Martin recently won a Sprint Cup race becoming, at 50 years old, the oldest driver to win in a Sprint Cup event. As amazing as that is, he isn’t alone. Force, at 60 years old, is competing after coming back from an accident that would have had most men his age still in rehabilitation. They are only two examples of age not playing a factor in this sport.
NASCAR’s Feel-good Story
Martin recently won the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C. and, has won two of the last five races on the circuit making him one of the hottest drivers this season. He's ranked 11th this year in the Sprint Cup standings. His accomplishment is more unique because he had been mired in a 97-race winless streak and was considering retirement a few years ago.
“I’m having a blast,” Martin said. “I’m really, really having a blast.”
That wasn’t the case in 2007 and 2008, when he finished 27th and 28th respectively in the NASCAR points standings. “I learned things all through my career,” Martin said of those years. “I never stopped learning. I learned some really great lessons in 2007 and 2008.”
Physical Abilities Aren’t the Same
But how does he do it physically? Racing is about stamina, reflexes and nerve. Things most people believe diminish as we age. “I’m a different person,” Martin said. “I still think that I’m cautious about what I set myself up for. But I know I’m gonna have some fun.”
NHRA’s Force Still Loves to Drive
Fun is what drives National Hot Rod Association icon Force even though he’s suffered unbelievable crashes that would have made some walk away from a sport that is all about speed. In a September 2007 crash in Texas he broke his left ankle, wrist and knee. He had six hours of reconstructive surgery and 100 days later he was back in his car racing. This year, Force is in ninth place in the Full Throttle Funny Car Division standings.
It Isn’t Just a Job
“Don’t do it for the money,” Force said. “Don’t do it because you want to be a super star. Do it because you love it. It’s not just the racing at the track. It’s the shows and the airplanes and living on the road. It will wear you out. Don’t do anything unless you love it, otherwise you are wasting your time. Do it for the journey. It’s a journey in life. It took me 50 years to figure that out and I have.”
