The Question | Questions | Are NASCAR Drivers Athletes?

20 Dec

What makes someone an athlete? Is being physically fit required for athleticism? Do you have to be physically fit and coordinated to be a NASCAR driver? What is the difference between sports and games? Here?s one answer from a young philosopher.

Christopher

THE QUESTION of the week is: ?Are NASCAR drivers athletes?? This week, our guest artist and philosopher is Christopher. Chris is a very thoughtful, kind, and considerate 10 year old, who lives in St. James, Long Island and Silver Beach , the Bronx . Although he can be very serious, Chris also has a fabulous sense of humor. He is a 5 th grader at Mills Pond Elementary School in St. James. His teacher is Mr. Thornton.

Christopher?s favorite subjects are math and social studies. He loves to play all sports, especially baseball, football, and hockey. He also likes to watch sports. In the summer, he enjoys going to Yankee Stadium with his dad to watch the Yankees play baseball. His favorite football team is the New York Giants. His favorite hockey team is the New York Rangers. And, his favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees. Chris likes watching movies too. Recent favorites include ?Remember the Titans? and ? Madagascar .?

The question Chris took on is: Are NASCAR drivers athletes? My discussion with Chris was the most in-depth interview, thus far, with THE QUESTION. We talked for over one hour, and we could have gone on for much longer. Chris defended the view that NASCAR drivers are athletes. Simply put, his argument for his conclusion is that NASCAR is clearly a professional sport. All people who play professional sports are athletes. Therefore, NASCAR drivers are athletes.

Chris skillfully defended his view from several objections. One objection I raised for him is the following objection. ?In order to qualify as an athlete, a person must demonstrate physical agility, be coordinated, and be in good physical condition. Driving a racing car requires none of these qualifications. Therefore, NASCAR Drivers do not qualify as athletes.? Chris had two responses. Chris maintained that these standards are probably too high. According to these standards, many golfers, football players, baseball players, etc. would probably not count as athletes. But, according to Chris, they obviously should count as athletes. Chris also pointed out that driving a race car for hundreds of miles does require enormous stamina, physical fitness, coordination, and a reasonable amount of agility. So, even if those standards were appropriate, NASCAR drivers could all easily pass the test. Driving a race car does not require the sort of aerobic fitness required for marathoners, but Chris pointed out that different sports require different types of physical fitness. For example, a linebacker needs to be strong and agile. He would not need to have the aerobic capacity to run a marathon. A marathoner needs the capacity to run 26.5 miles, quickly. However, she does not need to be able to stop a 500+ lb. stampede of football players. Marathoners tend to be lightweight and thin. Being lightweight and thin helps marathoners excel in their sport. Being thin and lightweight would not be much help to a linebacker. In fact, being thin and lightweight would be a great disadvantage to a linebacker. One need not be light and thin or be of linebacker strength to be an excellent race car driver, but one does need to be in ?car driving physical shape? to be a NASCAR driver. Drivers need to be able to withstand the physical challenges of dealing with extreme heat and the challenge of physically handling a race car going over one hundred miles per hour. NASCAR drivers need extremely sharp reflexes, endurance, courage, and split-second decision making skills.

Another objection Chris considered against his own view is this one: ?If NASCAR drivers are athletes, then so are all chess players. But, clearly not all chess players are athletes. Therefore, NASCAR drivers are not athletes.? Chris?s response to this attack on the athleticism of NASCAR drivers is that ?Unlike NASCAR driving, Chess does not require any kind of physical fitness, physical strength, or physical coordination (other than what is required to move a chess piece.)?

Chris also stressed his simple, original, argument, which is that people who play sports (at a certain level) are athletes. He did not say that people who play games are athletes. Since chess is a game, but not a sport, he would not be stuck with the conclusion that chess players are athletes. Chris is only stuck with the conclusion that all people who play professional sports are athletes, and he is happy to be stuck with this conclusion.

