Having raced cars I would tell you that race car drivers aren't athletes the way more physical athletes are. But they are athletes. Driving is physically demanding and does take it out of ya. I raced on local short tracks, and after 40 laps your arse is whooped. I can't even imagine what 400-600 laps in one stretch would be like.

The only negative about NASCAR is that they are intentionally killing other forms of racing. World of Outlaws and Hooters Pro cup to name a few.

As for Mr Schumacher,,, I loved watching that guy before traction control. Lost respect for him when he (and others) started using it. What separates the drivers from the hacks is throttle control. Being able to smash on the gas peddle and not having to worry about spinning out just aint right. Throttle control is the name of the game. That is why most of the hot new drivers in NASCAR come from dirt racing. In dirt racing you steer the car off the back tires, which means you have to have a smooth right foot.

If NASCAR is such a joke, how is it Juan Montoya can win an Indy car championship, a F1 championship, but can't even stay out of his own way running with the Sprint Cup boys? How is it that when Jeff Gordon jumped in Juan Montoya's F1 car at Indy he went fast enough to qualify for previous race, but when Juan got in good old number 24 he couldn't make that car go fast enough to make the NASCAR race? I am not a huge Montoya fan, but I respect what he has accomplished.

Any way back to the topic at hand. Race car drivers are a unique form of athlete. Their skill requires mastery of their own body, and the machine they are in.

To each his own I guess is what it comes down to.