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I don't care much for NASCAR, but I don't think you have any idea just how much athleticism it takes to wrestle that steering wheel in a 3,000+ pound car generating an additional several hundred pounds of downforce as you try to hold a very precise line at 200mph where a few inches off your line could cause an 8-car crash, fighting G-forces that would cause some people to black out, inside a car that's 135 degrees while you're wearing a flame-retardant suit for 3 hours. NASCAR drivers can lose as much as 10 pounds in a SINGLE RACE from dehydration, and yet they still have to stay alert enough to do all the stuff I just described. Try it some day and tell me these guys aren't athletes.
My opinion is not the end all do all and I've been known to be wrong on about 3 million occasions in my life. I suppose if you look at the definition of athlete (below), these guys are athletes.
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.
I'm not a big fan of Nascar...I mean, I enjoy watching the highlights on SportsCenter and the competitiveness and all that....but I honestly cannot spend 4 or more hours sitting on a couch and watching it....unlike Hockey or Football, also I live in western Canada....it isn't Nascar country....makes Californians look like slaves to Nascar, aha
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Originally Posted by ken.k-la
I'm not a big fan of Nascar...I mean, I enjoy watching the highlights on SportsCenter and the competitiveness and all that....but I honestly cannot spend 4 or more hours sitting on a couch and watching it....unlike Hockey or Football, also I live in western Canada....it isn't Nascar country....makes Californians look like slaves to Nascar, aha
I'm curious, is there much interest in motorsport in your area? Local events?
No. I'm barely even a fan of open-wheel racing, but at least they go on road circuits more. Watching cars go round and round. Not my idea of entertainment.
I don't care much for NASCAR, but I don't think you have any idea just how much athleticism it takes to wrestle that steering wheel in a 3,000+ pound car generating an additional several hundred pounds of downforce as you try to hold a very precise line at 200mph where a few inches off your line could cause an 8-car crash, fighting G-forces that would cause some people to black out, inside a car that's 135 degrees while you're wearing a flame-retardant suit for 3 hours. NASCAR drivers can lose as much as 10 pounds in a SINGLE RACE from dehydration, and yet they still have to stay alert enough to do all the stuff I just described. Try it some day and tell me these guys aren't athletes.
They dont pull many g's, I cant see them pulling over 1.5. Formula 1 drivers have to withstand up to 4 gs at times, on twisty tracks, with 4-5 times the amount of downforce, with open wheels that are also inches from other drivers, with open cockpits! Nascar drivers, IMO, are the least talented of any form of motorsports (minus amateur 1/4 mile bracket racers).
We've lived in Nascar country for almost 15 years now (central NC) and no one in my family has caught on to it. We run into the Petty folks all the time, but they are just regular people around here.
They dont pull many g's, I cant see them pulling over 1.5. Formula 1 drivers have to withstand up to 4 gs at times, on twisty tracks, with 4-5 times the amount of downforce, with open wheels that are also inches from other drivers, with open cockpits! Nascar drivers, IMO, are the least talented of any form of motorsports (minus amateur 1/4 mile bracket racers).
NASCAR drivers pull up to 3 G's, and it's not due to downforce generated by the car so much as the high banking on certain tracks. One of the reasons restrictor plates came into use was to cut down on G forces as cars got faster and faster. Even if you think they are the least talented drivers, they are still incredibly talented and it still takes a lot of athletic ability to do what they do.
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Nascar drivers, IMO, are the least talented of any form of motorsports (minus amateur 1/4 mile bracket racers).