(FYI: Chris?s brother, Kyle, was chiming in throughout the interview. When we were discussing the chess objection, Kyle maintained that the World Chess Championship should count as a sporting event. It should count as a sport that requires absolutely no athleticism. With this comment, Kyle raised an interesting objection to Chris?s claim that anyone who plays a professional sport is an athlete. Of course, now we have a new philosophical question: When is a game a sport??)

Are pro golfers athletes? Both are kinda hard to answer. Who's to say what kind of conditioning being a Nascar driver requires? How many people have driven a car for 2-3hrs at speeds approaching 200mph? While they may not require the physical condition of some sports, it's hard to argue the fact that they both require alot of coordination and talent. Ever try tailing someone, within inches, at 200mph? The same goes for hitting a golf ball perfectly every time. You should try, or atleast get somekind of taste, of the sport before you make a judgement.

since when does strength of a linebacker or “heat index” stamina have anything to do with hand eye coordination?! In most professional sports they are “skilled position players” not athletes an athlete can excel at any sport not specialized to one conditioned sport… an interior lineman can move alot of weight but he cannot play point guard for an NBA team or on a school yard for that matter… but some lineman do have this type of agility and coordination… therefore making them an athlete… but not every professional “athlete” is an “ATHLETE” the term gets throne around with other catchy terms like he’s a “HERO” .. i’m sure u get my drift…. i doubt most nascar drivers can swim well, play volleyball, basketball, football, or even run fast… sorry Chris… most professional’s or people are not athletes.. just good at there position or sport… so i guess shuffle boarders and bowlers are athletes as well …. =)

How many offensive lineman can swim or play volleyball. Look at Carl Edwards. He can do more than many football players.

Ever seen a ballet? Talk about athletic, conditioning, training. Yet, dancers are considered artists. Artistic athletes might be the best way to think of them.

Dave raises an excellent point here. Or, consider some people who do acrobatics in the circus. They are athletes, but they do not play a sport. I hope we hear something back from Christopher!!

No.

As a member of a hard-working high school marching band, I sometimes wonder why marching band is not a sport. The students in the band are labled "artists" or "performers", but never athletes. Marching band, although it doesn't involve a ball of any sort, should still be considered a sport. The "performers" put in hours of time, just as athletes do, and are dedicated to the cause. They are able to withstand extreme temperatures, from freezing to boiling. They must be in relatively good condition to be able to march quickly with an instrument in hand, while still staying in step. It requires both physical and mental stamina, just as any athlete's job does. Also, the competition between bands is often very fierce, as with athletes and their competitors. Marchers are athletes in many was, just as football players and marathon runners are athletes.

Drums Corps International (DCI) did a study a few years back where they put monitors on a low brass player from an elite drum corps prior to a practice so they could monitor heart rate, respiration, etc. Their findings?! The musician was exerting more energy than a football player. In my book, that makes at least opens the door for discussion.

They (DCI) also put the monitor on a tennor player and while he was standing off the field getting hooked up his heart rate jumped to over 200bpm just becasue of the music. He knew what he would be doing in the part of the music and even tho he wasn't doing it, his body was acting like it was.

do you by any chance know where i can find the article on the DCI study

I would say they are, because like other sports, to become a Nascar driver you have to be the best drivers in the world. Look at football, a ton of people can play it, but very few can play it well. Nascar is much the same, I know of a lot of people who wreck going slower then 90, they wouldn't stand a chance at around 200. In reality being a great driver is almost something you have to be born with, there are many people who could have years and years of experience but are still horrible drivers. Therefore, driving is a tallent in that a lot of people can do it, but few do it well. Nascar uses this tallent and takes the most tallented people of this skill and places then on a track for thousands in their audience. I fail to see the difference in a football player. They are the most tallented of their skill, and a ton of people pay to watch them as well. So the conclusion I came to was that they are both athletes, and if you differ, I challenge you to find a distinguishable difference in that of a professional football player.

