CUP: Drivers Not Athletes? Guess Again

Sprint Cup

CUP: Drivers Not Athletes? Guess Again

The age old question, are NASCAR Drivers athletes, has been answered...

Mike Harris | http://www.RacinToday.com | Posted December 23, 2009 Charlotte, NC

Carl Edwards proves that he is an athlete every time he wins a NASCAR race. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

When Jimmie Johnson was named AP’s Male Athlete of the Year for 2009 earlier this week, I felt a real shot of pride.

Finally, after all these years, the sport that I chose to follow got some serious attention as an athletic endeavor.

Then, listening to a local sports talk show, I heard Joe from Apex say, “I got nothin’ against Jimmie Johnson, but what kind of an athlete is it that just goes out there and turns left a bunch of times? That ain’t no athlete!’’

OK, it’s the age-old argument: Are race drivers athletes?

I went to dictionary.com on the web for a definition and here’s what I found.

“ATHLETE, pronounced ath-leet.

“A person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.’’

To my mind, that leaves absolutely no doubt that drivers are athletes.

Is there any doubt that it takes training, stamina and a certain amount of physical strength to drive a race car?

Let’s just take NASCAR.

Start with the fact that everyone agrees with – race car drivers must have great hand-eye coordination.

But that’s only the starting point.

Think about it. Drivers must spend up to four hours in a cramped cockpit, tightly buckled down with head restraints and padding all around, heat from the engines raising temperatures to around 130 degrees in that enclosed space.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Harris

RacinToday.com

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