Why Do People Call NASCAR a Sport?

Question

Even though it isn't?

Answer 1

I agree. NASCAR should not be a sport. Granted, you are doing a single activity for an extended period of time, but so do truck drivers. They're not athletes. There is no athletic training involved what so ever. If there is, I'm sure it's nothing more than a little endurance exercise.

Anywho, NASCAR is considered a sport because for some reason it's popular. And when there is popularity, there are sponsors. And when you have sponsors, you have money coming in. NASCAR is a sport because it brings in a lot of money, and it keeps the hillbilly's happy so they can enjoy their fast cars travelling in the oval for 5 endless hours of exciting car driving! If you label the activity of driving a car a sport, people will be inclined to enjoy their t.v. watching experience more, they'll watch it longer, and see more advertisements.

Answer 2

Sport is the organized medium of competition between two or more individuals. Some sports are more physical and some are more mental, most are both, NASCAR by all means in a sport. It does evolve physical and metal training to gain the skills of handling a car at those speeds, to endure the heat and exhaustion, and to gain the knowledge of a mechanical engineer. The reason you think its boring is because you don't understand the rules, regulations and preparations required within the sport. If you doubt their physical ability then try this. Find a room that is 140 degrees with no ventilation. Put on a fire suit and helmet. Sit in that room for 4 hours 3 times a week while holding a 5 lb. weight in each hand out in front of you and pressing your foot firmly against the floor... if you flinch, you hit the wall at 180 mph. Even if you can do all that, you would have had to start developing the skill to keep the car on the track at the age of 5. You just think you drive fast, but every person they put into those cars and take around the track at full speed can barely talk, they jump out of their pants when they see the wall flying at them and then beg to get out. Trust me; you would do the same unless you are a jet pilot or an astronaut. If you don't like the sport then fine, but don't down talk something that you know nothing about.

Answer 3

First off, NASCAR is definitely a sport. My father has raced since I was born and not only is it physically exhausting, it is mentally as well. People who have not been to a race before have no clue what goes into making this "sport" possible. Just like football, they have plays that are thought out, planned and executed. Fuel mileage, technical adjustments, pit stops, tires, etc all make a race a race. NO THEY DO NOT JUST TURN LEFT!!!! Go to Wakins Glen in New York. It's a road race. That takes skill in a car like that. So before you try to say that NASCAR is not a sport, go into a tanning booth, put it on high, squint your eyes and stay in there for 3+ hours and drive over 200mph, then tell me if you think that it is not considered "a sport". Wait a second.. isn't NASCAR the biggest fan based sport in the world at the moment??? Do over 200,000 people go to a baseball game these days? I didn't think so.

Answer 4

I can't imagine why you think it isn't. Racing cars or motorcycles or boats or whatever takes a lot of physical exertion, those guys lose so much moisture they can lose several pounds in a race. It is very physically demanding, along with quick reflexes and mental abilities. I've been on my bike at 145, hope to find top end, about 160 on my new tires. Just that brief time I had to use my strength to not get blown off the bike, watch traffic, my gauges, etc. all while moving at more than 2 miles per minute. These guys do this for hours going around 170+ in traffic. Granted, they are going in a circle in NASCAR and related types of racing, but do you think YOU could do that? I don't know if you've ever driven fast, say over 100, but it takes a lot just by yourself, let alone having a trackfull of guys and gals to deal with. It earns the term sport, most definitely. If you don't think so, I suggest you go to a racing school, I think you'll change your mind.

Answer 5

Why do people ask questions on topics they know nothing about? I get upset when people say all the do is drive in circles. WTF? It may be a circle but there are 42 others drivers driving in a circle at the same time you are, doing the same speed as you are. You also have to worry about aerodynamics, and, well if your not a fan you won’t really understand that. You have to worry about doing a pit stop when 42 other drivers do. You have to set in a car that gets to unbearable degrees of hot. You have to worry about wrecking, and when you are wrecking, are you going to have the strength to keep a 3500 pound car off the wall, and save your car, and save yourself from a lot of pain.

