Is Nascar A Sport?

Let’s drive really fast, make a left turn; repeat this process three more times. Now, continue to do this for three to four hours Sounds exciting, right? Many people would be reluctant to consider driving a car around an asphalt or concrete track for several hours on a hot Sunday afternoon an actual sport. In fact, there are many who would not consider these glorified “Sunday Drivers” to be real athletes. Why should something that millions and millions people do each and every day be put on the same level as basketball, football, baseball, and track and field. The men and women who take the court and field, they are true athletes, right? Yes, they are. It is assertion that racecar drivers, in particular, those who compete in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, NASCAR for short, are also athletes in every sense of the word, thus making NASCAR a true sport.
According to The Free Dictionary, conveniently found at the website, thefreedictionary.com, a sport is defined as a “physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively,” or alternatively, “an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.” It is within the context of this definition that NASCAR can be considered a true sport. NASCAR involves all the elements of traditional sports such as basketball or football. It involves physical endurance and exertion, it is governed by a set of rules, and finally, it involves intense competition.
The first reason NASCAR can be considered a sport is because of the level of physical strength and conditioning it takes to drive a stock car. Driving a race car on an oval track or a road course takes an incredible toll on the driver, both physically and mentally. For example, according to an online article by Chris DiCicco, “NASCAR, the Drivers Physical Conditioning,” a stock car driver must be physically capable of dealing with the