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Caitlin qualified for the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in
Phoenix Ingternational last November (2010) Other
women who raced in the series in 2010 at Jennifer
Jo Cobb, Johsnns Long, Michelle Theriault, Angela
Cope, and Amber Cope.
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Contact: eMail | www.caitlinshawracing.com/
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Are Racecar Drivers
Athletes?
Welcome back to GirlRacer.co.uk with my weekly pit
stop, I'm your driver -- Caitlin Shaw! As a driver
I might have a bit of a bias in stating that,
racecar drivers are athletes. However, I have also
competed in a variety of traditional sports. I know
the workout regimens for soccer are extremely
difficult having competed at a youth national level
for nine years and winning a national championship
with my team in 2006 - it was a lot of hard work.
Yet, now that I have turned my focus towards
racing, I still use many of the same workout
programs for the motorsports industry that I used
for soccer. I still do not drink soda and I limit
my intake of fast and fatty foods. I feel like I am
just as much of an athlete as I was when I was
playing traditional sports. However, there are
different aspects to competing in a motorsport race
than there are in a soccer game. For instance,
there is no slide tackling, no shoulder to shoulder
action, and unfortunately, there are no diving
headers into the goal. Yet, an Olympic runner
doesn't have the physical contact of a soccer or
football player and they are considered an athlete,
and a soccer player may not have the flexibility
and agility of a gymnast but they too are
considered an athlete. Three qualities that make an
athlete are skill, physical ability, and mental
ability. Racecar drivers must possess all three of
these to compete in an event.
When I asked GirlRacer enthusiasts if racers
were athletes, I had very mixed responses on what
qualities make an athlete. Most of the GirlRacer
fans agreed that a racer was an athlete. However,
one strongly disagreed. He stated, "I would have to
say that racecar drivers are not athletes. Driving
a racecar is a skill that very few people have. I
am not trying to take anything away from what
drivers do. In what other sport can a 50-year-old
athlete, a 30-year-old athlete and a 20-year-old
athlete all compete on the same level? Even golf
has a senior tour. Mark Martin's success this
season has definitely made many question the
athleticism needed to drive a racecar. Granted,
Mark Martin is in excellent shape and works out
harder than just about anyone in the garage area
works. However, he is 50 and he is able to beat an
18-year-old." He goes on to state, "The fact that
racing is physically exhausting does not make
racecar drivers athletes". While his points could
be a valid argument, Brett Favre is a 40-year-old
and competes against 20-year-olds in the NFL. Are
football players not considered athletes because of
the age differences? Jimmie Johnson a dominant
driver in the series is 34-years-old, which in the
NASCAR industry is an average age for wins.
According to NASCAR.com 1/3rd of all wins recorded
have been won by drivers age 31 - 35, with this
information, Mark Martin at 50-years-old is an
outlier in this category, but he works harder than
most to succeed on the track. Michael Waltrip is
46-years-old he's had a long and victorious career,
but he has recognized his decline in performance
due to age and is cutting back his races in 2010 to
give younger athletes in their prime like
29-year-old Martin Truex Jr. a golden opportunity
to compete with his organization. Mark Martin is an
inspiration to many of the drivers in the garage.
They see his strict, demanding workouts and diet
and his results that come from his dedication. If
he were just a 50-year-old man and not an athlete,
he would not be in the position he is in today.
Source: Her blog at
www.girlracer.co.uk/component/myblog
Find additional stories there.
In July 2009, Caitlin made her NASCAR debut in
the CWTS at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Caitlin
qualified 32nd and ended up finishing 24th in Tom
DeLoach’s #1 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra
machine. Caitlin commented after the race, "It was
such an adrenaline rush!"
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