marknga
GONetwork Member
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.........
probably have to stop and change your drawers.... the stench would be overwhelming.
Welcome Guest!
Jimmie Johnson: AP Male Athlete of the Year
- Thread starter ryano
- Start date
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.........
probably have to stop and change your drawers.... the stench would be overwhelming.
marknga
GONetwork Member
Might want to add Major League Baseball players to the list of non athletes, just ask former Philly John Kruk:
one of my favorite quotes:
"I ain't an athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player."
one of my favorite quotes:
"I ain't an athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player."
MustangMAtt30
Banned
Congrats to a fine athlete.....Jimmie Johnson!!!!! Quite an accomplishment that might not ever be topped except by JJ himself if he wins his fifth next year.
To all you NASCAR haters..........BAHUMBUG!!!!!!!!!!!!
To all you NASCAR haters..........BAHUMBUG!!!!!!!!!!!!
Haha. You hit the nail on the head. There are definitely plenty of baseballers (mostly pitchers) that are not athletes.
I still haven't heard anyone give me a defense as to why a racecar driver is an athlete. The argument that they drive fast and furious and that it requires talent does not hold water. My mother-in-law is great at sewing, but that does not make her an athlete.
BlackSmoke
Senior Member
Here's one take on it......
By Allen Bestwick
NBC Sports
updated 4:56 p.m. ET, Mon., March. 8, 2004
Should stock car drivers be considered athletes? Some people say no -- most often supporting their view by pointing out that many of us drive cars and don’t find it physically challenging. However, racing a stock car with an average interior temperature of 120 degrees for 500 laps at speeds that can border on 200 mph takes superior hand-eye coordination, depth perception, courage and physical fitness. Those factors lead me to give a resounding endorsement of stock car drivers as athletes.
SUPPORTING
MY VIEW
The American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of an athlete is "a person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts."
Let's take apart that definition and scrutinize stock car drivers to see whether they fit the bill as athletes.
“A person possessing the natural or acquired traits,…�
Just as Barry Bonds possesses a natural talent for hitting a baseball and has refined that talent with experience, NASCAR’s top-level drivers have natural or acquired traits for racing cars that most of us are without.
Those traits include a lack of fear, an exceptional feel for controlling a car at excessive speeds, and exceptional hand-eye coordination.
These skills have been refined through their years of racing, beginning with go-karts as children and advancing up the different levels of the sport.
“…such as strength, agility and endurance necessary for physical exercise,…�
While I was never really good at physics in school, I have driven a stock car on a few occasions and I can vouch for the physical demands on one's body when racing.
A 3,400-pound stock car doesn’t drive like your SUV, it’s a brute.
At the speeds today’s stock cars attain, a driver is constantly wrestling the machine.
The moments he’s not pushing or pulling against the wheel and working the pedals are brief.
While all that is going on, the G-forces of the cornering speed are pulling a drivers’ head, torso and legs to the right -- the opposite way the rest of him is trying to go.
His ribs and shoulders are jamming against his seat and restraints and that's a feeling like taking a hit from a linebacker every minute for a few hours.
In racing schools like the Richard Petty Driving Experience, most people are sweating and have an elevated heart rate after just a few laps of driving.
A stock car driver must be able to handle these forces and stresses over three to four hours of competition.
That requires exceptional conditioning and a special level of endurance that few of us can boast.
The conditions compound the physical requirements on a driver.
He will be in a car designed for speed, not comfort.
The cockpit temperature will rise to over 120 degrees, and to reduce any aerodynamic “drag,� the car is designed to make air flow around it, but not inside it.
This puts a premium on cardiovascular fitness.
A driver must be able to process oxygen into his blood more efficiently than most of us and also must be able to do it in heated, stressful conditions for hours at a time.
“…especially those performed in competitive contexts.�
There can be no question drivers are by nature competitive.
Like other elite athletes, their desire to win and rise to the top of their field is a prime motivation in their daily lives.
All of the training, endless testing and practicing are done for one moment: the glorious one when victory in a race is achieved.
