What’s Happening?

It’s a common question that both casual fans, die-hard fans, or curious bypassers ask. When nature calls during a NASCAR race, what do NASCAR drivers do since there’s no way to step out and use the facilities in the middle of a race? Well, a few drivers have admitted that, yes, they do, and one of them did so this weekend.

• We will look at a couple of examples in which drivers admitted that they relieved themselves during the race, including the one that happened this weekend.
• We will finish off by looking at a rumored instance. It’s not been confirmed whether or not a driver actually did so, but, they won the race regardless.

Confirmed Instances

Denny Hamlin was dealing with a tough situation last weekend at Atlanta. Nature was calling, and he took advantage of a long pit stop to fix crash damage to answer the call.

Based on his comments, it seems like this may be the first time Hamlin has done so at least in the NASCAR Cup Series. Keep in mind, he has been in the series full-time every year since 2006.

It seems then that drivers only do it if they absolutely have to, which makes sense. Peeing in a driver’s uniform and on a racing seat makes a big mess, and it’s just not practical to do so while driving in a sprawling back of 25+ race cars at 180 MPH while the car is bouncing all over the track.

Now, the apple does not fall far from the tree, at least as far as race teams are concerned. Tyler Reddick admitted to peeing in his firesuit at the Charlotte Roval in 2023. He told the cameraworker after the race when asked why, “You don’t want to hold it!”

The Rumored Instance

So, we know that at least some drivers will pee during the race if they absolutely have to, but, what about the other side of the coin? Do drivers just hold it, or do they just do it similar to when they pee.?

Well, there is at least one instance where a driver might have pooped in their firesuit during a race. This story took place in 2004 at Watkins Glen International, as Tony Stewart was dealing with what was reported as, “stomach cramps” during the race. Boris Said was called to be a potential relief driver, but, Stewart gutted it out to win the race.

After the race, Stewart immediately exited his car in victory lane and zipped straight to his motorhome. NBC Sports’ Bill Weber reported that Stewart was being given a fresh firesuit, further fueling the rumors. For a more in-depth look at the story, check out the video below.

Now, Tony Stewart has never publicly admitted exactly what happened in his cockpit that day, but, at least one NASCAR driver is a believer that this did actually happen. Bubba Wallace said so during a video with Kevin Hart linked below. Wallace also said that he knows of other drivers who do relieve themselves during a race, so, that’s a third driver that admits this does happen.

Being a NASCAR driver seems to bring an entirely new meaning to, “When you gotta go, you gotta go”. Regardless of what is true and what is fiction, we can absolutely confirm that yes, drivers do pee themselves during a race.