How come NASCAR drivers lose their touch?

Question

How come a guy like Bobby Labonte who won lots of races got a lot of experience in racing won a championship in the PAST hardly ever win races now or even hardly run upfront

Yeah i understand when u get older u have less stamina but on the other side of that question theres mark martin who is postin great finishes race after race

Answer 1

Because driving a race car successfully depends on a lot of factors other than the car. The driver needs to be in great physical condition to withstand the physical rigors of driving a race car for 2-3 hours at a time. Stamina, reflexes, and muscle control all play a part, and these things naturally decline as people get older.
EDIT: I would also add that Bobby Labonte, the driver you asked about, has Graves Disease. If you look at a lot of the physical symptoms that sufferers of Graves Disease have to deal with (I posted a link), you can probably imagine why he has a difficult time driving a race car for a living. It's incredible that he's even able to go on racing.

Answer 2

Reflexes diminishing is one reason, the other is that there are TWO parts to a winning team, the Car (which includes the crew to maintain it during a race) and the Driver. Contrary to what many people on here will say, you couldnt stick ANY driver in the 24 car and get results like JG. It takes time to develop the complete team and sometimes it never does.

He did win a championship but remember he has been in NASCAR since the early 90's and has only won 21 races....yeah, I know I said only (like I could win any...I know, I know), I am just trying to illustrate that there are alot of younger drivers that have performed just as well or better.

Now back off of Bobby, he's one of my Texas Boys!!

Mark Martin is a robot...lol By that I mean he still has plenty of strength and stamina and is a paradox

Answer 3

It can be a few things.
1) The #43 Team is not the best one out there anymore. The cars are not the best available and the technology is not there when you compare them to the big teams.
2) Bobby isn't that old, but I believe that it was once Darrell Waltrip that said at the end of his career, he became "over-sensitized" to the car. He meant that you feel all kinds of things that you try to adjust to make the car more comfortable even though some of them may just be in your head as with the changing cars and set ups, you are looking for a "feel" from the past that you will never be able to achieve.
3) A lot of the veteran drivers seem to struggle with the coil-binding set ups that the teams use now. Jeff Gordon admitted earlier this year that he struggled with it and took the past three years to finally figure it out. This should all change next year as with the crappy COT, the set-ups required are more like the older cars. I believe that you will see veteran drivers start to thrive again and the young kids start to struggle.

Answer 4

Drivers get past their Prime just like other athletes. Your Split Second Reflexes slow down-- The Knowledge is still There but it takes the Body longer to react. My own personal Experience tells me That, I am smarter now by far but I have slowed down Physically on Reflexes-- Hand Eye Coordination-Just finished 32ND year of racing Sportsman Class Stock Cars and Late Models--The Fire to win is still there so is the Adrenelin Rush I can still outdrive and win races once in awhile against Drivers 25 years younger but not all of them!!!!

Answer 5

They say the first time fear and hesitation creep into a drivers mind it will be the last time you will ever see them race. These men take great risk week in and week out and eventually they begin to lose their edge and arnt willing to take the risks they used it. Its a gradual decline from there. Look at Terry and DJ...Both guys were champions 10 years ago. Now one is retired and the other has been an also ran for about 5 years.

Answer 6

It's not necessarily that they lose their touch, but the new younger drivers are coming in with the newest technology and tricks, while the veteren drivers like to stick to the style they've known so long. Unfortunately for them, these new "tricks" etc. have worked better, do that is why you no longer see Bobby, Mark, Kenny, Joe, Kyle, etc. doing as well. Just my spin on things.

Answer 7

I think that a lot of it has to do with desire to win. If you'll recall, Dale Earndhardt had a slump in the latter years of his career. Then he started winning races again out of nowhere. Of course, there are the obvious things of age such as reflexes....but I think it's more mental than physical.

Answer 8

Its a combination of things, team,crew chief, equipment, age,condition, and competition..Bobby still has the talent and passion for winning, he is one super guy, he has been improving here lately..Hopefully Petty Enterprises can get their stuff together for 2008, and we will see this great guy back in victory lane....Competition out there is alot more fierce now.. He still has winning left in him, he just needs better equipment..

Answer 9

I think its a combination of things. It depends on what team you're on, how you related to the team and crew chief, the standard of equipment you have, age, physical condition, drive/hunger for wins...etc. Bobby has done much better as of late, in case you hadn't noticed!

Go Jr.>>>>

Answer 10

After they race for so long, they lose that fire to win. They still want to win but not like when they were young and trying to make a name for themselves.