up to
with Krista Voda
NASCAR: A Whole New Game T Krista Voda hosts the popular SPEED prerace
show “NCWTS Setup,” leading into each NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Voda is also a regular host on “Trackside” and “The SPEED
Report” and serves as a pit reporter for NASCAR on FOX coverage of the Sprint Cup Series.
here has been much debate about whether NASCAR drivers are athletes in the same sense as competitors
in football, basketball or baseball. The irony is many people that trained in those sports now make their living in NASCAR — and not necessarily behind the wheel. You’ll find them all along pit road filling out the rosters of Sprint Cup teams. NASCAR has become so
specialized and competitive that organizations now go after these former athletes — whether it’s somebody who played previously in the National Football League
SPEED-NOS_Nill-AprilHalfSpread_Final_Layout 1 2/21/11 10:50 AM Page 1
or a former high school baseball player. What does an athlete bring that an average Joe doesn’t? They oftentimes train faster and react better under pressure. With game experiences
under their belt — needing that crucial hit in the ninth inning or a first down with inches to go — these guys know what pressure situations are, and that is something you really can’t teach. Pit crew coaches don’t want to have to do so, either. They want that already ingrained in their players. Having been part of a team in the past, chances are these
athletes also have learned to accept criticism and have been disciplined in some form or fashion. They are more equipped to handle adversity and to better themselves as a result. They know how to rise above individual goals and do what’s best for the team. Shannon Myers, rear-tire
changer for the No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing team and driver Martin Truex Jr., brought that type of competitive mindset to NASCAR after being drafted by the legendary Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins and playing for the NFL’s Jets, as well as time with
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