Reader questions are normally answered in the Ask The Insiders Wednesday posts, but I got this question from reader BJ and decided I would need more then a paragraph or two to answer it.  First, here is the question(s):

This season I’ve noticed a new patch on the drivers’ firesuits.  Located on the underside of the left wrist, the patch is most evident in the pictures of a driver with his hands raised in a victory lane celebration salute.  (Check out the two Busch brothers pictures at the bottom of this post – (http://naskalrto.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-turn.html)With some careful magnifying I was able to discern that it seems to be a logo from something called the SFI Foundation.  An Internet search gave me a link to that company (http://www.sfifoundation.com/driversuit.html).  As best as I can determine, the SFI Foundation seems to be the Underwriters Laboratories (UL – think all those tags attached to the cords of small, electronic products) of the motorsports industry.My questions stem from that.  Is that indeed what that patch stands for?  And if so, and the patch is a rating of a firesuit’s fire retardant capabilities, what is the rating on the drivers’ suits? Are they all the same rating or do different manufacturers (Alpinestars vs. Simpson for example) use differently rated constructions? 

Are the suits worn by the pit crew members also rated by SFI?  I’d assume that while a pit crew member would need fire protection they would perhaps not require quite the same Thermal Protective Performance (TPP) as a driver.

Any information you’d care to share about the construction, comfort and care of firesuits would be interesting.  Those suits have got to be pretty grungy after a 500 lap race.  Are they washable, and who is responsible for its care and cleaning?  How long does an average firesuit last in normal usage? And finally, what DO y’all actually wear underneath it all?! {grin}

Okay, well lets get to it.

First, yes, that patch is exactly what you think it is.  Firesuits, driving gloves, shoes, and helmets all get an SFI rating.  SFI standards are used by sanctioning bodies all over the world, including NASCAR, the IRL, the FIA, USAC, the NHRA, CORR, and the SCCA.

That particular article you linked to from the SFI website gives a rundown on firesuit testing and what the ratings stand for.  Specifically, I don’ t know what rating NASCAR requires drivers’ suits or crew suits to have.  I will try and remember to look at my suit the next time I put it on and let you know the rating.

On top of our firesuits, our pit crew shoes must be SFI rated as well.  Without that little tag, NASCAR won’t allow you over the wall.  And trust me, I’ve seen them check.  I do have a pair of Starter’s pit crew shoes at home, and the rating on the SFI label inside says 3.3/5.

I don’t believe the manufacturers use different ratings for suits.  It shouldn’t matter whether the suit is Impact, Simpson, Alpinestars, Puma, or any other manufacturer.  The ratings only differ if the suit is made of a different material.

I couldn’t tell you much about firesuit construction, as I don’t work for Impact or Alpinestars.  But I do know that our team’s hauler driver has our suits cleaned after each race.  I believe they can just be thrown in a washing machine.  And yes, they are nasty after a race.  They are very thick and on a hot day, you sweat like a beast in the them.

Most teams with a decent budget will replace firesuits at least once a season for the crew.  I couldn’t really tell you how many a driver will go through.  After 15 races or so, the colors tend to fade pretty bad and they will show signs of wear (especially for changers).  And to buy or replace a suit isn’t cheap.  Custom suits can be $1,000 or more.

What guys wear under their suits is really a matter of personal preference.  I’ve seen everything from just underwear, to shorts and a t-shirt.  Personally, I like something like UnderArmour under my suit, as it does help you stay a little cooler and a little drier.

So hopefully I was able to shed a little light on firesuits.  If somebody from one of the aforementioned companies happens to read this post, feel free to jump in and add or correct any information I’ve given.  Thanks for the question BJ!

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