It is a never ending discussion…sometime rather aggressively…over whether or not NASCAR drivers…or racers in general…are athletes.
Granted racers aren’t running, lifting heavy weights, swimming long distances, or flying through the air; BUT they are sitting behind the wheel of a 3,000 pound or more vehicle running anywhere from 100 to over 200 miles per hour with 30 or 40 other drivers on the same piece of asphalt for three or four hours while wearing fire retardant underclothes, fire suits, head socks, and full face helmets in a car with no air conditioning!
The response to anyone who says that a race car driver isn’t an athlete is for that person to get in their vehicle on a hot summer day, roll up all the windows, and turn on the heat for a few hours and see how it feels.
In the early days of NASCAR drivers just hopped in their cars and ran the races; these days the drivers spend as much time in the weight room, running, cycling, and working with the nutritionist as they do in their cars racing.
And don’t forget about the G-forces the drivers pull in the turns on some of the high speed tracks.
NASCAR drivers Michael Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson have run marathons.
Two time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden is preparing for the 2025 Indy 500 in late May and recently invited some people to get a taste of what it takes in today’s world of racing to fit to compete…and whether or not they are truly athletes.
Newgarden noted, “you’re taxing every part of the body, which is what happens in an IndyCar. There’s no power steering, you’re pulling high G-forces, it’s hot and your heart rate is elevated. Everything is being stressed.”
After demonstrating each piece of equipment, the dozen people that included a biotech entrepreneur, an actor, and a journalist took their turn. Newgarden’s trainer Jeff Richter put them through their paces of weight lifting, rowing and ski machines.
Richter noted, “we can’t put them in the car; but they can get to elevated heart rates, and put their body in bracing situations to simulate G-forces and heat stress. And their eyes open up.”
Three time NASCAR champion driver Joey Logano noted that the fitness challenges are different ball sports but are still real, saying, “I run a fair amount, I lift some. We don’t want to be big and bulky inside a race care But you have to be able to do something for a long time, so endurance is a huge thing.”
It is not uncommon to see drivers climb out of their cars on a particularly hot summer day and literally wilt form heat exhaustion and dehydration; especially when temperatures in the cars reach 140 degrees!
Actor Austin Nichols (“Walker” and “The Walking Dead”) was one of those who participated in Newgarden’s workout session was impressed with the workout, “it was harsh. That’s why I came, to feel that thing that racers feel.”
IndyCar fan Vienna Sparks noted that the workout, “it was pretty comparable to one of my boxing class workouts that I do. It was more like cross-fit training that I anticipated. You think driving might not have a cross-fit component, but it does make sense in the long run overall.”
Fitness coach Eric Bumpus was impressed saying, “those G-forces, I’m sure they kill on you when you’re heart rate is through the roof. I can’t fathom doing that for a long period of time. It really is sensational.”