I accept your challenge, Scott! :) While I'm still not personally settled on the answer to the question of whether NASCAR drivers are athletes or not, I think there is an easy distinction between the qualifications you mentioned for an NFL player and a NASCAR driver. Basically, in your argument, there are 2 qualifications: be one of the best and have people pay to watch you. So, is Denzel Washington an athlete? Is Bono? They are both incredible at what they do and people pay to watch them, but I submit that this does not equate them with being an athlete. NASCAR drivers may be athlete... and they may not... but merely being good and having someone pay to watch you doesn't mean you're an athlete.

Kenneth/Christopher, Are we assuming that Christopher's premise is a given? He said that "NASCAR is clearly a professional sport. All people who play professional sports are athletes. Therefore, NASCAR drivers are athletes." Sounds good... but let's not breeze past that first statement. IS NASCAR "clearly" a professional sport? What defines a sport? WHO defines a sport? Furthermore, I would think that if an activity/sport/game were "clearly" a sport, there wouldn't be so much debate over the reception of it as such. Is it a sport? Maybe. But, I wouldn't say it "clearly" is. Second, there needs to be a distinction between "athlete" and "athletic." Are some chess players athletic? Sure. Are they all athletes? If we say that chess isn't a sport, then I would say no. I guess my point is this: I don't think NASCAR is CLEARLY a sport - there is much debate. So, if it isn't clearly a sport, then citing the amount of stamina and coordination that it takes for someone to drive a car 200 mph does nothing to help the argument. It takes incredible stamina and coordination for actors and musicians to do what they do, but we don't call them athletes. Third, and this is still kinda developing in my mind... might be absurd... But, when we label a something a sport, we are saying that when someone is engaging in those specific actions, they are playing a sport. For example, in football, 2 groups of players line up on a field with a football and then try to score touchdowns while the opposition attempts to tackle them to the ground. Anytime, this action is taking place, we would say that these people are participating in a sport... even if we switch the football out for a ball of tape in an impoverished area of the world, these participants are still playing a sport, aren't they? What about when someone is operating a piece of machinery at a very high speed; making quick decisions, enduring extreme heat or cold, attempting to out-maneuver the opposition across from, showing incredible physical fortitude and stamina? Are they playing a sport? If so, then are Air Force pilots athletes? Is war a sport? There may be a ton of holes in those last two paragraphs, but I'd thought I'd throw them out there...

By definition an athlete is one who is trained to compete in sports. This then begats the question of whether auto racing, (in any form - not just NASCAR) is a sport. By definition a sport is an individual or group activity pursued for exercise or pleasure, often taking a competitive form; any pastime indulged in for pleasure. Therefore auto racing is a sport, and the drivers who pilot these cars are athletes.

Yes. The physical demands of auto racing are far greater than many realize. In NASCAR's circumstance, take a technologically primative automobile (no power steering, power brakes or any other driver aids), and add tremendous heat, noise, g-force and vibration necessary to drive that car at 185+mph. Now, tense your entire body to hold that car EXACTLY where you want it on the track, while at the same time, maintaining a cat-like state of readiness to pass a fellow competitor(or to avoid hitting them). Keep doing ALL these things simultaneously for 3+ hours. Sounds pretty athletic to me. (and I don't even like NASCAR)

No way. Sure, racing requires talent, skill, practice, a keen eye, coordination and a fine-tuned hand, but so does painting a picture. Throw in quick reaction time, and now we could be talking about playing video games. If a person were to "drive" in a racecar simulator, one which replicated the interior conditions of a car during a race, would he be considered an athlete? Probably not, even though the simulator would be just as physically demanding. So the difference must come from the environment outside the racecar-namely the danger. If danger determines athleticism, then by this logic hard drug users, alcoholics, russian-roulette players and those who attempt suicide are our greatest athletes. NASCAR drivers are not athletes, and NASCAR racing is not a sport.

Hockey players use simulators to train as well. Does that make them lesser athletes? Or how about people using stairmasters, tredmills, and the like - are they lesser athletes? These simulators are physically demanding, heck you can even injure yourself on one. You can't compare a simulator to the real thing. Apples and oranges.

