Jimmie Johnson is the face of fitness in NASCAR.
The six-time Sprint Cup Series champion recently let Gatorade and its ‘Beat the Heat’ program tag along with him for the race weekend at Watkins Glen International — a race weekend in which Johnson is known for taking a mammoth bike ride of 65 miles the Saturday before the race under the hot August sun.
“As I’ve kind of evolved in the sport and grew in the sport, I can see how I can do a better job as an individual to be as sharp in the car physically, mentally,” Johnson said. “I’ve been through a few different variations of the type of training that I’ve done … if you want to be fast, you’ve got to suffer.”
NASCAR has evolved over the years; now, drivers and the crew members make fitness, nutrition and hydration a big part of their preparation and routine to gain an edge on their competition.
Johnson specifically has started doing triathlons to help refine his car driving skills; endurance training both physically and mentally prepares him for the intensity of a race. Each race weekend, Johnson bikes and runs several miles between practice, qualifying and the race to keep in top shape for driving his car. The NASCAR community has developed a group of crew members and drivers who gather each race weekend for a long cycling ride, around 60 miles, to take in the surrounding area.
RELATED: Junior breaks one of Jimmie’s bikes