Toyota Racing

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

A HIGH-SPEED WORKOUT
source: http://www.toyotaracing.com/motorsports/nscs/news/2009/10-27-09-01.html

When NASCAR introduced what was first called the “Car of Tomorrow” back in 2007, the sanctioning body made it abundantly clear that teams would no longer be able to subtly contour the bodies of their race cars to manage the wind and deliver improved downforce and drag numbers.

Fortunately, NASCAR instituted no such prohibitions on the bodies of the men who drive those cars. And so, with aerodynamic and mechanical differences narrower than ever from racecar to racecar, one area where teams can gain a major advantage is in the physical fitness of the drivers.

They need to be physically fit because of the enormous forces exerted on their bodies. At a place like Bristol Motor Speedway, the drivers will turn 500 laps, which take 15-16 seconds each. And at least half of that time is spent being compressed into their seats with loads equal to roughly three times the force of gravity.

Those loads are roughly the same as astronauts experience on takeoff, according to author Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, who penned “The Physics Of NASCAR.”

Cockpit temperatures on a hot day can exceed 125 degrees, and there’s the noise and lack of oxygen to deal with, too, not to mention the incredible mental drain of a place like Talladega Superspeedway, where drivers spend three-and-a-half hours racing literally inches apart at speeds of 190 mph or more.

Given the intensely competitive nature of the business, physical fitness literally can be the difference between winning and losing. And it’s no surprise at all therefore, that the drivers who traditionally get stronger as races go on are almost always the ones in the best physical condition.

Every driver has his own preferred way of staying in shape: Michael Waltrip, driver of the No. 55 NAPA Toyota Camry, is well known as a marathon runner, while Red Bull Racing’s Brian Vickers is big on mountain-biking.

Joey Logano, the front-runner for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year, knew that to succeed at this level behind the wheel of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, he’d have to step up his fitness regimen, and he has in a big way.

“It’s physical on the driver and it’s physical on the cars,” says Logano, who won his first Sprint Cup race of his career at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June.

To stay in top shape, Logano has taken his favorite exercise activity — running — and tried to make a game of it.

“I jog a lot. That’s kind of my biggest thing,” says Logano, who at 19 is the youngest driver competing in NASCAR’s top division. “That’s the one thing that I’ve found that I actually enjoy somehow. I enjoy running.”

But as a die-hard racer, it’s not enough for Logano to simply run.

“I’ve got to time myself,” he says. “I’ve got to make it a race. It’s the only way I can get myself to do it.”

Naturally, Logano uses other workout techniques, but one of the best things to get in racing shape is actually going racing, which builds the needed muscle groups.

“I try to do some weightlifting and stuff,” says Logano. “Cardio is probably the biggest thing. After running a lot of these races your muscles get stronger for what’s in the car. There’s not many weightlifting things that kind of help the same muscles you’re using but you kind of get used to ‘em as you get going.”

And getting going is something Joey Logano has gotten very, very good at this year.