Are NASCAR Drivers Really Athletes?

To the sometimes asked question, Are NASCAR drivers athletes, my answer would be that most of them are somewhat 'athletic'. Most of the drivers now work out to some extent, and that certainly hasn't always been the case. Unless you count them doing those "16 ounce curls" over the long history of the sport. I'm sure the young guys of the sport are into jogging, lifting weights, and/or some type of cardio workouts. But let's face it, it does not necessarily take an athlete to drive a race car (And no, I have never driven one in a race. Only occasionally on the interstate!). There have been some 'bellies' in NASCAR that made you wonder how they ever fit under a steering wheel. But the guys today seem pretty fit to handle the rigors of sitting on their rear ends for several hours on a Sunday afternoon. If you think about team sports such as baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, etc. you have to be in shape to compete. The same holds for individual sports like golf, tennis, track & field, etc. About as far as I can go with this debate is to give race car drivers credit for being athletic, but you're not necessarily an athlete because you're a race car driver. Skilled, yes most definitely. In shape to compete, no. The car is the only one of the two that has to be in shape to compete. But this is merely An Opinion On Sports !