Despite Being Veteran Racers, Cup Series Drivers Sigh with Uncertainty About Becoming Olympic Players

This two-week Olympic break has enabled NASCAR teams to indulge racers in some Olympic-related fun. Previously, we saw the racers of team Penske answering the question of how it would be if motorsports were in the Olympics. This led to some saying it should be like a decathlon, or that it would require unique cars and tracks.

In another one, now Coca-Cola has taken to Instagram with a video of some of the top NASCAR racers answering what Olympic sport they would choose. Daniel Suarez would like to sprint in the 100-meter event, and Denny Hamlin said he would have chosen the least athletic sport among all.

If NASCAR racers were Olympians…

The Paris Olympic break will soon end, and NASCAR will return to the Richmond Raceway. The break has come before a very crucial time, as only 4 races are remaining before the playoffs. It has given the drivers struggling a chance to regroup with their teams and make a strategy to bounce back. Speaking of the break, Kyle Larson is already back to racing. He recently won a sprint car race at the Federated Auto Parts I-55 Raceway. As for others, racing will resume on the next weekend. Till then, they are continuing the fun.

Coca-Cola took to Instagram with a video of their racers, answering what sport they would choose to play in the Olympics. In the list, first up was Daniel Suarez, who would like to do running—not long distance, but a quick 100-meter dash. As for Denny Hamlin, he would like to play golf, but Hamlin says he cannot play at the same level as the Olympians.

Reiterating this; he said, “I have played with some professional golfers. I know damn well I’m not nearly as good as they are. While it would be a pipe dream, it would be a wish, I would never be able to compete at their level. Like Hamlin, even Chase Elliott picked golf.

Next, Austin Dillon and Joey Logano chose racket sports as their answer. Dillon’s preferred choice was pickleball, but sadly, it’s not played in the Olympics. So he has to settle for Clay shooting. As for Logano, it was ping-pong. He said, “I am pretty decent at ping pong. Not as good as they are but I can hang.” However, if all of them really could, they would surely hope to race in the Olympics. Wouldn’t it be great to see them race against different racers from around the world? At one point in time, this was a reality.

Motorsports in the Olympics

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On two occasions, motorsports have made an appearance in the Summer Olympics. Although it was never formally recognized as an Olympic sport. The first instance was in 1900, the games were essentially a seven-month-long celebration of the history of the sport held in conjunction with the World’s Fair. The primary goal was to showcase the capabilities of different car manufacturers rather than individual drivers. The event culminated in a demanding 837-mile endurance race.

The second time was in 1936 at the Berlin Summer Olympics. British driver Elizabeth Haig, partnered with Joyce Lambert, claimed victory by driving a six-cylinder Singer Nine Le Mans. Their win earned them a gold medal, the only gold medal won in motorsports till now. Motorsport would not return to the Olympic stage for nearly four decades until it made a third appearance in the 1972 Munich Games. However, again, it wasn’t included as an official motorsports competition or award medals. It was just a part of the pre-Olympic rally, which was organized as a precursor to the main event.

This year there were many new additions to the Olympics, so who knows, we might see racing too in the future. Would you be excited to see that? Let us know in the comments below.