Confidence is essential to succeed in a life history like motor racing , whether it ’s on two wheel or four wheels . Even people who ’ve claimed they do n’t really believe in superstitions , like pro number one wood Danica Patrick , have admitted that certain pre - race ritual can help tranquillise the jitters . Some of the superstitious notion we ’ll speak about go beyond the paranoia or predilection of a specific racer , and some have become so rife that even the fans support by the unverbalised rule .
While some of these superstitions might seem kind of outdated , most dissenter do n’t want to take any chance with destiny . Racers withNASCARand MotoGP have always had permanent telephone number , but Formula One drivers ' numbers could exchange from year to year based on rankings . When Formula One announce that , as of the 2014 time of year , drivers could prefer permanent numbers , there was a flurry of excitation as F1 competitors applied for a lucky fingerbreadth [ rootage : Hallam ] . Some of the drivers were eager to explain their choices , show that superstition is still alert and well in the racing world .
It ’s not just about dodging bad fortune , either . Some racers think there are ways to cultivate estimable hazard . Everyone who set his or her life on the line for a airstream , whether the motivation is for fame and glory , or just for the fans ' excitement , probably has a favored way to drop those crucial pre - race hours . Some driver are unforced to share their superstitions ; others wo n’t utter , for care of pass on their opposition a competitive advantage . Some of the superstitions we ’ll talk over are middling usual , with fairly obvious ascendant . The root of others are still up fordebate . We ’ll take you through some of the superstition that play into race day strategy , all the way from a machine driver ’s bedroom habit to the stadium concession stands .
10: Getting Dressed
Plenty of people belike get dress the same way ( or secretive to it ) most day , without even thinking about it . But some motorsports pros believe that get into their duds in a specific order can make the dispute between succeeder and nonstarter . Driver Brian Scott has said it ’s a superstitious notion he ’s get wind from other drivers , that the correct side of the body bind all the fate , at least when it comes to obtain dress . Boxers , pants , socks , shirt sleeves , and glove should all go on the correct ramification or right arm before pulling on the left side . Other drivers will cop to following a finicky dressing ritual , but do n’t assign whether the correct side or the left side comes first . And it ’s not just airstream gondola drivers who aresuperstitiousabout getting ready for the day . MotoGP passenger Valentino Rossi also get lop in the same order before every subspecies .
Once you ’ve started off your day on a superstitious note , it might be hard to stir the habit . Some racers include that the theme bear on throughout the morning . For example , on a come to preeminence , some drivers won’tshavethe morning of a race .
9: Mismatched Shoes
Alex Wurz , an Austrian racing driver , is perhaps the driver most commonly known for wearing mismatched racing shoes – although there have been others . This particular , less commonclothingritual supposedly brings good luck , yet it ’s hard to track down the origins of this customs duty . It has n’t been wide adopt , but it ’s not totally uncommon , either , and it seems to make some drivers well-chosen . Have at it , blighter .
Other variant on the mismatch stem have also come tolight , such as deliberately mismatching socks . Stefano Modena used to take this an superfluous step , and drive with one of his gloves inside out , which could n’t have been all that well-heeled . When abiding by a superstitious notion that potentially creates a handicap , it might be meter to draw the seam .
8: Lucky Charms
A sight of people keep good lot appeal in their cars , even if they ’re not really thought of in that way . Such an adornment could be as obvious as a picture of a Catholic saint taped to thedashboard , or as subtle as a photo of the family pucker away in the glove compartment . Of course , lucky coins or lapin - foot key chemical chain are other good example of this custom . And it makes sense . We expend a set of time in our cars , and they can be dangerous , so a token of significance can help put the mind at relief .
We ca n’t really pick pro racers for doing the same affair . Tazio Nuvolari , and Italian bike racer and racecar machine driver , hold out a tortoise pin as his favorable charm . The pin itself might have been unique , but the estimation of hiding a talisman under clothing is not . Sebastian Vettel , a German Formula One driver , is rumored to keep a lucky coin tucked somewhere nearby . Other racing car , over the geezerhood , have admitted to doing the same matter , and it ’s reasonably easy to think there are many more that have chosen to keep that information to themselves . It ’s an easy ( and personal ) way to bring a little bit of comfort to a driver during all thoselonelylaps .
7: Talking to the Vehicle
Some citizenry babble out to their cars , and others do n’t . Some people recommend the cars to go faster , while others hope they can just scented - talk their drive into making it home withoutbreaking down . It ’s not all that uncommon . And if your fomite was largely responsible for the success of your career , it might make even more sense . Motorcycleracer Valentino Rossi is sleep together for kneel next to his bicycle before mounting it . Rossi says he use those last few mo before the race to babble to his bike , which helps him mentally prepare for the challenge forward . It ’s been said that other pro racers also partake in a few words with their cars , but perhaps they do n’t like to make this particular ritual world .
Some competitors wish to drop quality clip with the chariot , but are n’t quite so drab . Dancing is always an option , too . At least , that ’s what one of the co - owners of Michael Andretti ’s car did , while wielding a cigar , of path [ source : Snopes ] .
6: Entering the Vehicle from One Side
This superstitious notion probably goes back to the approximation that if you do something once , and it work , you should keep doing it to see if it bring good fortune . It ’s a lilliputian odd , though ; after all , most drivers enrol the machine from the designated side , the driver ’s side . Nico Hulkenberg and Mark Webber are two F1 drivers who believe it was effective luck to always climb into the gondola from the leftover side . Juan Pablo Montoya is another driver who choose to enter his auto from the same side every sentence – he also buckles hisbeltsexactly the same way , whether he ’s practicing or compete .
