Abstract
Physiological analysis is vital for understanding the demands of a sport and is required for exercise prescription. The metabolic demands of stock car drivers have not been investigated, thus their physiological demands remain equivocal. PURPOSE: The aim of this investigation was to quantify the metabolic demands of a late model stock car driver. METHODS: A male, late model stock car driver, participated in this investigation (height=183.0 cm; body weight=88.4 kg; age=46 years). Testing consisted of three sessions separated by 48 hours of recovery. The first session included two 10 lap heats on a 0.54 kilometer asphalt race track. Lap times were competitive and averaged 16.7 seconds, as calculated via video analysis. The second and third sessions included maximal treadmill (LBE) and upper body ergometer (UBE) testing, respectively. All sessions utilized a portable metabolic unit for analysis of metabolic variables including: oxygen uptake (mL·kg-1·min-1), heart rate (bpm), respiratory frequency (breaths/min), and energy expenditure (kcal·min-1). Physiological data were averaged for the duration of each lap and normalized to the respective maximal values obtained during the LBE and UBE testing. RESULTS: Oxygen consumption during racing was 15.2 mL·kg-1·min-1, representing 34.0 and 67.1% of the maximal values obtained during the LBE (44.6 mL·kg-1·min-1) and UBE (22.6 mL·kg-1·min-1), respectively. Heart rate during racing was 148 bpm, representing 80.4 and 87.6% of the maximal values obtained during the LBE (184 bpm) and UBE (169 bpm), respectively. Respiratory frequency during racing was 48.5 breaths/min, representing 74.4 and 81.7% of the maximal values obtained during the LBE (65.2 breaths/min) and UBE (59.4 breaths/min), respectively. Energy expenditure during racing was 6.6 kcal·min-1, representing 31.3 and 55.7% of the maximal values obtained during the LBE (21.1 kcal·min-1) and UBE (11.9 kcal·min-1), respectively. CONCLUSION: Competitive late model stock car racing can impose metabolic demands of 31.3 to 87.6% of a driver's maximum. Sports medicine professionals are encouraged to utilize these results for the prescription of exercise. Future research should investigate drivers from various racing classes and assess the differences therein.
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