{"id":2053,"date":"2015-08-08T20:44:12","date_gmt":"2015-08-09T01:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pauleide.com\/?p=2053"},"modified":"2024-01-14T16:05:56","modified_gmt":"2024-01-14T22:05:56","slug":"a-day-in-the-life-of-nascar-driver-cole-whitt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/a-day-in-the-life-of-nascar-driver-cole-whitt\/","title":{"rendered":"Day In The Life Of NASCAR Driver Cole Whitt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cole

The best things in NASCAR thrive under pressure. Whether it’s the engine, pit crew or driver, it’s a game of constant pressure, a game of endurance that lasts from February to November. And the team that handles it the best wins the Sprint Cup.<\/h1>\n

“Typically, you\u2019ve got several things to do,” said 24-year old Speed Stick driver Cole Whitt about his routine for each race weekend. “Each day, you wake up around nine, go to the track and take care of all of your pre-race track duties.”<\/p>\n

The demands placed on a NASCAR driver throughout the season are intense. The idea that drivers get to the track, turn left for three hours and then resume their day-to-day life\u00a0is false.<\/p>\n

“After a race, you recover the rest of\u00a0Sunday. You only get three days at home a week. Then you rest on Monday and try to tax your body with workouts Tuesday and Wednesday, travel again on Thursday \u2013 we\u2019re constantly travelling or moving.”<\/h2>\n

But time at the track, both pre-race and during the race, are only two components\u00a0of a busy schedule.<\/p>\n

“You usually have media obligations both days, whether its interviews or appearances, and then the race.\u00a0From the minute the checkered flag finishes, you\u2019re essentially preparing for the next Sunday from that moment on.”<\/p>\n

\"Paul

This weekend, one of those appearances was\u00a0for Speed Stick, signing autographs and giving away #35 T-shirts\u00a0at a local Kroger grocery store, where the temperature reached the mid-90s.<\/p>\n

“I typically lose between 10-12 pounds per race. Sitting in a car is like being in a sauna for four hours.”<\/p>\n

A test of mental endurance as much as physical, doubt can also creep into the mind of a driver during the grueling season.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s really easy to get down on yourself, to doubt yourself, especially as a smaller team,” said Whitt about his crew, which is roughly half the size of the larger teams they’re competing against.<\/h2>\n

“It\u2019s a different mentality here. If we\u2019re Top 25, we are proud of our team.\u00a0The team has to work as hard with half as much of the support as the big teams.<\/p>\n

“But the biggest thing is staying mentally healthy and not feeling doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n