This superstition can also be pick up in bike and motocross racing , where racers get a option of how they favor to get on the bike . This is another of Valentino Rossi ’s many rituals , mounting thebikethe exact same fashion every time – after talking to it , of course of instruction .
5: The Number 13
Thenumber 13is considered unlucky practically everywhere , but the superstitious notion has some interesting consequences in the racing worldly concern . NASCAR numbers the pits so that no gang induce stuck exploit in the routine 13 spot , lest they bring bad luck to the driver or the elevator car . Championship driver Joe Weatherly once restricted 13th for a race , butNASCARallowed him to start in spot 12a instead . And though F1 driver Michael Schumacher established a preference for odd issue , 13 was n’t among them . However , when Formula One driver were offered the chance to pick permanent numbers for the 2014 season , Pastor Maldonado , a Venezuelan racing number one wood , decided to take his chance with number 13 .
The doomed 13 was a large batch in two - wheeled motorsports , too ; but consort to Motocross Action Mag , a few prominent racers have managed to overturn the trend . A smattering of rider , over the last decade or so , have chosen to tire the phone number 13 . The American Motorcyclist Association , the organization that manages motocross racing , wo n’t thrust riders to associate themselves with the number 13 , so intentionally accept those dactyl is a mansion of sureness . It takes a fate of chutzpa to win such a race , and perhaps that ’s also what it takes to change the flow rate of fortune .
4: $50 Bills
The average person certainly does n’t earn as much as a pro racer , so the idea of avoiding a high - denomination bill might be a footling foreign . But this superstitious notion began when Joe Weatherly , a two - time NASCAR champion , had two $ 50 bills in his shirt pocket during a 1964 subspecies . alas , it was Weatherly ’s last race ; his car go down and he died in the wreckage . When thecashwas line up in his pocket , the legend of the unlucky $ 50 bill began . Even though a dear slew of metre has passed since Weatherly ’s fatal clangour , this well - known , and slightly odd , racing superstition is still very much in force-out . Dale Earnhardt was perhaps the best - known driver to avoid $ 50 bills , but the superstitious notion did n’t stop with his death in 2001 , either . Other NASCAR drivers , such as Sterling Marlin , also wo n’t touch a Grant . Of course , fifty buck in hard currency is fine – it just better be made up of a few different denominations .
3: Eating Specific Foods
Danica Patrick has enounce that she tries not to let superstitions develop , because she thinks that they ’re all in your header , and they ’re not material until you start to believe in them [ source : Gaudiosi ] . However , she ’s also said that sure food help her get in the correct skeleton of mind on airstream break of day . She ’s hump to be particularly fond of eatinghealthy nutrient , which aid her abide sharp on the raceway .
Sterling Marlin won his first Daytona 500 in 1994 , after chowing down on a bologna sandwich . So that became one of his personal rituals before each race . And Marcos Ambrose , a NASCAR number one wood who is an Australian native , is fond of his native country ’s distinctive Vegemite bed covering as part of his pre - race meal . With these three drivers as examples , it just go to show that even a sharedtraditioncan be deeply personal , and thus totally different , for each racer on the cart track .
2: Peanuts in Shells
It ’s straight . Shelled peanuts are permissible at NASCAR event , but specimens still encased in their fibrous jackets are universally lour upon in motorsports . In fact , a circle of yielding abide at racing locus wo n’t even deal them ; but even if they are available , most driver will not allow peanut shellsin the perdition . They ’re bad luck .
agree to Snopes , the urban caption experts of the Internet , two separate incidents ( both in 1937 ) are widely blamed for the goober ban . In the first incident , at Langhorne Speedway ( near Langhorne , Pa. ) , two vehicles strayed off the road , seconds aside , both wound or killing spectators . At the Nashville fairgrounds subsequently that yr , four or five cars collided , result in the end of one driver . In both incidents , witnesses claim that peanut shells were prominently visible in the wreckage , even though official reports cite nothing of the variety . Other documentation dates back before the 1937 wreck . It ’s in reality more or less logical : Before World War II , gondola backwash mostly take spot at local fairground , where peanut vine were a popular kickshaw . Even at state and county fair today , goober shell tend to get scattered everywhere . So unavoidably , peanut shells would terminate up in or near the cars , and if a clang occurred , the shells were to pick . Obviously .
1: The Color Green
The fleeceable car superstition die back to 1920 , when Gaston Chevrolet , the brother ofChevrolet Motorsco - founder Louis Chevrolet , was racing a green car when he was kill in an accident . After that , the color quickly slipped in the popularity rankings ( even though British Racing Green has always persist a in high spirits - class tint … for civilian car , anyway ) . A lot of pro driver powerfully choose not to get behind the wheel of a immature railroad car , but it ’s not always up to them .
Lots More Information
It ’s not all that surprising , I suppose , that some of the most common superstitions in motorsports are n’t really that dissimilar from the superstitions that are normally associated with other play . I have n’t find out about pro athletes who have a fear of peanut shell , but plenty of them do have well - bang solid food , clothing and hygienics rituals . It ’s funny how a belief or custom can survive just for one person , or it can spread and be espouse by the community at gravid . For a high - stake , serious pastime such as racing , though , it ca n’t pain to have as much luck as possible on your side .
