Drivers preparing for a very hot day at Fontana

Most of the drivers are in great shape and used to sitting in the closed cockpit of a stock car with inside temperatures moving into triple figures. But the heat wave covering Southern California this week is pushing the envelope.

Asked how he handles the heat, Denny Hamlin said, ‘Stay indoors at all costs as long as possible.

‘It’s amazing to me how hot it is, especially in the race car. I can hardly stand it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some dehydration problems for a lot of drivers.’

All the drivers use cool or air conditioner boxes, a fan system that blows cool air into the helmets. But the rest is up to them.

‘There’s nothing cool about this suit at all, just what goes in the helmet,’ Hamlin said.

John Darby, NASCAR’s Nextel Cup director, said there’s really nothing the sanctioning organization can do to help the drivers cool off.

‘The fortunate thing is most of the teams are involved with or have with them some sort of an athletic trainer who will do everything in their powers ‘ just like we do with our officials ‘ to recommend proper diets and fluid intake and the dos and don’ts of what to do in hot weather,’ Darby said.

‘Beyond that, from a race procedure standpoint, I’m sure we’ll allow the eighth man that typically does the windshield and services the driver (over the wall) as early as the green flag waves. From there, it’s a matter of air conditioner boxes, plenty of fluids and just doing what you’re supposed to do in this weather.’

Ricky Rudd, who will be starting his 900th race in Sunday’s Sharp Aquos 500, said the best thing a driver can do in this kind of heat is try to pretend it isn’t there.

‘Really, you learn how to tolerate it when you deal with the heat all the time,’ Rudd said. ‘There’s not really much you can do. I’ve always just tried to ignore it, although it is kind of hard.

‘The main things are to make sure your car is insulated good and get a lot of fluids in you during the day. When you get this kind of heat, it’s the time when drivers can get their feet burnt and seats will burn ’em. You just have to make sure you pay attention in practice to see if there are any hot spots in the car.’

Rudd speaks from experience.

He came away from a win at Martinsville during a heat wave in 1998 with burns on both heels and blisters in several places on his lower body because of a faulty cooling system. But that isn’t even the hottest race that came to mind Friday.

‘The last time I remember a lot of heat like this was in the late 80s at Talladega,’ Rudd said. ‘At that time, they had fire bottles in the cars with a built in thermostat and I think it was set at 150 degrees. I think four or five of them went off that day, and that scared the drivers to death. They didn’t know what happened. They thought a bomb had gone off in the car.

‘I don’t think the fire bottles do that any more,’ he added, grinning.

Carl Edwards, a physical fitness buff of some note, was one driver who said he isn’t concerned about the heat.

‘When it’s this hot, it’s just about right,’ he said. ‘This is what I train for and I enjoy these hot races. I think it’s a fun challenge.’

TV Time: Before making his way to Fontana this week, Roush Fenway Racing driver Jamie McMurray stopped in Hollywood, about 60 miles west of here, for a cameo appearance on the soap opera ‘Passions.’

McMurray visited the set, located in Studio City, Calif., on Wednesday and participated in one scene for an upcoming episode. He played himself ‘ referred to in the script as a ‘real-life NASCAR driver’ ‘ in the episode scheduled to air Sept. 26.

‘It was a lot of fun shooting my scene,’ McMurray said. ‘I think the best part about the shoot was how nice the people were on the set. It was pretty cool to be able to go behind the scenes and see how it was shot.

‘It’s amazing to think they shoot five days a week, and sometimes for up to 15 hours in one day. My part in the show was really quick and I only had a few lines to remember, but I have to admit I was pretty nervous when all the cameras were turned on.

‘What people don’t realize is that it isn’t just you and the other actors; it’s also like 20 other people behind the cameras. And, on top of that, I didn’t want to be the one to mess up the shoot.’

He didn’t mess up, nailing his lines in one take.

Getting Bigger: In addition to trying to win races on four wheels, Joe Gibbs Racing will also attempt to do it in the future on just two.

JGR, which has won more than 100 races in NASCAR and the NHRA since its formation in 1992, will debut Joe Gibbs Racing Motocross in 2008. Coy Gibbs, younger son of team founder Joe Gibbs, will head up the JGRMX operation, along with motocross industry veteran David Evans.

They have hired riders Josh Hansen and Josh Summey to race in the World Supercross GP and American Motorcyclist Association Supercross Series, and the AMA National Motocross Championship.