I think there is a huge point being missed here. Athletes are competitors in sports that perform based on there natural ability. NASCAR drivers are not athletes because a lot of the race depends on how good the car is and how it is configured. If there are athlets in NASCAR it would be the cars. The same for horse racing. The jockey is not the athlete the horse is. ESPN listed Secretariat as #35 of the top 100 athetes. If jockeys are not athletes because they control a horse then NASCAR drivers are not atheletes because they control a car. They are not actually running the race. I recognize the fact that it is not easy to drive one of those cars at that speed, but they are competing with the assistance of a machine that is altered by each racing team. The drivers of cars are the same as drivers of horses. Skilled at what they do, but not atheles.

A horse has a mind of its own, a car doesn't. A good driver can win with a poor car, and a bad driver can't win in a good car. You say, "Athletes are competitors in sports that perform based on there natural ability", so you don't need ability to drive a car at 200 mph surrounded by other cars just inches away from you also doing 200 mph? Heh.

I do not doubt the skills of drivers. I am saying that it is there natural ability that has nothing to do with machines. Good drivers can do well with poor cars, but it does not happen much where a good driver will win with bad cars. Also, when watching NASCAR they always say how well there car was driving. The race can end for a driver if a malfunction where to occur. Again, I do not doubt the fact that they are VERY skilled, but since it has so much to do with the machine they are not athletes. As far as horses are concerned you could make the same point that races can be won when they are not on there best day. Most of the time thought it has a lot to do with how the horse runs the race. In both cases having a good driver will not will you the race. It depends a lot on the horse or car that is competing.

What about hockey? The players all have specially designed sticks to make them shoot harder, specially designed skates to make them skate better and so on. Baseball palyers too – cleats, bats, etc. Cycling has expensive light wieght bikes,

The point is any sport has tecnology in it and if you fail to recognize that then you are making inferences and judgements based on fiction rather than reality.

Absolutely not! Sitting in a car and riding around a circle does not make you an athlete. They put forth about as much effort as I do when I'm watching sportscenter and eating dinner. (I probably put forth a little more effort because I get up to wash the dishes!)

This guy makes a really good point about NASCAR drivers as athletes; "They (NASCAR drivers) are athletes pure and simple. These drivers drive under the most adverse conditions possible, they endure continuous external forces throwing their heads in various directions at more than 2G?s, in temperatures that can exceed over 100 degrees with no breaks between plays to cool off, and must continuously concentrate on what they are doing for hours at a time with consequences more severe than just dropping the ball if they break their concentration even for a moment. These drivers can loose more than 10 pounds in a single race, I don?t see any golf players doing that let me tell you. How about football players? Sure there is the physical component, but lets face it, how much playing time is there really? Let?s say an offence gets at least 15 plays in a quarter and each play lasts on average about 7 seconds. That makes 1 minute and 5 seconds of actual physical activity and mental focus for each quarter and a total of 4 minutes and 20 seconds per game. Even if you double the amount of plays that is still under 10 minutes of actual game time spent playing the game. I?d like to see how long one of those players can last driving a car at Bristol with its high speeds and G?s with a broken power steering pump for 5 hours and with a faster car behind them trying to pass. Not many I would guess." Quote taken from NASCAR Ranting and Raving Blog (May 18th 2006) located at www.4ever3canadianeh.blogspot.com

so i assume by your previous statements that dog sled racers are athletes.. those conditions are alot more extreme then inside a nascar… Even Lance Armstrong said himself he is not an athlete, since he cannot excel at most “coordination” sports, ie. football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, golf…. but im most of these arguements of “extreme surroundings” than porn stars and hitchikers are athletes as well… oh and people that work in a steel mill…. conditions are extreme and work shift for 14 hrs straight.

