Importance of Physical Fitness in NASCAR: What Differentiates Drivers Like Tony Stewart From Jimmie Johnson?

Driving a stock car in NASCAR’s top-tier racing series is not easy at all. Although it doesn’t require big biceps and chiseled abs, it does need a certain amount of physical endurance that takes the drivers through the extremely adverse conditions inside the race cars. While inside a stock car, the drivers battle G-forces from running as fast as 200 miles per hour in heat that ranges anywhere between 130-160 degrees. This often drains the drivers of the necessary fluids and, during the latter half of the race, of mental stability. Needless to say, the athletes need to be physically fit in order to fight off the fatigue.

Veteran racer turned NASCAR analyst on NBC, Jeff Burton said, “It doesn’t make you drive the car faster. It allows you to drive the car faster for a longer period of time.” Keeping that in mind, some might wonder how drivers like Tony Stewart appear to be opposites of the word “fitness enthusiast” and yet, have several championships to their credit.

As mentioned before, a driver does not need to build a physique to win races. At NASCAR’s elite levels, it is the individual skill set that matters more than how much they weigh or what level of endurance they have.

How is Jimmie Johnson different from Tony Stewart?

While Smoke was probably not too worried about staying in shape, 7X Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson took part in cross-training and occasional runs to keep his cardiovascular health on point.

/ #48 running laps inside and outside the track today in Daytona / #chasing8 –@LyleOwerko pic.twitter.com/7USsBI6Err

— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) February 25, 2017

As a full-time driver, he often used to take time off of his busy schedule to go for skis with his family, 10-mile runs, and 30-mile bike rides. “There’s a lot of jump rope between weight sets; sprints; running; and stuff where we’re elevating my heart rate and trying to teach my body to recover,” said the El Cajon native. “The mindset being that I’ll have more energy and perform better at my job.” Interestingly, the veteran racer even does triathlons from time to time.

However, it is not just about keeping one healthy. According to NASCAR’s rules, the weight of a car must be at least 3,325 pounds, excluding the weight of the driver. Naturally, if a driver is on the lighter side in terms of body weight, it can obliterate unnecessary weight holding the machine back from sprinting to its fullest potential.