BobandEd, I take back everythingā¦well alsmot everything Iāve said about you. You got this one rather right.
But inside the car, what athletic thing can they do that makes them an "athlete"? So my question is during a race, what makes them a professional athlete?
They poop in their pants and donāt care.
First, let me say I'm as big a Nascar fan as you are a soccer fan. I have been to a race and was down with the buffet where we were.I donāt want to put words in uncommonās mouth but I thought he was saying an āathleteā in the sport they are in and not just an athlete in general. From your description of an athlete above, I would be one (āincredible shapeā might be a strectch, āvery goodā would be accurate in my case) and Iām sure many more would be. I want to see the āathleteā do something athletic in the sport they are in, something the regular Joe, no matter how much practice, couldnāt do at the level of the athlete. IMO, Nascar racing is not a sport b/c the car has as much to do w/ winning and losing as the driver does (and I know you think it is and you are definately not alone so Iām not trying to change your mindā¦you wonāt change mine, so we can skip that topic) Now Iām not saying what they do is easy because being in a car for that long at that speed having to pay attention continuously is not easy. Iām sure it wears the body down and a driver must have endurance as well as other attributes. But inside the car, what athletic thing can they do that makes them an āathleteā? Reaction time? Can be learned. Driving, strategyā¦learned. Thatās why I CAN see a regular Joe doing this if he/she is given the right circumstances. Doesnāt mean he/she will be the best but at least could competeā¦but no matter how hard Mr. Regular Joe tries, he is NOT going to make the NBA, NFL, MLB b/c he is not athletic enough.
So my question is during a race, what makes them a professional athlete?
And my question to you is: Do you consider Tiger Woods to be an āathlete?ā
By definition:
athā§lete /ĖƦĪølit/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ath-leet] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
ānoun
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.
Based on that, I think a strong case could be made for both Tiger and NASCAR drivers. It certainly takes physical agility to manhandle a car for 4 hours at those speeds, in that heat and surrounded by 42 other cars at 200mph. Certainly takes stamina to sit in the confines of that driverās seat and endure the 100+ degree heat in the car for several hours while maintaining a sharp mind as to not lose focus of what youāre doing. And have you ever driven a stock car around a banked oval at those speeds, fighting the steering wheel as your car wants to push towards the wall? Definitely takes strength to do that. By definition, you could almost make a better case for someone like Tony Stewart being more of an āathleteā than Tiger Woods.
lol.I think he suffers enough as it is.
Very trueā¦ :unhappy:
[B]athā§lete /ĖƦĪølit/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ath-leet] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation[/B] [B]ānoun[/B] [B]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.[/B]
If you want to use that definition, is jenna jameson an athlete? 'Cause sex is exerciseā¦
If you want to use that definition, is jenna jameson an athlete? 'Cause sex is exercise...
Iāve seen her work and yes, she is an athlete in my book. 
If you played a racing game on an X box for 4 hours straightā¦with no air conditionerā¦would you be as athletic as a race car driver?
I dont like Nascar, but I have to go with JCL here. They are athletes. They train, and practice. Im sure they have to keep there bodyās in very good condition, to cope with the stresses of racing. I hear somewhere they lose almost 10lbs in one race.
A friend of mine ( who shall remain anonymous), who is a Nascar Driver, works out almost 4 hours a day.
I like formula 1 or WRC better honeslty. it looks more challenging.
You also got to remember, playing video games at home, your safe on your moms couch, and dont have that risk ofā¦ oh say crashing and burning aliveā¦
Geez, didnt you watch Taladegga NIghts?
If you played a racing game on an X box for 4 hours straight..with no air conditioner....would you be as athletic as a race car driver?
Only if you have a feedback steering wheel
Are Jockeys athletes? or are they just really small guys who canāt find a niche?
It takes a lot more strength to hold a 3500 lb car at 170mph in a corner than most people think
ā¦not to mention doing this for 4 hours
ā¦with 42 other aggressive cars on the track
ā¦no A/C
ā¦and pushing everything to the very edge without losing it (losing control of a car can be just as much the driverās fault as the equipment).
Strength, agility and endurance? Check. Concentration and strategy? Check.
Yup, and they dont have power steering 
And my question to you is: Do you consider Tiger Woods to be an "athlete?"By definition:
athā§lete /ĖƦĪølit/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ath-leet] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
ānoun
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.
Using the above definition, I will concede that Nascar drivers are athletes under the first part b/c of the āorā. Under the second part, I think itās a little less obvious. Ignoring āsportā, I think you might make an argument they donāt meet the req. on the āexcerciseā and āphysical SKILLā part butā¦
Having said that, my question isā¦ what makes them a PROFESSIONAL athlete like a Jordan, LT, Pete Roseā¦what separates them from just a regular athlete, as described above?
Based on that, I think a strong case could be made for both Tiger and NASCAR drivers. It certainly takes physical agility to manhandle a car for 4 hours at those speeds, in that heat and surrounded by 42 other cars at 200mph. Certainly takes stamina to sit in the confines of that driver's seat and endure the 100+ degree heat in the car for several hours while maintaining a sharp mind as to not lose focus of what you're doing. And have you ever driven a stock car around a banked oval at those speeds, fighting the steering wheel as your car wants to push towards the wall? Definitely takes strength to do that. By definition, you could almost make a better case for someone like Tony Stewart being more of an "athlete" than Tiger Woods.
I donāt disagree w/ any of what you say here. But Iām saying I could do it too if I had the time, money, and help to prepare. So could others who are not considered professional athletes. What I could NOT do is play professional football, for example. (The jury of 1 is still out on baseball and basketball) So I guess all Iām trying to get to is what makes them special so that I can call them a professional athlete? What do they do in that car that separates them from a number of other guys who do not drive in Nascar that the other guys could not eventually do with trainingā¦?
And to answer your question on whether I consider Tiger Woods an athlete: First instinct is to say yes, but I never have really thought about it. Let me get back to you on that.
Carl Edwards is da man!
Sex is exercise, so one could make an argument that Jenna Jameson is an athlete, not that I would know.
I donāt think multi-car teams are fair. Can you imagine if Jerry Jones owned Dallas, Carolina, Pittsburgh, & NE. If they all made the Final 4, heād win the Super Bowl no matter what happened. What if one person owned LA & Miami, & both made the Nba Finals? Heād win either way.
Also, itās not fair to have Nextel Cup racers on Busch tracks. Does Peyton Manning play in the Arena League on the side? Does LeBron James play in the Cba to get extra practice? Does Albert Pujols come to AAA to hit more homers?
It takes a lot of funny to look this trashy
One nation, under butt, with Daisy Dukes and InstaFace for all
It is how she makes her money. No other reason for her fame and fortune. Sadā¦
F1 has trained america to like street races.