Read Online NASCAR Nation by Chris Myers - Free Book Online

though, NASCAR drivers would be willing to accept greater risk for greater speed – and they’re not alone in this. Everyone in the sport, from the sponsors to the fans, all want to push things to the max – to go a little faster to really taste danger. Drivers have already taken that pill. The drivers live fast. They agree to whatever rules are set, but some of them aren’t as concerned about their safety as the authorities making the rules. They just want to race. Every weekend they put their lives on the line.
    The athlete on the outside of the car who doesn’t understand racing may snicker and say, “Well, youdon’t have to be in great shape and train the way I do – you’re just sitting in a car.” They don’t realize the pressure that speed places on NASCAR drivers. They may be sitting in a car, but they’re moving over 150 miles per hour with forty-two other cars crammed on the track with them. Combine that with car wrecks, and it becomes a true test of ability. Even if you’re very good at what you do – even if you’re the best – you’re very vulnerable on the circuit. If someone on the track isn’t good at what they do, you may have to pay for it by avoiding a bad driver, dropping back in the race, or avoiding collisions. It’s a different kind of sport.
    Many people don’t realize or understand what it is that these drivers do. NASCAR isn’t just fast driving. In fact, speed is just one aspect (albeit an important one) of racing, just one element that draws people in. Even though it’s important and it’s exciting, a true fan isn’t merely attracted to cars circling race tracks really fast. If that were the case, NASCAR wouldn’t have too many fans. If a driver is going to be successful, they need more than just speed. Fans can watch the races just for the speed and the crashes, but they’ll be missing out on a lot if they don’t come to appreciate the sport for its other aspects.
    Certainly the first-time viewer may have trouble picking up on the finer points of racing. For example, in a race at Dover, Jimmie Johnson was racing headto head with Tony Stewart. This isn’t anything out of the norm, but it’s exciting to watch if you know who is driving. To a first-time viewer, it just looks like two cars racing. But if you know you’re watching the top drivers, it’s exciting. Johnson and Stewart are two of the best drivers in terms of the fundamentals of what they do under pressure, how they handle the lead, and how they handle a bad car that’s dropping or a good car that’s in front. It’s more than how fast they can go, even if they know how to pick up speed. Johnson and Stewart aren’t alone in their abilities; certainly Jeff Gordon joins their ranks, along with many other drivers, including great drivers of the past. Being a winning team is about more than how fast the car can go.
    People often wonder how much skill is involved and who deserves credit for winning the race: the driver or the car he’s racing. I’ve never been a driver and I’ve never been a crew chief, but after years of NASCAR broadcasting experience, and after getting to know racing intimately, I can say that if a driver wants to take the finish line, he has to have the skill to do it. That skill is tested when things go wrong. It’s just like any other job. Whether you’re a pilot, construction worker, doctor, mason, engineer, or working at a fast-paced office – no matter the business environment – the person who is most skilled is the one you want to work with and the one who canhandle an emergency. When everything goes wrong, to whom can you turn? Who handles problems the best and who knows how to respond?
    That’s knowledge and that’s skill. That’s what separates the best drivers from good drivers and the men from the boys. If a coach is able to handle