Do NASCAR drivers speak to each other during races? All you need to know

NASCAR teams have impressive communication systems, allowing them to relay and retrieve information from the driver. While drivers can effectively communicate with their spotters and crew chiefs, they are no longer permitted to talk to competitors over the radio.

Drivers used to communicate with competitors during the 'Tandem Drafting' era, a style of racing unique to Superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega in the early 2010s. In this period, two cars would run nose-to-tail for the entire lap, often resulting in thrilling finishes.

NASCAR drivers used these communication channels to strategize with their drafting partners. Since the cars were hooked up tightly together, drivers needed to share information about their cars’ preferences. These channels also allowed drivers to communicate and coordinate with new drafting partners on the fly.

Drivers had dials on the dashboard with around 15 channels to communicate with other drivers during the race. These conversations were entertaining to follow, with rivals occasionally joining forces to draft in tandem, though teammates were more commonly seen working together.

NASCAR banned communication between drivers after the 2011 season to unclutter the airwaves. Then Cup Series Director John Darby stated that drivers were losing focus on their main job, and that they wanted to simplify communication. Eventually, tandem drafting became less prominent due to other rule changes.

"There was a point where it got so confusing to them that they actually lost focus on what they were doing and felt much better if we could back that off somewhat and get it to a standard or more common communications between driver and spotter and driver and pit crew as we’ve known it in the past," he was quoted by socalscanner.com.

In modern-day NASCAR, drivers primarily communicate with their spotters and crew chiefs. Spotters can listen to other teams’ radio traffic, while crew chiefs of an organization are also connected. Each team operates a 'War Room' at their base, where team members analyze real-time data to make strategic decisions.

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Exploring NASCAR drivers' opinions on inter-team communications

A few drivers in the present-day NASCAR grid experienced tandem drafting in its prime and communicated directly with competitors on track, more than a decade ago. While most drivers consider it unnecessary for modern drafting races, several drivers noted other hilarious use cases of driver-to-driver communications.

In a 2018 interview with Jeff Gluck, Kyle Busch said it was a great tool during the tandem drafting era and expressed frustration when it was outlawed, as drivers were still drafting in pairs. However, he believes it is unnecessary, except for its entertainment aspect.

"I didn't mind it. I actually thought it was great. When they outlawed it, I thought it was the worst idea ever because we're still tandeming then." he told JeffGluck.com (0:24 onwards). "I don't know that it's necessary that we need it, besides the strict comedic value that it would have if it was broadcast on TV of us to each other out or something. (2:15 onwards)"

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski all insisted that its return wouldn't be ideal. Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon reckoned drivers could use it to mess with others or express frustration at a driver right after a wreck.

Although driver-to-driver communication channels remain outlawed, drivers often use hand signals during pit cycles to communicate with those behind. In terms of expressing frustration, flipping the bird or trading paint have remained popular.