TRAINING COMPARISONS
Most drivers are on a vigorous training program.
Former Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett trains six days per week to prepare for the competition of racing.
“I lift weights and do cardio Monday through Friday, then Saturday do an additional day of cardio� says Jarrett, who like many of his racing peers, was an outstanding multi-sport athlete in high school.
Jarrett was a quarterback, forward in basketball, shortstop and outstanding golfer.
Jarrett is a friend and business partner of quarterback Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers and he has compared training notes with the future NFL Hall-of-Famer.
Jarrett says he and Favre seek different results from their workouts, noting that for racing he needs his back to be strong for the time he spends in the driver's seat, while Favre needs for his legs to be strong.
Favre is careful about how his arm is worked out while Jarrett’s concern for cardio conditioning is a top priority.
MENTAL STRENGTH ALSO NEEDED
One often overlooked aspect of racing a stock car is the relentless need for concentration at a high level.
A basketball or football player needs to be mentally sharp to execute plays and react to game situations quickly and effectively.
A stock car driver can never let his concentration waver.
One mental lapse -- be it a missed braking point or daydream-induced “drift� of lanes -- can cause a crash, which will likely result in hitting a wall at well over 100 mph -- not a safe or pleasant experience.
DIFFERENT DEMANDS IN A DIFFERENT ERA
In NASCAR’s earlier years, especially the 1950s and 1960s, drivers were not considered very athletic, and I would agree with that assessment.
Today, however, times have changed and now it's a different story.
This generation of stock car racers compares very favorably with elite athletes in other sports.
These drivers may not run a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash or be able to hit 50 home runs in a baseball season, but could a baseball player or a football player last 500 miles in a race car?
The strength, agility and endurance demonstrated by stock car drivers in a competitive context are without question of exceptional quality and prove their athleticism.
© 2009 MSNBC Interactive
By Allen Bestwick
NBC Sports
updated 4:56 p.m. ET, Mon., March. 8, 2004
Should stock car drivers be considered athletes? Some people say no -- most often supporting their view by pointing out that many of us drive cars and don’t find it physically challenging. However, racing a stock car with an average interior temperature of 120 degrees for 500 laps at speeds that can border on 200 mph takes superior hand-eye coordination, depth perception, courage and physical fitness. Those factors lead me to give a resounding endorsement of stock car drivers as athletes.
SUPPORTING
MY VIEW
The American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of an athlete is "a person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts."
Let's take apart that definition and scrutinize stock car drivers to see whether they fit the bill as athletes.
“A person possessing the natural or acquired traits,…�
Just as Barry Bonds possesses a natural talent for hitting a baseball and has refined that talent with experience, NASCAR’s top-level drivers have natural or acquired traits for racing cars that most of us are without.
Those traits include a lack of fear, an exceptional feel for controlling a car at excessive speeds, and exceptional hand-eye coordination.
These skills have been refined through their years of racing, beginning with go-karts as children and advancing up the different levels of the sport.
“…such as strength, agility and endurance necessary for physical exercise,…�
While I was never really good at physics in school, I have driven a stock car on a few occasions and I can vouch for the physical demands on one's body when racing.
A 3,400-pound stock car doesn’t drive like your SUV, it’s a brute.
At the speeds today’s stock cars attain, a driver is constantly wrestling the machine.
The moments he’s not pushing or pulling against the wheel and working the pedals are brief.
While all that is going on, the G-forces of the cornering speed are pulling a drivers’ head, torso and legs to the right -- the opposite way the rest of him is trying to go.
His ribs and shoulders are jamming against his seat and restraints and that's a feeling like taking a hit from a linebacker every minute for a few hours.
In racing schools like the Richard Petty Driving Experience, most people are sweating and have an elevated heart rate after just a few laps of driving.
A stock car driver must be able to handle these forces and stresses over three to four hours of competition.
That requires exceptional conditioning and a special level of endurance that few of us can boast.
The conditions compound the physical requirements on a driver.
