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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Lara Carlson heats things up with NASCAR’s elite at 2015 NASCAR Summit

Lara Carlson, DPE., FACSM, CSCS, associate professor in the Westbrook College of Health Professions and the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, recently presented her research as an invited speaker at the 2015 NASCAR Summit on January 12, 2015, in Concord, North Carolina.

The annual NASCAR Summit event serves as the only annual meeting for representatives from the facilities hosting NASCAR Events and addresses topics related to operations, security, risk management, training, fire suppression, extrication and emergency medical services.

Carlson’s presentation, “More Than Just Turning Left: The Physiological Strain of Driving a Racecar,” was presented to medical, scientific and educational professionals concerned with the performance and safety in motorsport.

It has been suggested that motorsport competition may increase heat stress and challenge the cardiovascular system. These effects may add to driver fatigue and possibly lead to catastrophic injury.

Carlson published the first study that quantified the thermoregulatory and physiological challenges associated with competitive stock car racing. She collaborated with the U. S. Army on the project since a similar predicament exists with military personnel, such as aviation pilots and soldiers in armored vehicles. Her study confirmed that completing physical tasks in elevated cabin temperatures, such as those of a racecar cockpit, with the addition of protective uniforms (which hinders evaporative cooling) results in increased heat storage, which may lead to heat illness, as well as the impairment of muscle activation and mental alertness.

While at the conference, Carlson had the chance to discuss her research with NASCAR driver Sam Hornish, Jr., who will drive the number nine Twisted Tea Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports in the upcoming 2015 NASCAR season.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.