Those who put up comments like Corbin's has obviously never been in any type of auto race before. There is a lot to it. I have played both high school football, and race at local dirt tracks. Both require training, preperation, intense concentration.... But would you say "well you get hit in football, your just sitting in a car"... sitting huh? Pulling 1-2lateral g's on a 1/4mile track; have you ever glanced off a concrete wall at 80MPH in a car with a steel cage that doesn't give? I can tell you that while racing I have experienced harder hits, more adrinaline, pratically as much heat(in a car with no windshield), and have had a lot more fun. To anyone that thinks any form of motorsport is not a sport, I suggest finding a local track and talking to someone to let you strap in for a ride. I guarentee you that afterwards you will have a whole different opinion.

I am SO sick of those who justify NASCAR not being a sport by saying things like, "All they do is run around in circles turning left." That is NOT a justification! By the same account then, baseball players are not athletes because all they do is run around a diamond counterclockwise, football players are not athletes because all they do is run up and down a field, basketball players are not athletes because all they do is run around a court, and hockey players are not athletes because all they do is run up and down ice. People who use the "they just run around in circles" argument are no more intelligent than the "brainless hicks" those people think NASCAR fans to be. Personally, I think Bob said it all. Thank you, Bob.

to the comment by MP your arguments said "running around" in them alot. race car drivers DONT RUN AROUND!! so that is why they arent athletes. basketball, football, and baseball players RUN around, not DRIVE around. the car does all the work. racecar drivers dont burn calories by exceeding any energy. NOT ATHLETES! TO the comment by dirt racer.... i never said racing cars isnt fun. it might be the most fun thing in the world, BUT that doesnt make them athletes. you might experience adrenaline, thrills, chills, etc. but that does not make you an athlete. some people experience adrenaline pulling into a McDonalds drive through! and your other argument because it "gets real hot in the car and your close to the windshield" well if i go sit in a hot tub or sauna does that mean im an athlete??? cmon guys people sitting down in a seat while the machine does all the work ARE NOT ATHLETES!!!

I encourage anyone who does not believe race car drivers to be atheletes to consider a "Ride-A-Long" with any of the racing schools located around the country. The 120+degree heat coupled with the 2+ g's the cars pull going through turns and accelerating place a tremendous amount of strain on the body. Despire the strain, drivers have to maintain their focus and cat-like reflexes to manauver a car going 200+ mph. A "Ride-A-Long" will give you a brief glimpse of what it's like. Click here for more on the history of NASCAR.

JON IS RIGHT I’LL INCOURAGE ANY ONE OF YOU WHO THINK DRIVERS ARE NOT ATHELETES TO TAKE JUSTA COUPLE PASSES WITH ME. IM A PROFESSIONAL DRAG RACER AND ANY ONE WHO THINKS THAT OUR TRADE IS NOT A SPORT ILL LET YOU GET IN MY CAR AND TAKE A QUARTER MILE PASS WITH ME IN 8.56 SECONDS. THE G-FORCES AND THE TEMPURATURES ARE EXTREME AND THE DANGER IS INTENSE. DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT FEESLS LIKE TO SMACK INTO A WALL AT THOSE SPEEDS THEN FLIP FIVE TIMES, THEN WALK OUT. TELL ME IF THATS NOT ATHLETIC THEN CAN YOU SURVIVE?

so people that get into car accidents and survive are athletes? or athletic???

If you’re a diehard fan, you always take offense to this kind of question. Last week in Bristol, the drivers underwent 3.6g’s in each turn. Considering they are in the turn for 2/3 the lap, their bodies are withstanding 3.6 times their bodyweight for over 125miles. What’s not atheletic about that?

Check out stats for NASCAR drivers, NASCAR owners, & NASCAR tracks

Some people may question the hand-eye coordination required by Nascar drivers as is standard and essential by, say, baseball players. A hitter must catch up to and make simutaneous contact with a diminutively shaped round object made to look even smaller by virtue of its airborne velocity approaching one hundred miles per hour.
In addition, they are in view of thousands of screaming fans while the Nascar driver is relative obscured from sight in the sanctuary that is his race car.
Nascar drivers surely surpass the velocity of a pitched ball(amid the lements of weather to boot). However they merely have to maintain control of a built to race vehicle around an oval track albeit with larger obstacles to contend with e.g. competing cars and the wall. Anyone who driven on the freeway knows how innate the ability to manuver their car becomes. These professional Nascar drivers don’t have the variety of roads to navigateas we citizens do. Therefore, the oval track would be almost routine after several years of practice (as is with any endeavor)—no unanticipated detours, sudden traffic lights, wayward pedestrians and so on.
In the final analysis, I’d have say Nascar is indeed a spectator sport and therefore does merit the distinction of being a popular and genuine competitive sport.

