Definition of Nascar - Jacob Wagner

Nascar stands for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing and consists of three series, the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. It was started in December of 1947 by Bill France Sr. and in the 1949, the cup series as it is known as today was started. Today in the Sprint Cup Series, there are 36 races during the season, with an attendance of millions that averages over 100,000 each race, not counting the viewers that watch it on television. (History of Nascar) Nascar is the sport of stock-car racing that is a competition between cars racing against each other, which consists of an organized set of rules, requires great physical ability and also mental ability, something the everyday person could not do at the pro level, and in the end, has some winner.

The definition of a sport is not a clear definition and is different from person to person. A definition that is given to sport is that a sport is an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc. Another is that sport is a recreation, diversion, or a pastime. Two other definitions that are given to sport is that sport is an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition and sport is the occupation of athletes who compete for pay. One last definition given to sport is that sport is an activity in which players or teams compete against each other, usually an activity that involves physical effort. (sport) All of the definitions have in common is that a sport is a competition between players and/ or teams that requires some physical ability or skill.

It is a huge debate whether Nascar is a sport or not. There are many activities that are debated about, if they are a sport or not, and Nascar is one of the most popular. It is believed because that Nascar is only driving at faster speeds, that anybody can do it. It is believed that it does not take physical abilities to compete in Nascar. People believe that Nascar does not meet the criteria of what a sport is. They need to experience Nascar first before they state that Nascar is not a sport.

In Nascar, drivers race competitively for the win. Sports in general are competitions that people and athletes compete in for the prize and the enjoyment. Drivers in Nascar race against each other for the prize of the win, money and perhaps championship at the end. A race is a competition; there is no other way to put it. Nascar along with competition, it also follows a set of rules or guidelines.

Nascar has an organized set of rules just like any other sport. All sports have some sort of rules or guidelines set in place to make it organized and fair. Nascar racing is no different than any other sport when it comes to rules. They may of course be different rules, but they all better the sport. If the rules are broken, there is some kind of punishment or consequence. An example of a rule in Nascar is that it is illegal to modify the car where it does not meet the regulations set in place. Doing this would make it unfair to other teams and drivers and give that one team that modified their car an unfair advantage. The driver or team as a punishment could be suspended for the next race, they could lose points in the standings, or they could be fined. The rules are set to make Nascar fair and safe, just like any other sport. Nascar, being a sport, also takes physical abilities to compete.

One of the biggest arguments against Nascar being a sport is that anybody can do it, Nascar drivers are not athletes. That people drive all the time and Nascar is only driving at a faster speed. Nascar drivers do not have the athletic abilities that are normally thought of when talking about sports. Nascar drivers need to physical abilities to race, but not in the way that other athletics are built physically. They are physical built, but in different areas of body. They have to be strong enough to steer a 3,400 pound car at high speeds. (Bestwick) That is a lot harder than steering the average car. The body is constantly pulling and pushing on the gears, steering wheel, and pedals for hours on end without really any breaks in between. It is tough turning a car without power steering, Nascar is much worse and lasts for hours. Just think of driving a normal car for hours and times that by a lot and that is what Nascar drivers face every race. A Nascar driver’s body must be able to withstand the forces that are put on it during a race. G-forces play a huge key in the forces on the body during a race. To a driver, it feels like their body is taking a hit from a linebacker every minute for hours. Most bodies cannot do that, they have to be trained to withstand that physically. Drivers need to have great conditioning and endurance skills to survive a race. Nascar is not like a street race with friends, it does not last only a few minutes with medium speeds. Nascar drivers receive little oxygen during the race, so they have great cardiovascular fitness. They have to learn to process oxygen efficiently, better than a normal person would, and also during a stressful race for hours. The cockpit of a racecar during a race easily reaches over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. They would lose pounds of sweat during one race, but today there is a water system in the cars to keep them hydrated. To be a sport, it must take some physical ability to do. Nascar requires physical ability to be done. Drivers are physically strong at different aspects than normal athletes. They have to be strong enough to maneuver a heavy car for hours. They have to be strong enough to handle the forces put on their body during a race. They also have to have cardiovascular fitness, conditioning, and endurance to handle a race. (Bestwick) People have to experience it for themselves before they can start saying that Nascar does not require physical abilities. Along with needing physical abilities, mental abilities are an important part.

Being mentally strong and smart is key in sports, and Nascar is no different. Drivers need to be mentally strong and focused during the whole race, because one mistake could cause a crash and be out for the race or even worse, on a rare occasion, one mistake could be fatal. (Bestwick) It is not just knowing how to drive a car. Drivers have to be mentally smart during a race, they have to know what to do at any time, should they pass this person right now, what move should they do, when they should start braking or when to let off the gas pedal, all while going over 150 mph. The tracks do not offer unfair advantages to racers, so being mentally strong is just as important as being physically strong. Drivers need to react at any split second. (midnia) Needing to be mentally strong, the average person could not compete in Nascar.

An average, everyday person could not compete in a Nascar race. They probably could not compete at any pro level sport. People are not used to driving the cars used in Nascar; it is something totally different than the normal car. Not many people could drive 150 mph while being inches away from another car. The only thing that is similar between everyday driving and Nascar is the concept of driving. Where the driver sits and everything about the car is different than a normal car. A driver cannot fully turn their head, and so they rely on spotters to tell what is around them. Nascar is like driving half-blind at times, they do not know what is going on around them. A non-Nascar driver could not be able to operate a racecar without doing it for a while and practicing. It is not something that a person coming off the streets with no experience other than having their licenses could do right away. It would take a lot of practicing to even be able to compete in a race and they still would have trouble, not having been racing for a while. The goal in the end, is to win the race and perhaps the championship.

In any sport, the goal is to win. People play sports for the enjoyment of it, but in the end, they want to win. Just like other sports, they want to win the game, race, or event, but they focus on the championship at the end of the season and winning that. The goal in Nascar is to earn enough points to be in the Chase at the end of the season for the championship. Nascar standings are based on a point system and points are earned during a race, and the top 12 drivers in the standings make the Chase. The drivers in the Chase compete with the same points system and standings for the championship in the end. The goal of Nascar is to win the race each weekend, but do well enough and be first in the standings to win the championship. The goal of any sport is to win and in the end win the championship.

Nascar is a competition between drivers and teams, organized by a set of rules, requires physical and mental ability, has the goal of winning, and is something that the average person could not do at the professional level. Nascar is a competition because drivers and teams compete to win the race and the championship. There is a set of rules that Nascar goes by to make it fair and organized. It requires physical ability to withstand the forces that a race puts on the driver. Nascar requires mental ability because drivers need to be smart and focused to compete and race. In the end, the goal of Nascar is to win the race and the championship at the end of the season. Nascar is not something the average person could do because it requires skills and abilities that the average person does not have. The best way to realize what Nascar is and if it is a sport, is to experience it first hand and understand it fully.





Works Cited
Bestwick, A. “No Doubt Nascar Drivers are Athletes.” nbcsports. 8 March 2004. 9 Oct. 2011. http:/www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/4243400/
“History of Nascar.” Nascar. 8 March 2010. 9 Oct. 2011 http://www.nascar.com/news/features/history/
“sport.” Macmilliandictionary. 2011. 9 Oct. 2011. http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/sport
“Why Nascar Racing is Truly Sport.” Midnia. 27 Aug. 2011. 9 Oct. 2011 http://midnia.com/why-nascar-racing-is-truly-a-sport/

Image Credits
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