Lara Carlson to present at the 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, has been invited to present at the 2015 NASCAR Summit.

Carlson, who recently published her motorsports physiology research in the Journal of Thermal Biology, will join representatives from all tracks and teams involved in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and IMSA Road Racing at the event.

The NASCAR Summit held every January in Concord, North Carolina, addresses topics related to the operations, security, risk management and emergency and medical services associated with the upcoming NASCAR season. This year’s season kicks off in February 2015 with the Daytona 500.

Carlson’s research is the first publication to quantify the thermoregulatory stress and cardiovascular strain drives experience during competitive stock car racing. The results of her research provide support for heat mitigation practices and provide evidence that motorsports should consider strategies to become heat acclimatized to better meet the thermoregulatory and cardiovascular challenges of motorsport competition.