Perhaps one of the biggest changes NASCAR as a sport has seen over the years is drivers’ mentality. Back in the 90s and the 2000s, a little bit of beer after a race was the norm. But things have changed drastically for the drivers of the current era. Former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr recently explained the reason behind this change.
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Speaking on his podcast about how to recover after a race, Junior said that back in his time he would go home and drink a lot of beer. Today, drivers have their own trainers and nutrition experts who suggest healthier means of hydration. Since the competition is so tight these days, drivers have to maintain and work towards their physique to gain any kind of advantage over one’s rivals.
It’s weird to say. And I also heard there wasn’t one beer available in victory lane post race. That needs some work.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 28, 2022
“You can’t go home and drink beer after a hot race like that. You gotta take better care of your body and there’s not enough places to find advantages anymore and I think that drivers have to be smarter than maybe I was,” he said.
Physical fitness keeps one mentally sharp and that is imperative for a race car driver with the cutthroat competition that they deal with regularly. However, there still are some drivers left in the Cup Series from that era who might enjoy a pint after a tiring race.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. had an unhealthy race prep routine
For Junior though, drinking was part of the race preparation routine as well. Earlier this year, the two-time Xfinity Series champion revealed that he used to party with his friends a few days before a race weekend. It sounds unusual for today’s drivers but the 49-year-old needed those parties for him to run well on Sundays.
“I’d go party with my buddies or something or have friends over on a Tuesday night and we’d damn kick ass on the race weekend. I was like, ‘Maybe I’m just one of the old guards man. I need to drink and smoke cigarettes and go kick ass,” he told in an earlier episode of the Dale Jr. Download.
Long gone are the days when drinking a pint and partying was common amongst all the drivers. With everyone these days hitting the gym and taking care of what they put into their bodies, it’s important to stay fit to compete with the rivals.
