NASCAR/IRL/F1- Sport or Not?

[Thriller Ant]

I enjoy this section, so I thought I'd try start a thread to get some good discussion just for you 48.7 . Hopefully, if this goes over well, I might make it into a series.

So, when I was younger, I used to love NASCAR. I live in southern Illinois and it is pretty popular around here. I have grown out of my liking of it, but my dad and brother still enjoy it.

I see NASCAR, IRL, and other racing series on SportsCenter all the time, and I often debate with myself because I can't decide if it is a sport or not. While it doesn't necessarily take any above average physical talents, take it from someone who has ridden in a Nascar going around a track at 170 mph that it is pretty tough on the body. I will chip in later with my full opinion, but I ask you, WZ forums, is car racing a sport or not?

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

I tend to lean towards the side of 'no'. It's more the car than anything, and if given proper training, anyone could race. It takes little skill to go around in circles and occasionally stop for gas. But, any activity that makes me lose 15-20 pounds at a time, I have to give some credit to.

 

[Bernkastel]

I tend to lean towards "yes"

While it takes minimal skill to drive a car you have to remember that racers spend multiple hours in their cars during a race. There is no air conditioner... that combined with the fire suits that the drivers have to wear plus the usually unbearable heat outside makes for some unreal conditions inside the car. The intensity of the heat can cause a driver to become disorientated, and when you're racing at 190+ mph (220+ for Indycar) it takes a significant amount of skill to keep a car in a designated trajectory for hours on end and not crash.

Racers have to be in top physical and mental condition in order to compete, any regular person would probably succumb to the heat halfway through a race. Drivers are no more or less fatigued at the end of a race than football and basketball players are at the end of a game, so I don't see the big deal in calling NASCAR/Indycar/ETC sports.

The competitiveness along with the intensity of the conditions of a race should warrant enough qualification.

 

[HEEL Blazy]

I for one do. I pretty much agree with Echelon on why its a sport. But also once Nascar did this thing where they took come celebs and had a challenge with them to see who can do what. Many top notch athletes in it like John Cena,John Elway,Tony Hawk,Laird Hamilton,John Salley,and Bill Cowher. All of them even said it was harder then it looks and they even consider it a sport.

 

[The Todd]

Without a doubt they are sports. I can't really speak for NASCAR as I've never seen it but motorsport in generall deserves to sporting recognition.

To me a sport has nothing to do with how competitive or how much hard work it is. A sport to me is something that a competitor can clearly beat someone else at. For example in a football game (any type) there is a set scoring system and the team who gets the most points wins. In dancing there is no set scoring system, it is up to the judges descretion if they feel it was a good performance or not, one judge could see it as prfect the next thinks it's shit. It doesn't take away from the skill needed to do the discipline not to be called a sport.

With motorsport there is clearly a winner. The first one across the line wins. Therefore in my eyes it will always be a sport.