So maybe you are fascinated with NASCAR and would like to choose this as a career. How does one go about participating in race driver training so as to become a driver? There are drivers training schools but all are very expensive and there is no guarantee that you will become a real NASCAR driver. So what kind of training makes a professional driver?

Well, just as in other professional sports, the competition to be a driver is very tough. But more than that, the majority of people dont get there because of a lack of driver training. It usually is because of who they know, who their family is, and where they started. These drivers start when they are very young and run the go cart circuits. Their fathers were probably race car drivers. They probably ran into a promoter or sponsor somewhere along the way that gives them their big break.

NASCAR driver training includes the physical portion and also stresses mental conditioning. Although to the fans it looks easy, a drivers brain has to work very fast to be alert to other cars around him while trying to take the lead and maintain it.

The best training has been learned in the early years by most of these drivers when they were just children. Growing up around tracks and being able to drive the cars at young ages allowed the driver training to become somewhat instinctive. This is very important because later on during professional competition, the carbon monoxide levels can get very high inside of the drivers compartment. Carbon monoxide can cause confusion. The way to overcome confusion is to depend on instinct. Training accentuates the instinct.

The physical conditioning of the driver is the subject for an article all its own but you can think about it as somewhat like an astronaut preparing for his or her first launch. The G forces are very significant for a race car driver and driver training includes getting conditioned to them. Astronauts experience significantly more G forces but the NASCAR driver should include conditioning for them nonetheless.

The training also includes the drivers education from a young age. You might ask what non-driving education has to do with NASCAR driver training. Well, a driver is going to be promoting the products of some very large and prominent companies. That means that along the way he or she will have to give an endorsement of the products. If these guys get in front of the camera and cannot use proper grammar it would not look too good.

Another reason why education is important in NASCAR is because the driver wont be able to drive forever. Once a driver gets into middle age, it becomes tougher. So he will need to be able to branch out into other aspects of the racing business. He will probably still be running the team but will have to think more of the business aspect of things. This is where business and marketing education would be most beneficial.

Many of the retired drivers such as Richard Petty operate driving schools as well as serious driver improvement programs when they are offering NASCAR driving experiences for those wondering what its like to be as a NASCAR driver.

Call mental exhaustion what you will: dead head, study head, sleepy head, brain drain. It’s the numb feeling that swells deep inside the cavity your brain. I know the feeling firsthand. As a Radio-TV-Film major attending college, I get it nearly every waking moment on the day before a due date. It sneaks up and jabs you square in the skull; and in next to no time you’re about ready to collapse in the throes of Dreamland.

Call mental exhaustion what you will: dead head, study head, sleepy head, brain drain. It’s the numb feeling that swells deep inside the cavity your brain. I know the feeling firsthand. As a Radio-TV-Film major attending college, I get it nearly every waking moment on the day before a due date. One of my rituals is writing screenplays, and I really can’t stress to say how often “brain drain” happens. It sneaks up and jabs you square in the skull; and in next to no time you’re about ready to collapse in the throes of Dreamland. It’s as if you were blackballed down a blind alley.

It happens, like that, all the time.

My efforts to combat the problem surfaced only recently, and I say this to emphasize both the ease and the probability of a “cure.” Mental exhaustion sweeps in during times of increased study and concentration. Stress may be a factor, but it surly is not the only cause. As a writer, brain drain always hit whenever I pushed myself to overcome a bout of writer’s block. I would focus intensely for hours at a time. And like an unseen cloud overhead, it would enshroud my skull. My natural instinct would be to plop my head face-down atop the table. The day would go swirling down the drain by the time I woke up.

Needless to say, mental exhaustion can really sap the time out of the day. It may even lead to depression and increased anxiety, but hey, I’m no psychologist. I’m a student, and what I do know is that it’s a big time killer. Sitting down with an open book but a closed mind has to be one of life’s biggest frustrations.

The obvious causes for this kind of dysfunction stem from a lack of sleep and a proper diet, at least for me. Think of your brain as having its own gauge. When you put the pedal to the metal and concentrate in full throttle, the rational diagnosis is that the gauge steadily drops to zero. From that point onward, you’re just grinding gears. To no surprise, the body needs nutrition and rest. Deprive yourself of those two vital components and, well, your influence over your own body will gradually slip away. It’s not a matter of ridding yourself of this mental exhaustion; but on a broader scope, it’s a matter of regaining control over your body.

Good sleep does not necessitate the amount of time slept. It is about knowing your body’s own biological clock. I discovered that not only did I wake up earlier the sooner I went to bed, but I also felt more refreshed throughout the day. Think about it: how much time do you spend awake versus sleep? The two should work toward an ideal balance; otherwise, a large chunk of sleep after a long and tiresome day does not restore the balance. The bottom line is this: a long day that was spent half asleep (we all know those kinds of days), met with an overdue long night of sleep, will not equal a refreshed tomorrow.

Besides taking up a better diet, the other solution is to practice a better study routine. Breaks may seem unprogressive to a study session, but in actuality they are invaluable. Your brain, like your legs, cannot run for so long without slowing down or sitting completely.

Of course, just remember the difference between a break and a distraction…