NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie and Xfinity Series driver Sam Mayer have discovered a new way to test the strength of a cooler -- dragging it behind a car at 100 mph.
The two NASCAR drivers recently put a 52-quart RTIC Ultra-Light cooler to the test in North Carolina. They headed to Mooresville, the home of NASCAR teams, and stopped by the Mooresville Dragway with a Chevrolet Camaro.
A fitting choice considering LaJoie drives the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro for Spire Motorsports and Mayer drives the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports. Both teams have shops in Mooresville.
"I think we can get it up to 100 mile-an-hour," Mayer said. This was a bold proclamation.
The first attempt went smoothly for LaJoie and Mayer. They reached 60 mph as the RTIC cooler remained attached to the car and in one piece. Though it bounced around behind the Camaro.
LaJoie and Mayer put two 10-pound bags of ice in the cooler and then set out to reach 80 mph. Once again, they were successful.
The final test was the biggest. LaJoie and Mayer had to reach 100 mph with the Camaro and the cooler, and they had to do so before running out of room on the drag strip. This was no simple feat, but once again, they were successful.
The Camaro hit 100 mph, as did the cooler. The only damage to the cooler was a little bit of plastic burn. The ice was still cold and the RTIC cooler was still in one piece.
How did LaJoie and Mayer celebrate? They did what any self-respecting NASCAR drivers would -- they did burnouts while still towing the cooler.
This is not the first time LaJoie has done something unique with an RTIC cooler. He also created a custom electric RTIC tricycle. The cooler itself served as the seat.
LaJoie used the custom tricycle to cruise the Talladega Boulevard, a famous part of the Talladega Superspeedway infield where fans party throughout the race weekend.
There are float parades featuring NASCAR drivers, mud wrestling competitions, and numerous concerts. Taking a car to the BLVD is not possible, but there are no issues with a cooler tricycle.
Mayer showcased an RTIC scheme during Throwback Weekend
Photo credit: Getty Images
The 100 mph test was not the only part of Mayer's partnership with RTIC. The Xfinity driver also joined forces with the cooler company for multiple races on the 2024 schedule.
The debut of Mayer's RTIC scheme was at Darlington Raceway on May 11. Mayer started sixth in the No. 1 Chevrolet and he finished fourth after scoring 15 stage points. Teammate Justin Allgaier won the race but Mayer added another 13 points to his total.
Mayer will have RTIC as his primary partner three more times this season. The next race will be at Portland on June 1. RTIC will also take over the No. 1 Chevrolet at Sonoma Raceway on June 8 and Pocono Raceway on July 13.