Are NASCAR drivers athletes? This is indeed a strange question for someone who isn’t in-tune with stock car racing. It’s not like the drivers turn up to the racetrack on weekends, race for a couple of hours and get back to their personal life. If anything, it’s a demanding full-time job, and NASCAR drivers do not like when they are compared to an NBA player.

“You know, the fact that they even ask us is a bit ridiculous, in my opinion. If you give me a basketball, I’m not going to be that great with it. If you put an NBA player in a race car, they’re not going to be that great either.” This was Joey Logano’s fiery response to the discussion.

If we are to go by research of the University of Florida, the professional drivers need extraordinary physical and mental stamina to compete in a major racing series such as NASCAR, IndyCar or Formula 1. But unlike any other athletes, drivers are dressed in a full-body fire suit while making laps in extreme weather conditions. In NASCAR, the racing and weather change from one region to another. One weekend, they are racing in the desert of Vegas, and the very next week, they are ripping the wall at Miami Homestead.

Fun fact: NASCAR drivers need to adapt to these changes for a total of 36 weeks with no days off. So how do the drivers actually prepare their schedule and adjust to different racing conditions. This question becomes more relevant now that the NASCAR circus is headed from an intermediate track to a short oval at Martinsville. Well, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has a rather unique formula that he uses to tackle this challenge.

“For me, I had narrowed it down to a 5-day window. I’m all about one track for 5 days, and then I kinda switch; like 2 days is my off day. But it really switches in that essence. But 5 days is what I can concentrate on one race track. Monday is the final day I’ll be working on Homestead. And Wednesday, I’ll switch to whatever the next track – Martinsville coming up.” Hamlin explained during a press conference at Miami Homestead.

It has to be noted that Denny Hamlin, at 44, is the oldest active driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. So naturally, he needs to optimize his race week prepartions. Apart from driving the No. 11 car on Sunday, he is also a co-owner at 23XI Racing, which is an added responsibility on his shoulders. Well, he is also the father to Taylor and Molly, so he also needs to be at home with his family.

Well, Hamlin is doing a splendid job in ticking off all the boxes, and despite his commitments outside the No. 11 team, he is still a fierce competitor. While the start of the 2025 season has been slow for him, a couple of top 5 and a runner finish at Phoenix isn’t too shabby for the three-time Daytona 500 winner. Although the #11 team is preparing for the first short oval race of the season, all the hype right now is about Hamlin’s Darlington throwback.

Cousin Carl will be honored at Darlington Raceway by the No. 11 JGR team

Last year, the Terry Labonte throwback scheme on Kyle Larson’s No. 5 car was the class of the field at the Darlington throwback weekend. And with the spring 2025 race edging closer, teams and shops have been busy rolling out their special schemes for the race. Now that Carl Edwards is finally making a comeback to NASCAR, his former team, Joe Gibbs Racing, decided to celebrate him.

The No. 11 JGR car will mirror Edward’s 2006-07 Office Depot livery. Hamlin’s sponsor, Sport Clips Haircut, will also be featured on the striking red and black color combo. The throwback tradition dates back to 2015 when the NASCAR team started celebrating iconic paint schemes, and since then, it seems a celebration for past icons and their partners.

Hamlin shared the design for his No. 11 car for Darlington on X: “Darlington throwback 🤝 Carl Edwards.” Well the scheme was an instant hit among the race fans as even some of Hamlin’s ardent haters were willing to be his fan for one event. Keep an eye out for more such announcements as teams and drivers will be active on social media, sharing their plans for the Darlington throwback weekend.