Welcome to Brainstuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Bogle bam here. Most drivers buy car insurance to protect themselves in case they're in an accident and their car or another person's car is damaged. But what about race car drivers? The sport is built on speed. NASCAR drivers, for instance, race its speeds of up to two hundred miles an hour, which is a little bit over three d kilometers per hour. And at speeds like that, accidents
are bound to happen, and they do. The cars are built specially to break apart on impact, protecting the driver by scattering the force. Some fans find the crashes to be the most exciting part of the sport. So who ensures these drivers and their race cars where accidents are par for the course. Well, if you know anything about racing, and especially NASCAR, you know the drivers have sponsors and lots of them, and some drivers cars might be sponsored
by insurance companies. So does that mean the company insures the car too? Sometimes, but not always? And if not, then who does? Let's break it all down first. The pit crew and other members of a racing team are usually employed by the team, and that team usually provides them with health insurance, just like any employer in the United States can provide you with health insurance. However, drivers are often independent contractors and employment status that generally comes
with no benefits, including insurance coverage of any kind. This does vary somewhat, as some states have laws requiring workers compensation or disability coverage, but that's an exception to the rule. In short, drivers generally don't receive any benefits unless they're hurt on the job, and often not even then. However, professional drivers do have options for insurance, since being a
professional driver comes with perks and often major sponsorships. Some insurance companies compete the right to negotiate contracts in exchange for publicity for their brands, and most drivers are usually in good physical condition as is demanded by the sport, so they pose few risks to insurance companies outside of the time that they're actually competing. But what about the cars. The team owners can't just call up their local state
farm rep and ask for a policy for a race car. Instead, racing teams typically must ensure their cars with companies that specialize in motor sports. There are several such insurance companies, and they typically based the policies on agreed upon values of the cars and on the competition schedules. That is, the more races on the schedules, the more the policies are likely to cost. Racing assets such as tools, trailers, and facilities, and even the tracks themselves need to be
insured too. Drivers may also carry business liability coverage and life insurance in addition to their health insurance, and spectator and liability insurance is also available through companies that specialize in motor sports insurance. That's because of all spectator injuries at sporting events, most occur at auto and motorcycle racing events. That's because fans sitting near the track are at higher risk of being hit by an out of control vehicle
or debris from a crash. Today's episode was written by Shers three Win and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this lots of other fast topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio. Or more podcasts to my heart radio visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.