The guys who are driving in NASCAR today did not just pick it up yesterday. Most have been doing this since they were as young as 7 years old. Starting from the bottom and working their way up. When you do that, you learn to work on your own car; you learn the skills needed to go to the next level. You learn to be able to diagnose your car from the track. That is how it works.

Why are football, basketball, and softball called sports? They are all different kinds of sports, which have different levels of physical to them. That is the same with racing. And if you ask any of the athletes from those sports that have done ride a rounds, they will tell you that is something they could never do due to the physical demands to the body.

Why do they call golf a sport? All they do is walk around and hit a tiny ball. Now fans of golf are going to say, HEY it takes a lot of skill to hit that tiny ball. I understand that, I respect that. I may not like golf, but I am not going to disrespect it. That is the same with racing, it takes a lot of skill to do what the drivers do. Not just any guy can come of the street and being successful in NASCAR. Hell, there a lot of drivers from other series who have tried to make it in NASCAR and did not. That says a lot right there

And for those that say F1/IndyCar/Champcar is better. Answer me this, why are all your guys defecting and coming to NASCAR?

Also, it’s not only Hillbilly’s but Rednecks to. IF YOU ARE GOING TO COMPLIAMENT US GET IT RIGHT! And I got that ring ready, but you probably couldn’t handle it, especially if you cannot handle racing.

Answer 6

Why do so many people not understand the definition of sport?

I'd like to see you turn in 500 laps at Bristol or Martinsville, then come back and ask this question again.

Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Used by itself, sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors.

Answer 7

Driving a Nascar Race you have to be in top shape at 125 degrees in the car and still keep your wits to drive. Physical fitness and stamina is more than a basket ball player or baseball player needs., heh heh Nascar is not a sport. Foot ball players spend half the game sitting on their duff, same as basket ball etc. The Nascar guy is there for 3 to 4 hours straight no break at 125 degree temps try drinking gator aid at 190mph.

Answer 8

I used to be floored buy that question. Now I just kinda roll my eye's.

I can understand how someone who is clueless about Racing/NASCAR and car's in general, would think racing is just people driving around. I'll admit, when walking by and glancing at a TV when racing is on, sometimes it "looks" like there just cruising around. Like the back stretch at Daytona.
You think, 'I drive my pink Miata to work everyday so how can driving be a Sport?'
Like any other sport, you have to know HOW to watch it. Most people like yourself see car's cruising in circles.
For me, I see strategies unfolding, rivalries screwing with each other, drivers battling for there lap back and on and on and on every single lap.
To me, a race is one of the most intense sporting event's in the world. I like other Sport's but nothing gets me excited more than racing. Every other sport I may attend is me just passing time until race-day. That's why Baseball (Go-Card's) is called a past time. They coined that phrase because there was probably a race starting after the ball game that day.

My 13 yr. old daughter is not interested in car's or racing and also thinks racing is cruising around in circles. So in a sense, you have the same mentality as a little girl.

Answer 9

You could consider it a sport just look at what the driver goes through but in average race its not unheard of for drivers to lose close to 10 pounds, tracks like Martinsville, Phoenix temps inside the car can go up to close to 130+. Not to mention the physical and mental stress that goes on the body for 4 or 5 hours of this and at high speed tracks the turns actually put multiple G's on the body and you have wrecks and god knows how much that puts on the body. Many times drivers are left muscling the car cause loss of power steering braking etc. All while keeping their wits and having complete situational awareness

Not many other sports are like it....

Answer 10

Sure it is. Now figure skating, that should not be considered a sport. NASCAR is somewhat like an endurance sport. Bowling, that's another one which shouldn't be considered a sport. Or darts, that's not a sport either.

Answer 11

OK, first you try driving 200mph for awhile. Second, if you don't think NASCAR is a sport, I don't think anything else is. Take basketball---all they're doing is running down a court and throwing a ball in a hoop.
In someways you're right--as stated in a commercial ---NASCAR isn't a sport, it's a way of life.