The Government of British Columbia’s Ministry of Economic Development web page defines a sport as, “a physical activity involving large muscle groups, requiring strategic methods, physical training and mental preparation and whose outcome is determined, within a rules framework, by skill, not chance. Sport occurs in an organized, structured and competitive environment where a winner is declared.”

Using that definition, it is obvious that NASCAR is indeed, a sport.

Many argue that NASCAR drivers are not athletes, because they just sit and drive a car. This is one of the biggest misconceptions in sports. The cars weigh 3,400 pounds and most of the time and the drivers are going upwards of 170 mph and are racing only inches away from each other. Most of you reading this probably can’t even parallel park, let alone park normal (I’m talking to you people in lot H). Point being, you would look just as foolish if you tried playing quarterback for the New England Patriots as you would try driving one of these cars.

Still don’t think they are athletes? A study in “anticipatory timing” found race car drivers to possess the same ability to anticipate what was going to happen as a hockey goalie or a quarterback. So yes, that means that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has to have the same reflexes to succeed in his sport as Tom Brady.

In a race, a NASCAR driver maintains the same heart rate 120-150 beats per minute for 3-plus hours. This is the same rate that a serious marathon runner would need for the same length of time. Temperatures in the car often exceed 100 degrees, reaching as much as 170 degrees by the floorboards. Drivers can lose as many as 5 to 10 pounds from sweat in a race.

On turns, NASCAR drivers can experience three G’s of force against their bodies, which is comparable to the forces pressing down on shuttle astronauts at liftoff. Take into account there are usually 400 laps in a race, and that equates to 2,400 G’s of force going on a driver’s body during a race.

Head injury expert Kim Gorgens, a neuropsychologist at the University of Denver said the average football player receives 103 G’s when hit during a game. So if running back Adrian Peterson has 20 carries in a game that would equal 2,060 G’s in a game, which would be similar to the amount of G’s a NASCAR driver has to absorb in a race.

Strategy is important in all sports, and NASCAR is no different. Besides the obvious question of when or when not to pit, even the smallest setups on the car can make the biggest difference. Each part on the car can be set up to the tenth decimal point.

Having been to playoff games at Lambeau Field, the PGA Championship, NBA games and NASCAR events are some of the most exciting events. Television just doesn’t do it justice. Until you’ve been to one, you really can’t take it all in and appreciate the sport.

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