Comparisons with stick and ball sports, and the quest to replicate their formats, have not done much good for NASCAR over the past few years. The sport has gotten back to where it was, adopting the Chase championship format. And this reversal is a result of the lesson learnt that stock car racing in its truest form should be upheld and celebrated at any cost.
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There is also a unique factor at play in NASCAR that gives it an edge over any other sport. In a 2016 interview, RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski had spoken the need to celebrate it.
The NBA or the NFL has its own superstars and a big following. But Keselowski’s take highlighted how NASCAR races bring the sport’s superstars together to deliver mega spectacles each time.
“The biggest strength that NASCAR has over any sport is that all the top drivers compete at the same time at the same track. Without a question, it is the number one thing about our sport,” said Keselowski.
Top players like Stephen Curry and LeBron James only play against each other in a handful of fixtures in the NBA. The same applies to the NFL. Keselowski used these examples to make his case.
“In NASCAR, every week, top drivers compete against each other. Bar none. That’s the best thing going on for our sport,” Keselowski had insisted, before speaking about what’s misunderstood about NASCAR
The biggest misconception about the sport, in his eyes, is the athletic performance it takes to be a race car driver. This is something that many drivers before and after him have also pointed out. The world generally doesn’t see racecar drivers as athletes, despite their craft demanding extreme physical toughness.
“Well, besides the element of danger and the willingness to risk your life, the physical training and sustained G-forces that punish your body, and the acceptance of injury that could cause fatality. Beyond that, the ability to sustain a heart rate in the car,” explained Keselowski.
The 2012 Cup Series champion explained that the amount of blood a driver’s heart pumps during a race is even higher than the fuel consumed by his car’s engine. The sustained heart rate is on par with what is endured when running the Boston marathon, he pointed out.
This perception of the sport has slowly but surely changed with time as drivers continue their pursuit of fitness to improve their on-track performance. That was a mantra seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson also swore by.
