Imagine yourself going into the turn at Talledega 3 wide at 190 miles per hour with another car a couple of inches in front of you, another a couple of inches behind you and cars inches from you on either side of you. Its 150 degrees inside the car so you are sweating up a storm. You know that its not a question of whether a multi car crash will send you spinning and flipping end over end. Its a question of when it will happen. NASCAR drivers have to have incredibly fast reflexes and great stamina. A 5 hour race is nothing at all like a leisurely stroll around a golf course. I would have chosen Derek Jeter or Tom Brady as Athlete of the Decade but JJ is a good choice as worthy as any. He is the only one to accomplish his sport's ultimate goal in 4 consecutive years
i'm not saying you don't have to have a strong upper body to steer that machine going so fast, but Tony Stewart isn't exactly athletic. Mark Martin is an old fogey, i am not trying to take anything away from what they do, but they don't really have to be athletic, just strong to steer, and have reflexes.
Dunno dude. I just drove from Houston to New Orleans (37? miles) and I am road kill. I had a 9 year old in the back to boot. That is busch league passing paw paw on the 10. 200 mph at 3 g's every 10 seconds for over 3.5 hours might just have something to say bout being fit. I saw an interview with Mark Martin about his workout regiment and the dude, at 50 if pretty damn buff. I think he could take big wee out in under 2 coolers. Just sayin. JJ being athlete of the year speaks more about a team accomplishment rather than an individual. JJ in a POS finishing mid pack with Jr does not garner the same accomplishment. The rest of the athletic world just got informed that this award amounts to about as much as the heisman.
I hate nascar but....... I will say this, Racing probably takes a greater toll on your body than golf. and possibly baseball too. Maybe not the open wheel cars but for sure the heavy Stock cars ( nascar ) they dont have AC, power steering or power brakes. Before the advent of the cool suits drivers would regularly lose 5-10 lbs in one 500 mile race, from dehydration during the hot months. they dont run with a window down due to aerodynamics. the cars weigh over 3K and its not easy pulling those G's trying to corner the thing. yes everyone has reflexes but reflexes can be measured, if anyone here has really fast reflexes you might want to use that ability. Pretty sure those guys are a cut above the norm. I know they are in drag racing, we use a pratice tree to develop faster reflexes. And some people's are just naturally faster than others. Most women as a group have faster reflexs than men, which is one reason they do so well in drag cars. I will say that hardly ANY driver likes to be called an "athlete". In the racing world the physical side of racing is just a given, the highest honor you can give a driver, is driver of the year. It is kind of like an MVP award in the super bowl would be more coveted by a football player than athlete of the year. AND before you think that drag racing is easy, get in a top fuel or top alcohol funny car and try to "negotiate" it down a 1/4 mile in 3-5 seconds at over 275-300 mph...... guess what? it's not easy, it takes tremendous Nerve and arm strength to keep the thing straight. You pull as many "G;s" as any jet aviator does. It physically exhausts you in those few seconds. Its never as easy as it appears to be on TV. Drive one of the stock cars then say they arent athletes. the old walk a mile in their shoes bit.
i dont think its easy or not strenuous but i dont consider weightlifters athletes either. i even question whether track athletes are athletes. for me, you can be fast or strong or quick or can jump long or high and not be a good athlete. its the combination of physical and mental which i think is minimal in some of these.
driving is big time mental, and somewhat physical. Just not nearly as "physical" as football or any sort of sport where you run alot. It's more upper body strength and endurance of the entire body. Alot like arm wrestling with both arms for 3 hrs agaisnt a gorrilla, would be my guess. different subject but who would say the guys on "fake" pro wrestling are not athletes? I would say they are actors for sure, but also athletes. they work out and get hurt, etc... My daughter used to think it was real when she was 5 and we got a kick out of it. About the time "stone cold" was big. I stopped watching it with her when she was about 7 and figured out it wasnt real. It's hilarious when you watch it with someone who thinks its real lol. Kind of like the whole Santa thing.