He will be in a car designed for speed, not comfort.
The cockpit temperature will rise to over 120 degrees, and to reduce any aerodynamic “drag,� the car is designed to make air flow around it, but not inside it.
This puts a premium on cardiovascular fitness.
A driver must be able to process oxygen into his blood more efficiently than most of us and also must be able to do it in heated, stressful conditions for hours at a time.
“…especially those performed in competitive contexts.�
There can be no question drivers are by nature competitive.
Like other elite athletes, their desire to win and rise to the top of their field is a prime motivation in their daily lives.
All of the training, endless testing and practicing are done for one moment: the glorious one when victory in a race is achieved.
TRAINING COMPARISONS
Most drivers are on a vigorous training program.
Former Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett trains six days per week to prepare for the competition of racing.
“I lift weights and do cardio Monday through Friday, then Saturday do an additional day of cardio� says Jarrett, who like many of his racing peers, was an outstanding multi-sport athlete in high school.
Jarrett was a quarterback, forward in basketball, shortstop and outstanding golfer.
Jarrett is a friend and business partner of quarterback Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers and he has compared training notes with the future NFL Hall-of-Famer.
Jarrett says he and Favre seek different results from their workouts, noting that for racing he needs his back to be strong for the time he spends in the driver's seat, while Favre needs for his legs to be strong.
Favre is careful about how his arm is worked out while Jarrett’s concern for cardio conditioning is a top priority.
MENTAL STRENGTH ALSO NEEDED
One often overlooked aspect of racing a stock car is the relentless need for concentration at a high level.
A basketball or football player needs to be mentally sharp to execute plays and react to game situations quickly and effectively.
A stock car driver can never let his concentration waver.
One mental lapse -- be it a missed braking point or daydream-induced “drift� of lanes -- can cause a crash, which will likely result in hitting a wall at well over 100 mph -- not a safe or pleasant experience.
DIFFERENT DEMANDS IN A DIFFERENT ERA
In NASCAR’s earlier years, especially the 1950s and 1960s, drivers were not considered very athletic, and I would agree with that assessment.
Today, however, times have changed and now it's a different story.
This generation of stock car racers compares very favorably with elite athletes in other sports.
These drivers may not run a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash or be able to hit 50 home runs in a baseball season, but could a baseball player or a football player last 500 miles in a race car?
The strength, agility and endurance demonstrated by stock car drivers in a competitive context are without question of exceptional quality and prove their athleticism.
© 2009 MSNBC Interactive
BlackSmoke
Senior Member
And another.....
Are NASCAR Drivers True Athletes?
by Kara Martin
As a NASCAR fan, how many times have you heard, "racing isn't a real sport, those drivers aren't athletes, anyone can drive fast and turn left!" Why do we as fans constantly have to defend our favorite pastime?
Look up the definition of the word sport on dictionary.com and this is what you will find:
Sport, an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.
Bowling....really? I find it hard to call something a sport that I get better at after a couple of pitchers of beer.
Seriously, who are we to judge what is and isn't considered sport or what makes a true athlete?
We all love to coach from the sideline or in NASCAR's case, backseat drive. We love to think that we could do better than "so and so," but the hard truth is, few of us in this world are truly gifted enough to prove it. Even 43rd place is better than most of us could ever hope to do.
The NFL season is 17 weeks long, basketball and baseball each 6 months in length. The NASCAR season is a grueling 10 months out of the year with very little downtime. Drivers and their crews are constantly on the go. Cup drivers often moonlight in the Nationwide, Truck and/or Dirt Track series, allowing little else but to eat, sleep and drive.
Sports psychologist Dr. Jack Stark, wrote: "Football, you go hard for 15 seconds, rest 30 or 40." "Basketball, you have timeouts. You can't stop a race and get out of your car. You've been going hard for four hours and you have to have a tremendous amount of mental toughness and a tremendous amount of drive and desire to win."
