Are Racecar Driver’s Athletes?

1. Brandon Lee Nicholas Sulak Are Racecar Driver’s Athletes?

2. 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

3. 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

4. Go-Karts and Starting Young Wikipedia.com

5. 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

6. Go-Karts and Starting Young Autoweek.com

7. 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

8. 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

9. The Risks Onursen.net

10. 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

11. The Risks Onursen.net

12. 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

13. The Risks • Formula-1 averages 3 deaths a year since 1953 • 4 deaths in 1958 season • Doesn’t slow down until early 2000

14. 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

15. 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 2014said it’s a skill but he respect them • By definition they are athletes

16. He May Have a Point • Graph showing: USATODAY.com

17. 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

18. NASCAR being athletic • Jimmie Johnson and team training together • Sponsored by Gatorade Youtube.com

19. 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

20. 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

21. Formula 1 drivers are athletic too Menshealth.co.uk

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

23. Endurance “Cockpit Athletes “

24. What it takes • Denny Hamlin Sports Science youtube.com

25. What do you think? Nascar.com Formula1.com

26. 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.