First off,nascar is a sport.A MOTOR sport.Just like boat racing,off road racing,dirt bikes,ect. 2nd they ARE NOT athlets. One does not nees too be athletic(Tony Stewart)too be a good racer. Darts is a sport. Bowling is a sport. Frisbee is a sport. Golf is a sport…but you do not need too be in shape too play them. Excelent hand/eye skills are needed too race. You can have a gut or six pack and have those skills. Let’s not forget how beer and tobacco once ran racing. Not too healthy. You can smoke tobacco and race…not too athletic. Now the pit crew….THERE ARE YOUR ATHLETES!!!!!!...THINK ABOUT IT. Nascar are using ex-collage football players(linebackers,running backs)too work in the pits. Makes sense. Let the guy eating double cheese burgers, drinking, smoking,race the car.

I know I am late, so whoever may be reading this if there is any I can relate.
First off I have to say that I race Sprint Cars on Dirt and on Asphalt. So some may think I have a bias opinion. So next I will say this, I played College Football as a quarterback as well. I also play Ice Hockey, basketball, and fish but those three for fun. This debate has been going on for a long time. I have gotten out of the car some nights and I was more wore out than after a game running the no-huddle. There is no doubt about it that it takes more then just mental shape to be a race car driver. The difference is the amount of time. During the football season, I had to be in as much shape because we practiced everyday. I have never gotten out of the car and my lungs hurt. But comparing a game vs. a race… A race was way more PHYSICALLY demanding. I played one of the most mentally challenging positions in football. In the race car the consequences are more fatal. It makes you think extra hard which causes even more phyiscal demand.
There are many arguements for other things such as dance, gymnastics, ect.. If it is labeled as a sport then they are all considered athletes. The term Athlete isn’t used to “loosely” some may just be better athletes.

Tyler Shoemaker
www.tylershoemakerracing.com

A quite amazing discussion from a ten year old! I fully agree with Tyler in this case – NASCAR drivers are definetly athletes. The physical conditioning required to drive race cars, quickly and consistently(!), is very, very high –

– the strengthening of the neck muscles to withstand the g forces
– the forearm strength (and feel) required for the actual steering
– the physical endurance capability to ensure quick, correct decisions are made in the hot, close confines of the car
– the mental agility required in extreme circumstances

Formula One drivers are superhuman in this respect and this level of athletic ability filters down to all levels of motorsport. Car preparation is may be key in the sport, but so is physical preparation.

Regards,
Gee
http://www.racedandrallied.com

I do not believe that NASCAR is a sport. Even though it is competitive and very intense, there is not a big physical aspect to the activity. Yeah, not everyone can drive a car 200 mph around a racetrack for hours and hours, but people can learn to do that over time. If I wanted to become a NASCAR driver, I believe that I could. On the other hand, I don’t believe that I could become a football or basketball player because of the physical attributes to the sports. To me, NASCAR is just an activity with a competitive side.

Most “Athletes” are in peak physical conditioner and can excel at many sports. Randy Moss for example is a great football player, he also was a great high school basketball player, and holds several state track records. If you gave him a soccer ball and some guidance he would probably be great at that also. However, if you took Jimmy Johnson out of his car and asked him to run a mile, or run a button hook with an NFL calaber defender on him he probably would not excel. Yes, NASCAR drivers experience grueling heat and prolonged setting on their bum, but other people who are not athletes go through grueling trials everyday. Look at a woman in labor, she goes through physical pain, most of the times to exhaustion, but we would not call her an athlete. I say NASCAR drivers are not athletes.

