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Home » Fitness » Why does physical fitness matter so much in NASCAR? One retired … – For The Win

It might seem easy because NASCAR drivers are just sitting down, but racing is actually exceptionally strenuous.

During a race, drivers spend hours actively fighting the G-forces from 200-mile an hour speeds in 130- to 160-degree heat made worse in the summer and the South without traditional air conditioning while furiously focusing on their every move, knowing a tiny mistake could destroy their cars.

To survive these conditions nearly every weekend from February through November, drivers have to be in shape, particularly to help them during the back half of a race when they become physically and emotionally drained, 22-year Cup Series veteran Jeff Burton said.

It doesnt make you drive the car faster, said Burton, whos now an analyst for NASCAR on NBC. It allows you to drive the car faster for a longer period of time.

Ryan Newman (left) and Jimmie Johnson after their respective 2017 race wins. (Getty Images/USA TODAY Sports)

So if fitness plays such a crucial role in driver success, why are drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman who appear to physically be on opposite sides of the driver fitness spectrum two of the six winners in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this season?

At NASCARs highest level, these drivers will always have the skillset to race a car. But remaining competitive is less about what they look like or how much they weigh and more reliant on endurance.

In Ryan Newmans case, hes probably a very strong person, and he doesnt train the same way that Jimmie Johnson trains, Burton explained. But at the same time, hes not sitting on the couch eating potato chips.

Although NASCAR weighs drivers at the beginning of the season and at the midway point, those numbers are not made public.

When hes not on the race track, 41-year-old Johnson who drives the No. 48 Chevrolet cross trains and is incredibly active, so meeting the team workout quota for Hendrick Motorsports is relatively easy. He skis with his family, enjoys 10-mile runs and 30-mile bike rides with teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth, among others. He also does triathlons.

Johnson told Mens Fitness:

Theres a lot of jump rope between weight sets; sprints; running; and stuff where were elevating my heart rate and trying to teach my body to recover, he said. The mindset being that Ill have more energy and perform better at my job.

Alternatively, Newman who pilots the No. 31 Chevrolet is not required to meet workout requirements. But every day hes home in North Carolina, the 39-year-oldexercises by working on his 208-acre farm, according to his team, Richard Childress Racing.

He told The Virginian-Pilot in 2010 he doesnt actually see it as work.

Via The Virginian-Pilot:

They ask me if I work out because they say I look big and buff, but I dont. I do my things every day that are totally non-gym oriented. Whens the last time you dug a hole for a fencepost by hand with a post-hole digger? Most people dont do that. They dont see that as a workout.

Despite the obviously different lifestyles and regimens, the veteran drivers are nearly the same in the Cup Series driver standings. After winning the OReilly Auto Parts 500 on almost two weeks ago, Johnson jumped to No. 11 with 190 points. Newman who won the Camping World 500 in March is No. 13 with 163 points.

In Ryans case, he does not have the same body structure (as Jimmie Johnson) nor does Tony Stewart or many of the other drivers but theyre strong, Burton said. They have strength, and they have conditioned themselves to be able to do what theyre required to do.

And although Ryan Newman doesnt look like a physical specimen theres a lot of different body structures on a basketball court he has conditioned himself to do the things he needs to be able to do and do it effectively.

Still, Burton acknowledged the odds are more in a drivers favor if he or she is more physically fit when adverse conditions materialize like if there are higher than normal temperatures, the car isnt driving well or the driver is sick.

Ryan Newman (31) leads Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

NASCAR rules dictate the minimum weight of the car without the driver must be 3,325 pounds although that can vary depending on the weight of the driver but teams look for every advantage and still measure car parts on a gram scale.

So being physically fit behind the wheel can also eliminate unnecessary weight holding the car back, Burton added.

It isnt that you have to be a physical specimen to do this job, Burton said. Its how long can you do it and at what percent can you give it? Thats what being in shape is all about.

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Why does physical fitness matter so much in NASCAR? One retired ... - For The Win

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Home » Fitness » Why does physical fitness matter so much in NASCAR? One retired … – For The Win