A Racing Suit or Racing Overalls, often referred to as a Fire Suit due to its fire retardant properties, is the clothing worn in various forms of auto racingby racing drivers, crew members who work on the vehicles during races, track safety workers or marshals, and in some series commentators at the event.
In the early days of racing, most racing series had no mandated uniforms. Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, specialized racing suits were designed to optimize driver temperature via heat transfer, and later to protect drivers from fire.[1] By 1967, the majority of competitors in Formula One, NASCAR, the National Hot Rod Association, and USAC Champ Car (the predecessor to modern IndyCar) began wearing specialized fire suits.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Most modern suits utilize Nomex, a material developed in the 1960s around the time fire suits emerged.[2][3] The suits are also known for prominently displaying driver sponsors.
