Seems as though a Football Jock got his feathers ruffled when Pretty Boy Jimmie Johnson was included as an athlete.
True he is kinda small when compared to Smoke o even cusin Carl but you got to say he aint no woosie either. Go back a few years and tell him to drive one of those that didnt have the power assists of today.
So are todays drivers truly athletes or is this football wanna be correct.
Tall argument here , John. I believe that race drivers are every bit as much athletes as any ball player, & more so then some. I think , if you look closely @ drivers, you’ll notice they, over years, develop their upper bodies & especially their forearms & hands. I don’t know that there is an ball player who would want to tangle with Caleb , Lil’Joe, etc, etc in any environment, with pads or not. I know this is an apples & oranges comparison. Ball players wouldn’t last 5 minutes in a stock car. Drivers have incredible endurance. I know drivers often suffer very serious injuries but continue racing , no “DL” list here ,(with a few notable exceptions) & have to perform every race , not just show up. I know many drivers suffer more concussions than most other athletes except NFL players, & sometimes suffer career ending injuries they never recover from. DW , for example has has a “hitch in his git -a- long” since his Daytona crash in the Tide car. Denny Hamlin responded to his knee surgery by going on a strong winning streak while recovering. I see very few ball players who even think like racers do. How many of them would take to the field or court if there was a chance they would die from doing their jobs, or wind up hospitalized for years from injuries? Racers are as much athletes as are stick & ball boys. They just have different talents & their desire comes from their soul. I think racers have way more heart. After all, they need it. Are you listening Dale?
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Johnny, certainly race drivers and crew are athletes, but I think there has to be much more mental toughness racing than the stick and ball sports. Drivers have to tolerate high heat in uniforms and stay focused to make split second decisions that could effect someone else’s life for 400 plus miles at over 180mph. I really think Race drivers go beyond stick and ball athletes…they get time outs, halftimes, bench time plus don’t have to put up with Carbon Monoxide. As far as strength, Ed Howe (Michigan driver and car builder) could unload a Chevrolet engine block casting from the back of his truck by himself (had arms the size of oak trees!).
They have upper body strength, mental toughness and focus. I think they qualify as athletes!
Well considering the comforts of a stock car are not like your own car. There is no AC. They drive 500 miles in a car very fast. In some cases they are exposed to large amounts of G Forces. Imagine racing around Bristol and having to withstand the 36 degrees of banking on your own body for 500 miles for 3 or 4 hours. I rode around Sebring once in a race car and it was only a couple laps but I could feel it in my whole body the intense g forces. Also imagine the repetitive shifting you must do on a road course. I have heard stories that it can wear your hand out without proper gloves. Least today they have power steering. But in the old days, I cannot imagine driving the old cars without power steering. One thing I noticed was how big the steering wheels were and the amount of electrical tape on the steering wheels of some of the cars at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I can imagine a big guy like AJ Foyt, Junior Johnson or David Pearson wrestling the steering wheel of these cars.
