Rick Mast drove NASCAR, Busch, and Winston Cup cars for 20 years. In 364 Winston Cup starts over 15 years, Mast was runner-up once and third three times. A genuinely decent 46-year-old Virginian, Mast was always on the short end when wins, glory, and good fortune were passed out.
Mast's driving career is over now, cut short by carbon monoxide poisoning and complete intolerance for the colorless, odorless, highly poisonous gas produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels, such as gasoline. It's what comes out your car's exhaust pipe and it is often called the silent killer.
Because of his acute and chronic illness, Mast's contribution to NASCAR, stock car racing, and mankind may far exceed anything he might have accomplished on the racetrack. Unintentionally, of course, he is largely responsible for a renewed awareness to the dangers of carbon monoxide and for NASCAR accelerating a program to develop a fresh air system. The new equipment was recommended in May to drivers in NASCAR's top three divisions, just 14 months after Mast became ill.
Consultations with Mast, a seven-month study led by Gary Nelson, NASCAR's managing director of research and development, and a group of experts, tests by drivers, and experiments at the sanctioning body's new research facility in North Carolina, resulted in the development of a catalyst that eliminates 75 percent of carbon monoxide in the air breathed by users. The system is not mandatory, but it is certainly a significant safety device, a life vest of sorts.
The catalyst, consisting of about 3 pounds of 11/416-inch aluminum beads coated with a solution of copper and palladium salts, is located between two screens inside an 8x12-inch aluminum box. Outside air flows into an intake, through the catalyst, where contaminants are "scrubbed," and continues to the driver's helmet by a duct. The system seems to be well worth the $400 cost.
"During the study, the experts concluded that the levels of carbon monoxide were not high, certainly not alarming," says Nelson, "but we wanted to assure our drivers of the best possible environment to compete in. The study was divided into three areas: human, car preparation, and component. On the human side, we learned that a driver's physical condition and level of hydration played key roles. For car preparation, we helped educate teams on preparing a vehicle in a way to minimize any type of leaks involving carbon monoxide. Finally, we had to locate the right component that effectively lowers the percentage of carbon monoxide that may enter the vehicle."
Defending Winston Cup cham-pion Tony Stewart was the first to use the device in the mid-April race at Martinsville Speedway. Stewart complimented the system, saying he'd never felt better after a race at Martinsville. Stewart was selected first because he had suffered symptoms attributed to carbon monoxide in last October's race at the tight 11/42-mile oval. Bobby Labonte and Ward Burton also used the equipment with positive results.
"After successful tests, we decided to release our findings to everybody," Nelson says. "Frankly, we were getting nervous over working with two or three drivers on a system that has potential to enhance their performance, especially toward the end of a race, while other drivers didn't even know about it."
Meanwhile, Mast is almost back to health. "I'm about 90 percent where I was before the illness," he says. "The big thing for me is to be aware and avoid carbon monoxide fumes, no matter what their source." That is sound advice for anyone who drives a race car at any level and anyone who is exposed to higher levels of the gas anywhere.