While the income gives me the desire to win, I simply couldn't cut it as a NASCAR driver. Heck, my mind wanders during my 15 minute commute to work. The skill needed to rank in the top 43 is as awe inspiring as it is profitable. Aric Almirola, who as of this print was in 43rd place has earned a total of $1,033,560. In my opinion he is worth every penny!
Nice work if you can get it, but you've got to have fortitude to do so.
I fancy myself to be a bit of a daredevil, I've been to the Richard Petty Driving Experience. In no means does that make me an expert, but what I do know is that it took my brain a full 3 laps to catch up to my body that was traveling at 160 MPH. It was the same feeling that I experienced skydiving for the first time.
NASCAR is the free-fall.
Forget that a driver must maneuver a 3,600 pound car, straining to steer the wheel around curves, debris and other drivers.
Never mind the G-forces that result from the banking turns at 180-200mph causing intense pressure on the driver's torsos.
Disregard the lack of oxygen in the cockpit mixed with carbon monoxide fumes which can cause confusion and disorientation for the driver during the race.
NASCAR is the free-fall. One that lasts for 500 miles instead of a mere 9500 feet with no safety chute to soften the blow. Even the slightest mistake could prove fatal in this sport. A driver must always be aware of his car and it's surroundings. The sheer discipline and mental strength are untouchable.
To get a driver to the finish line in one piece requires absolute perfection on the crew's part. A stock car is a monster of metal and fuel, we've all seen what can happen when things go wrong.
Think of it in terms of kinetic energy.
Kinetic energy (Ek), is a measure of how much work—or damage—an object can do in motion. The more massive an object and the faster it’s moving, the more kinetic energy it has. (Ek equals one-half mass times velocity squared, to be precise.) For example, a 3600-pound stock car running at 180 mph has a kinetic energy of 3.9 million ft.-lb. If you were to catapult a 150-pound man into the air with the same energy, he would travel 5 miles.
Pretty heavy stuff!
Tell me again why NASCAR drivers aren't considered true athletes?!
Are NASCAR Drivers True Athletes?
by Kara Martin
As a NASCAR fan, how many times have you heard, "racing isn't a real sport, those drivers aren't athletes, anyone can drive fast and turn left!" Why do we as fans constantly have to defend our favorite pastime?
Look up the definition of the word sport on dictionary.com and this is what you will find:
Sport, an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.
Bowling....really? I find it hard to call something a sport that I get better at after a couple of pitchers of beer.
Seriously, who are we to judge what is and isn't considered sport or what makes a true athlete?
We all love to coach from the sideline or in NASCAR's case, backseat drive. We love to think that we could do better than "so and so," but the hard truth is, few of us in this world are truly gifted enough to prove it. Even 43rd place is better than most of us could ever hope to do.
The NFL season is 17 weeks long, basketball and baseball each 6 months in length. The NASCAR season is a grueling 10 months out of the year with very little downtime. Drivers and their crews are constantly on the go. Cup drivers often moonlight in the Nationwide, Truck and/or Dirt Track series, allowing little else but to eat, sleep and drive.
Sports psychologist Dr. Jack Stark, wrote: "Football, you go hard for 15 seconds, rest 30 or 40." "Basketball, you have timeouts. You can't stop a race and get out of your car. You've been going hard for four hours and you have to have a tremendous amount of mental toughness and a tremendous amount of drive and desire to win."
While the income gives me the desire to win, I simply couldn't cut it as a NASCAR driver. Heck, my mind wanders during my 15 minute commute to work. The skill needed to rank in the top 43 is as awe inspiring as it is profitable. Aric Almirola, who as of this print was in 43rd place has earned a total of $1,033,560. In my opinion he is worth every penny!
Nice work if you can get it, but you've got to have fortitude to do so.
I fancy myself to be a bit of a daredevil, I've been to the Richard Petty Driving Experience. In no means does that make me an expert, but what I do know is that it took my brain a full 3 laps to catch up to my body that was traveling at 160 MPH. It was the same feeling that I experienced skydiving for the first time.
NASCAR is the free-fall.
Forget that a driver must maneuver a 3,600 pound car, straining to steer the wheel around curves, debris and other drivers.
