NASCAR Ford Driver Finishes Race Despite Being Boiled By Cool Suit

Being a race car driver requires serious toughness, and sometimes that means pushing through a failing cooling suit while essentially being boiled alive on a grueling road course. Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 6 NASCAR Ford Mustang Dark Horse, toughed through exactly that at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Despite the brutal conditions, he refused to quit and still brought home a top-15 finish.

During the Cup Series race at COTA on March 2^nd, 2025, Keselowski’s cool suit stopped working, leaving him to battle the hot conditions in the cockpit of his No. 6 NASCAR Ford without help from the system. The cooling shirt, which provides circulation of cool water to help drivers regulate their temperature during the race, failed to do so.

Jeremy Bullins, Keselowski’s crew chief, suggested pulling off the track to purge the cooling shirt of the hot water that had built up inside. Keselowski refused, knowing he’d lose valuable time. Instead, he chose to tough it out and keep racing. During pit stops, Keselowski’s team supplied him with ice packs to provide temporary relief and instructed him to cycle the shirt’s water supply manually while still racing.

Unfortunately, it took a toll on Keselowski. He was met by COTA’s medical team on Pit Road after the race and was transported to the infield care center on a stretcher, where he was treated with IV fluids. He responded well and was sent home with no further treatment.

“Yesterday was a tough one at COTA,” Keselowski posted on social media. “Sometimes things happen that are out of our control, but I’m thankful for my team and the care I received at track. At the end of it all, we came home with a top 15 finish. Appreciate the support – on to [the next race at] Phoenix.”

As a reminder, Keselowski is the part-owner of NASCAR Ford team Roush Fenway Keslowski Racing (RFK), which fields three Cup Series entries, including the No. 6 Mustang.