What is the mouthpiece used by NASCAR drivers? Everything you need to know about the NASCAR safety enhancer

Over the years, NASCAR has brought in multiple safety and sensory devices to collect data and make the sport safer for drivers. One such device was the mouthpiece that gained traction among drivers following last season's race at Watkins Glen. And coming into this year's Go Bowling at The Glen, the mouthpiece had equal importance to both drivers and fans.

Developed using NASCAR's crash data to estimate head injury and impact of the crash, the mouthpiece currently stands as one of the state-of-the-art equipment to accurately predict the detailed behavior of the human body under an impact.

The mouthpiece is equipped with sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes and is attached to the upper jaw. It collects data directly from the skull as it is coupled with the upper set of teeth in an ideal way to measure head motion.

Each mouthpiece is custom-made based on the optical scans carried out on individual drivers. This is done to make sure that the devices fit correctly inside drivers' mouths.

Speaking about the device, John Palatak, NASCAR's vice president of safety engineering, said,

“NASCAR and NASA had done some work with the NASCAR crash database, and one of the academic groups doing research on behalf of NASA was Wake Forest. That was one of the first times I realized there is a group an hour up the road from Concord (N.C.) doing high-level simulation work on head injuries.”

He further added, (via NASCAR.com),

“The more data we can get, the better informed our analyses and decisions and the tools we use become. The mouthpiece sensor in and of itself makes the driver no safer at all in the race car at that moment. But we’ve got to decide each year on our priorities in making things safer. It dictates all of that.”

Drivers can choose to wear the mouthguard and the data collected during the session will help the sport. However, it is not mandatory for them to wear it during races.

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Ryan Blaney, other NASCAR drivers on mouthpiece device

Ryan Blaney (12) during practice and qualifying for the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

As many as six drivers were instrumented to use the mouthpiece to collect and record crash data. One among them was Ryan Blaney. Initially hesitant to wear the device, Blaney changed his mind after considering the impact the device had.

Blaney said,

“I was against it, but if it’s going to help us learn what the drivers go through in these wrecks, I’ll put this thing in. I don’t like being the crash test dummy, but it’s good to have that data.”

The Team Penske driver has been wearing the mouthpiece since his Daytona International Speedway crash in August 2023. Besides Blaney, his teammate at Penske, Joey Logano, and Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson have chosen to opt for the mouthpiece device during races.

Logano said,

"They got it to where it’s pretty comfortable now. I was always nervous if you wreck and what if it fell out or you choke on it, but it’s fine.”

Participating drivers get access to their data following the race, and can discuss their data in greater detail with researchers, if they wish to.