Never mind the G-forces that result from the banking turns at 180-200mph causing intense pressure on the driver's torsos.
Disregard the lack of oxygen in the cockpit mixed with carbon monoxide fumes which can cause confusion and disorientation for the driver during the race.
NASCAR is the free-fall. One that lasts for 500 miles instead of a mere 9500 feet with no safety chute to soften the blow. Even the slightest mistake could prove fatal in this sport. A driver must always be aware of his car and it's surroundings. The sheer discipline and mental strength are untouchable.
To get a driver to the finish line in one piece requires absolute perfection on the crew's part. A stock car is a monster of metal and fuel, we've all seen what can happen when things go wrong.
Think of it in terms of kinetic energy.
Kinetic energy (Ek), is a measure of how much work—or damage—an object can do in motion. The more massive an object and the faster it’s moving, the more kinetic energy it has. (Ek equals one-half mass times velocity squared, to be precise.) For example, a 3600-pound stock car running at 180 mph has a kinetic energy of 3.9 million ft.-lb. If you were to catapult a 150-pound man into the air with the same energy, he would travel 5 miles.
Pretty heavy stuff!
Tell me again why NASCAR drivers aren't considered true athletes?!
BlackSmoke
Senior Member
And one more....
NASCAR Drivers Are Athletes
MARCH 13, 2008
If you hang out with sports fans long enough and you disclose that you follow NASCAR, this issue is sure to come up. I’m a relative neophyte to what Jim Rome referred to as the “Left Turn League,” but in the short time I’ve been around the sport on more than a casual level, I can tell you this discussion gets spirited in a huge hurry.
See if you haven’t heard this before.“All they do is drive around in circles for four hours.” “All the drivers do is turn their steering wheels and push their feet to the floor. Anybody can do that.” “NASCAR stand for Non-Athletic driverS Circling Around Rednecks.” The list doesn’t end there, but the point they make is that the likes of Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady and just about anyone else you can think of will be held up as examples of those being more athletic than your average NASCAR racer.
THEY’RE WRONG- AND I KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.
To establish credibility,let me quickly give you my background. I’ve been a player of sports, a fan, a coach, and a commentator for 30 years. My current job as a radio sports guy requires me to be conversant on all of them. I’ve become quite familiar with the skills necessary to make a jump shot, hit a baseball, successfully complete a forward pass and yes, successfully take the checkered flag in a race.
With that out of the way, let’s consider the skills need to compete as a NASCAR driver. First you need good vision. Imagine driving 180 miles an hour, about 3 times faster than you will on the freeway on a typical day. Now, imagine 42 other guys are doing the same thing in a confined space.
Then, you need cat-quick reflexes. When you’re driving at break neck speeds, things come at you fast. Thankfully, besides the great vision, you have a crew chief and spotters to help guide you around the track. Nonetheless, if a driver 6 car lengths ahead of you wrecks, you will need to respond, very quickly to something you may not yet see yet. That’s where the advice to drive to the spot of the wreck comes in handy. You figure any collision in front of you at great speed and impact will result in scattering cars and debris. A flick of the steering wheel in the wrong direction and you may just find yourself collected into the collision.
Third- you must be conditioned for endurance. Let me paint a picture for you. The average race is 500 miles. That distance spans a trip from my home near Medford, Oregon to San Francisco. Now- do that with 40+ other guys driving at excessive speeds. Stressful- isn’t it? Not only that, there’s extreme heat inside your car….in excess of 100 degrees. You have no air conditioning. On top of that, you’re in a fire suit. Not real comfortable is it?
On top of that, there’s no rest stops, and no time to eat. If you’re lucky, you’ll get enough fluid to get you through the race. Not too much, though. Yeah, you need to time you’re eating just right so you don’t pee your pants during the race. OR worse.
Believe it or not, some strength is needed too. From time to time, a driver’s power steering will go out. You ever drove a car with manual steering? You’ll get a workout.
