Are Racecar Driver’s Athletes?

Brandon LeeNicholas Sulak

How to become a Professional Professional Athletes at any level for

a sport: Making a living off it Athletes must have:▪ Good eye sight▪ Good reflexes and coordination▪ Able to handle pressure▪ Very competitive▪ Very discipline

How to become a Professional The “steps” to becoming a

professional: Start young Train rigorously Maintain good health Do well academically Go to every opportunity to learn and

preform Remember you are in the spot light, act

accordingly

Go-Karts and Starting Young

Wikipedia.com

Go-Karts and Starting Young Age range between 3-50 years old Professional Racecar drivers still race

for fun Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Michael

Schumacher, Denny Hamlin, Lewis Hamilton

All started at this level

Go-Karts and Starting Young

Autoweek.com

How to become a driver

Start young- racing go-karts (100 mph)

Immerse yourself is the best way! Read, go see a race, anything racing

Want to go fast, need to reflexes Need to be smart so you do not die Need stamina and upper body

strength Races are 4 hours and you need to fight

the wheel You need to be healthy, you will lose

weight

How to become a driver

You got the job! Finally Now you have to learn more, the

techniques Need hands on experience

Now put it all together with some money

Winners are experts in driving and techniques

The Risks

Onursen.net

The Risks

Crashing in any car over 100 mph is dangerous

F1 cars are too-aerodynamic Causing “disintegration” upon

wrecking Imagine at 220 mph Stock Cars are designed to wreck Still life threatening

The Risks

Onursen.net

The Risks

Since Dale Earnhardt’s death in 2001, no deaths in NASCAR Sprint Cup

America-235 deaths since then in other racing types

IndyCar, dirt-track, sprint car, go-kart This excludes F1! Most deaths occur in F1 racing

The Risks

Formula-1 averages 3 deaths a year since 1953

4 deaths in 1958 season Doesn’t slow down until early 2000

What is an ATHLETE?

Definition from Merriam-Webster: A person who is trained or skilled in

exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility or stamina

NASCAR being athletic, not Donavan McNabb, ex-NFL

Quarterback Ranked Jimmie Johnson behind Tiger and

Kobe Said he does not think he is an athlete-

2013 After riding in a pace car- March 2014

said it’s a skill but he respect them By definition they are athletes

He May Have a Point

Graph showing:

USATODAY.com

McNabb’s Fault in NASCAR True, Average NASCAR drivers spend

little time preparing Champion drivers work out as hard

or harder than McNabb Didn’t consider the abuse that the

body goes through during a 4 hour race

NASCAR being athletic

Jimmie Johnson and team training together

Sponsored by Gatorade

Youtube.com

Formula 1 drivers are athletic too Jenson Button (McLaren team)

Trainer and physiotherapy- Mike Collier Jenson-Mike: 200 Days Mike helps prepare Jenson for races,

time difference Mike does cardio exercises first, then

increase body weight Once season is close they cut to season

shape

Formula 1 drivers are athletic too Jenson Button (McLaren team)

Mike does neck exercises with Jenson▪ 4-4.5g’s of force when breaking in a corner▪ Car able to stop very quickly need to be

strong to handle Jenson-Mike have done triathlons to stay

fit

This is one driver but many drivers train similarly

Formula 1 drivers are athletic too

Menshealth.co.uk

Endurance

60 pounds of force on the neck alone 4+ hours of holding that weight Arms and legs constantly working No breaks

Endurance

“Cockpit Athletes “

What it takes

Denny Hamlin Sports Science

youtube.com

What do you think?Nascar.com

Formula1.com

Works Cited athlete. N.p.: n.p., n.d. merriam-webster.com. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. Bailey, Ryan. "Train like an F1 World Champion." Menshealth.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. "Cockpit Athletes." Performance Sport and Fitness -. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014 "Denny Hamlin Sport Sciences ESPN." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Aug. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. "Driver Fitness." Formula 1®. Formula 1, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. Driver's Workout Overview. Safeisfast.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. "Formula 1." Formula 1. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. Formula 1®. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. Gatorade. Inside the Edge - Jimmie Johnson. Youtube.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. Gluck, Jeff. "Donovan McNabb says NASCAR drivers aren't athletes, fans revolt." USA Today 16

Nov. 2013: n. pag. USAtoday.com. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. "How Becoming a NASCAR Driver Works." Howstuffworks.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. "How NASCAR Works." Howstuffworks.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. "How to Become a Professional Athlete." Howstuffworks.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. "Kart Racing." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.  NASCAR. A week in the life of NASCAR : a view from within : unrestricted access to the lives of

teams, crews, and drivers. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2005. Print. "NASCAR : NASCAR Drivers, Race Standings & News | NASCAR.com."NASCAR : NASCAR Drivers,

Race Standings & News | NASCAR.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.  Spencer, Reid. "NASCAR." Sporting News 233.12 (2009): n. pag. Rpt. in Sporting News. N.p., n.d. N.

pag. Print. Study: College Athletes Are Full-time Workers - USATODAY.com." Study: College Athletes Are Full-time Workers - USATODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. "Why NASCAR Drivers Are Not Athletes." Jalopnik.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.