on the planet rip around a track at 220 mph. To compete at Indy, teams need to fork over $10 million or more just to keep the cars running.
With that much dough at stake, the drivers had better make sure they are in top shape as well. If they don’t have the stamina to stay sharp over 2 1/2 hours of brutal G-forces, sweltering heat and the heart-pounding nature of racing, even the most advanced car in the world can’t win.
Through our experience with coaching professional racers such as Indy Racing League drivers Ed Carpenter and Eddie Cheever, we’ve come to understand that something as simple as fluid loss over the course of a race can dramatically affect a driver’s well-being. A 2 to 3 percent drop in body weight from water loss during a race can reduce a driver’s performance by up to 7 percent. In a race in which first and last place can be decided by less than five seconds, that drop in mental acuity and coordination ensures a finish in the middle of the field or worse, a violent crash.
To prevent this scenario, we’ve taken Carpenter’s and Cheever’s itineraries for Indy Week and inserted their rest, meals and hydration needs into their daily schedule. It’s the job of everyone on the team to make sure these guys follow this nutrition strategy.
The goal is to keep these guys rested and properly fueled in the face of an onslaught of practice runs, discussions with the engineers in the garage, media appearances, sponsor demands and face time with the fans. Without the schedule, it’s too easy for them to forget the most important job they have during those long, hectic days: keeping their bodies in optimum running order. To wit: Each day, we have them weigh themselves when they first get to the track and before they leave at night to see how much fluid they’ve lost over the course of the day. If the scale shows a loss, the drivers replace those liquids immediately.
Come Sunday, our drivers’ nutrition programs are mapped out for each 15-minute chunk of time leading to the start. They’ll have their last meal a minimum of two hours from the start, suck down an energy gel with 20 minutes to go, and keep sipping water or a sports drink throughout the day. If everything goes according to plan, the driver will mash his foot on the gas pedal with his body 100 percent hydrated, fueled and in full command of his world-class driving skills.
Surviving Indy
Here is a sample of a driver’s nutrition strategy on raceday for the Indianapolis 500:
6:30 a.m.: Weigh in/breakfast
8 a.m.: Garage open
9 a.m.: 20 ounces of PowerBar Endurance sports drink and 20 ounces of water
9:15 a.m.: Drivers’ meeting
9:40 a.m.: PowerBar Power Gel
10 a.m.: Practice runs
11:15 a.m.: Drivers’ meeting
11:30 a.m.: Lunch, with 30 ounces of fluid
Noon: Pit access
2:15 p.m.: 20 ounces of PowerBar Endurance sports drink and 20 ounces of water
3 p.m.: Line up cars, pit access
3:10 p.m.: PowerBar Power Gel
3:30 p.m.: Race
End of race: 40 ounces of PowerBar Recovery drink and weigh out
Note: The driver also can press a button and access 100 ounces of fluid in a Camelbak-type reservoir inside the cockpit that can pump the fluids to his mouth via a tube.
Craig Griffin is a coach at Carmichael Training Systems in Colorado Springs. For more information on the latest in training, fitness and nutrition, go to trainright.com/newsletter.