I haven’t even delved into the athleticism needed to be a member of the pit crew. Many are former college athletes. Think about the agility needed to get over the wall, the strength to carry tires, the quickness to get the tires on, pump the jack and the speed to perform the other tasks. And you say this isn’t a sport?
Many current NASCAR have excelled at other sports. Dale Jarrett has enough golf skills to be a PGA golfer. Kyle Petty was recruited to play college football and baseball. Elliott Sadler was headed for a college basketball career at James Madison before a knee injury changed that. Michael Waltrip has run marathons. Have you ever seen Mark Martin lift weights? Pretty buff for a guy 5-6. Carl Edwards is ripped and displays his athletic ability by doing a celebratory back flip when he wins.
Yes- things have changed since the days of Junior Johnson. Heck- even Bobby Allison had a training ritual. He’d hone his endurance by driving around rural Alabama with the windows up and the heat running full blast in the summertime.
Another illustration of challenging driving a “stock” car is comes from the ABC series last summer, “Fast Cars and Superstars.” Greats from other sports, namely John Elway, John Salley, Bill Cowher, and Serena Williams- among others- tried their hand at making their way around Lowe’s Motor Speedway in a number of challenges. Elway and rodeo champ Ty Murray got the hang of it, Salley and Williams looked thoroughly lost.
All of that to say, it takes athleticism to compete in NASCAR. I won’t deny that the machinery is a part of it in a way no other sport is, but like golf, I think it takes a different TYPE of skill from a stick and ball sport.
Can we agree on that? Heck, even Jim Rome has come over to our point of view
NASCAR Drivers Are Athletes
MARCH 13, 2008
If you hang out with sports fans long enough and you disclose that you follow NASCAR, this issue is sure to come up. I’m a relative neophyte to what Jim Rome referred to as the “Left Turn League,” but in the short time I’ve been around the sport on more than a casual level, I can tell you this discussion gets spirited in a huge hurry.
See if you haven’t heard this before.“All they do is drive around in circles for four hours.” “All the drivers do is turn their steering wheels and push their feet to the floor. Anybody can do that.” “NASCAR stand for Non-Athletic driverS Circling Around Rednecks.” The list doesn’t end there, but the point they make is that the likes of Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady and just about anyone else you can think of will be held up as examples of those being more athletic than your average NASCAR racer.
THEY’RE WRONG- AND I KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.
To establish credibility,let me quickly give you my background. I’ve been a player of sports, a fan, a coach, and a commentator for 30 years. My current job as a radio sports guy requires me to be conversant on all of them. I’ve become quite familiar with the skills necessary to make a jump shot, hit a baseball, successfully complete a forward pass and yes, successfully take the checkered flag in a race.
With that out of the way, let’s consider the skills need to compete as a NASCAR driver. First you need good vision. Imagine driving 180 miles an hour, about 3 times faster than you will on the freeway on a typical day. Now, imagine 42 other guys are doing the same thing in a confined space.
Then, you need cat-quick reflexes. When you’re driving at break neck speeds, things come at you fast. Thankfully, besides the great vision, you have a crew chief and spotters to help guide you around the track. Nonetheless, if a driver 6 car lengths ahead of you wrecks, you will need to respond, very quickly to something you may not yet see yet. That’s where the advice to drive to the spot of the wreck comes in handy. You figure any collision in front of you at great speed and impact will result in scattering cars and debris. A flick of the steering wheel in the wrong direction and you may just find yourself collected into the collision.
Third- you must be conditioned for endurance. Let me paint a picture for you. The average race is 500 miles. That distance spans a trip from my home near Medford, Oregon to San Francisco. Now- do that with 40+ other guys driving at excessive speeds. Stressful- isn’t it? Not only that, there’s extreme heat inside your car….in excess of 100 degrees. You have no air conditioning. On top of that, you’re in a fire suit. Not real comfortable is it?
On top of that, there’s no rest stops, and no time to eat. If you’re lucky, you’ll get enough fluid to get you through the race. Not too much, though. Yeah, you need to time you’re eating just right so you don’t pee your pants during the race. OR worse.
