“It's about endurance”: When Chase Elliott touched on specific fitness requirements for NASCAR drivers

NASCAR driver Chase Elliott shared his insights on the diet required by drivers to thrive while racing for hundreds of laps in gruelling temperatures every week. It’s quite common among drivers to lose around 10 pounds per race because of the forces at play. In an interview with GQ in 2018, the driver shared his typical diet and what he does for fitness.

What does Chase Elliott do to prepare before the race?

Chase Elliott mentions the most important thing for him, which is hydration.

"The biggest key for me is hydration. If you fall behind and the race begins, it’s too late.", the 29-year-old told GQ

If he is coming off a hot race, he spends time catching up on hydration, or else the dehydration causes his calves to cramp up during the race.

"You need at least three or four days after a hot one ", he added

His diet before races mainly consists of eating a grapefruit and a banana during the morning. Before the race in the afternoon, the Hendrick Motorsports driver is sticks to a grilled chicken-type lunch with rice and corn, not too much though because he prefers going into the race not full and later comes back for the leftovers in a wrap.

"Typically, I eat a grapefruit and a banana in the morning. Before the race, I’m pretty strict on a grilled-chicken-type lunch with rice and corn. I don’t like to eat a ton because I don’t want to feel full going into a race.", the Hendrick Motorsports driver said

What does Chase Elliott do during the race?

To stay hydrated during the race, he uses a hydration mix called Shaklee. The Hendrick Motorsports driver mixes the hydration powder with the water during pit stops. Another thing is the use of salt tablets for the driver, it’s to reduce the effects of losing minerals while sweating.

"I’ll have bottles of water given to me on pit stops, and I’ll try to mix the hydration powder with the regular water.", Chase Elliott said

What does Chase Elliott do to stay in shape?

Chase Elliott mentioned that the driver’s upper body works “pretty hard” during the race. It’s not about benching loads of weight or lower body workouts for the 29-year-old, but a low weight, high repetition regime for the upper body. He mentioned that driving use certain muscles that other professions don’t use and working on them is crucial for him to be in top shape.

"It’s not about benching or squatting the most, so if you lift, it's about endurance—a low-weight, high-rep regimen. You work your upper body pretty hard during a race, especially from your shoulders to your neck. I never really know how to describe it, but there are certain muscles that we use that you just don’t use if you’re doing anything else.", he said

"In this sport—sitting in the cars and doing the motions we do—we get really tense, and my mobility has suffered because of that. It's a weird dynamic, to have your muscles cramping and your heart racing while your body isn't moving. I’m not sure your body is supposed to work like that.", he added

Elliott admits to being bad with maintaining stretching as a regular hobby and admitted that there are issues wuth mobility if stretching isn’t done regularly by a driver as in the case with him.