Contrary to the popular belief of many people, Nascar drivers are athletes. It takes much endurance to be able to sustain high temperatures for hours at a time. Take for example, the race held at Lowe’s Motor Speedway every spring, The Coca Cola 600. Just as it states, it’s 600 miles long and is run in less than 5 hours. To be able to endure some of the conditions Nascar drivers face (such as running 600 miles in a matter of a few hours), you have to at least be an athlete to some extent. The temperatures in the car far exceed those of the air temperature. These people are professionals at what they do (at least at the higher level). They sure didn’t get there without experience of some sort. A major quality of an athlete is they have to have skill of some kind. Nascar drivers have great endurance and excellent coordination (at least most). And in comparison to other sports, there are 43 drivers/teams competing against one another at any given point rather than the usual 2.

I think that nascar drivers are athletes. Why, because you cant just all of a sudden be like im going to drive a car around a track for 4hours at 200 miles per hour. You have to work at it as any other athlete. You have to know all the safety percautions and issues about the car. I know that I could not handle being in a car for that long.

not all nascars drivers are athletes. not all football players are athletes. not all of any group you care to mention are athletes. athletes do well in many different physically demanding activities. you can steer a car cool can you also catch a foot ball? you can withstand lots of G’s and heat cool can you wrestle? ect. athletes don’t just excel at one thing with practice. they can excel at nearly anything with practice.

To decide if NASCAR drivers are athletes you have to define what makes someone an athlete. Throughout history athletes had competed in the highly physical events for the entertainment of others or to prove who was the best. I think someone who is an athlete has to have physical abilities that relate to competition that distinguish them from the rest of the population.

NASCAR drivers have no physical abilities greater than any regular person, except for maybe some stamina or tolerance of heat. If someone wants to become a NASCAR driver they must gain knowledge about cars and racing and learn to drive the car and practice a lot. This differs from athletes that have a physical advantage over other regular people. Take for example an individual who runs a 4:00 mile, yes this takes lots of pratice and training like being a NASCAR driver, but no matter how much you train or practice if you don’t have the genetics for it there is no way to even get close.

There is only so far training and practice can get you, and to be a good NASCAR driver that is what you have to do is practice and train and learn about the sport. This is unlike other sports where you either have it or you don’t. Physical parameters such as height, weight or composition of muscle fibers do not play a roll in being a good NASCAR driver.

I love statements like yours. Easier said than done though.

I do believe NASCAR drivers are absolutely athletes. The physical strain on NASCAR drivers is fairly serious, and the physical consequences of a wrong decision can be life altering. My definition for a sport is the following: If you require any knowledge or insights about your opponents. So in NASCAR because you are required to know your competition I believe it’s a sport.

I do not, in any way, shape, or form, think NASCAR driving is athletic at all. By definition, an athlete is, ” a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.” Already you can see that a driver is not an athlete. It requires PHYSICAL strength, agility, or stamina, neither of which are required to drive a car, regardless of how fast you’re driving. Driving is not a game, an exercise, or a sport.

a NASCAR driver is an athlete because it requires strength (try turning the wheel on your car in a hair pin u turn at 60-70 miles an hour 1000 times in a row like at martinsville) quick dicision making with life altering or deadly cociquinces, and stratagy (pit strategy, drafting stratagy, position stratag, and racing line stratagy).

Are NASCAR drivers athletes? As with most other competitive drivers (NASCAR isn’t the ONLY way to race, y’know), these folks ARE athletes.

As indicated above, the act of driving a vehicle consistently as speeds approaching (used to be well in excess of) 200 mph for hours at a time, and rehearsing/practicing for that, requires physical stamina, sharp reflexes, and excellent hand-eye coordination. It requires frequently repeating tasks that one learns and masters by drills. It requires adapting to the state of the playing field, as it were, and the actions, tactics and strategies of one’s teammates and opponents. Racing is a sport, and racers (legitimate ones, not the Fast & Furious kids) are athletes.