Believe it or not, some strength is needed too. From time to time, a driver’s power steering will go out. You ever drove a car with manual steering? You’ll get a workout.
I haven’t even delved into the athleticism needed to be a member of the pit crew. Many are former college athletes. Think about the agility needed to get over the wall, the strength to carry tires, the quickness to get the tires on, pump the jack and the speed to perform the other tasks. And you say this isn’t a sport?
Many current NASCAR have excelled at other sports. Dale Jarrett has enough golf skills to be a PGA golfer. Kyle Petty was recruited to play college football and baseball. Elliott Sadler was headed for a college basketball career at James Madison before a knee injury changed that. Michael Waltrip has run marathons. Have you ever seen Mark Martin lift weights? Pretty buff for a guy 5-6. Carl Edwards is ripped and displays his athletic ability by doing a celebratory back flip when he wins.
Yes- things have changed since the days of Junior Johnson. Heck- even Bobby Allison had a training ritual. He’d hone his endurance by driving around rural Alabama with the windows up and the heat running full blast in the summertime.
Another illustration of challenging driving a “stock” car is comes from the ABC series last summer, “Fast Cars and Superstars.” Greats from other sports, namely John Elway, John Salley, Bill Cowher, and Serena Williams- among others- tried their hand at making their way around Lowe’s Motor Speedway in a number of challenges. Elway and rodeo champ Ty Murray got the hang of it, Salley and Williams looked thoroughly lost.
All of that to say, it takes athleticism to compete in NASCAR. I won’t deny that the machinery is a part of it in a way no other sport is, but like golf, I think it takes a different TYPE of skill from a stick and ball sport.
Can we agree on that? Heck, even Jim Rome has come over to our point of view
DBM78
Senior Member
Nobody can give you a defense cause their isn't one. Na$car is not a sport never has been never will be. The only athletes at nascar races are the tire changers and jackmen on pit road. There isn't any sitting in the racecars that's just my opinion nobody is changing my mind.
DBM78
Senior Member
Let's see you say great vision and cat like reflexes all while sitting in a car.
Now I have done the Richard Petty Rookie driving experience at AMS. It was 8 laps and pretty much a waste of money ($280.00) cause you have a pace car in front of you. I had the second fastest lap of the day at 147mph avg speed. And to be completely honest with you I was on the gas maybe half the time around the track. The only reason I was able to go that fast was everybody that went in front of me said to go fast you have to have the instructor in front of you keep waving you off to mean you are to close. So thats what I did I made him keep waving me off all around the track. Its all relative driving that fast the tracks are so big the cars shake pretty bad you don't feel your going that fast. I'm series I felt like I was going 80 mph on the interstate. I did feel the speed in the corners getting pushed against the right side of the seat but nothing extreme. Do I feel like I can race in Nascar No. In your article it said something about no AC wrong every driver has a cool box that blows clean air into there helmet. It also said something about the drivers firesuit they are not all that hot each driver has there firesuit taylored to them as far as seams and lengths go they are the best money can buy they are not out there in a fireman suit.
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Everything you just said further proves the point that nascar drivers are not athletes.
First, you mention that drivers are lucky to have a crew chief to help them make their way around trouble. Atheletes do not rely on the reflexes of others to help them.
Second, while they do require some amount of endurance, it is nothing compared to the endurance demanded by football, sprinting, baseball, etc. Not only are the participants of these sports exposed to intense heat, but they are stressing their bodies physically in these conditions by running, jumping, etc. They are not sitting in a seat the entire time like a nascar driver.
Third, you speak of rest stops. That really has nothing to do with being an athlete, but I would certainly not worry about peeing myself (or worse) in hopes of earning such a fat paycheck. So I would be willing to bet that there aren't many firesuits that are worn more than once, if you know what I mean.
Next, you mention that many nascar drivers excelled at other activities such as golf, football, baseball, etc. They chose to race in nascar because it is obvious that it takes far less physical ability to drive a car.
