NASCAR drivers also fast on their feet

If you think driving doesn’t take any fitness, think again.

Being a stock car racer might not seem like a sport that requires very much physical exertion, but the best NASCAR drivers are consistently found to be in top physical condition, and if you don’t believe it look to the Daytona Beach half-marathon.

Each year before the Daytona 500, one of NASCAR’s premier events, some drivers run the Daytona Beach half-marathon and often do well, but all-star driver Jimmie Johnson took this year to really prove his fitness out of the driver’s seat.

Johnson, a six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champ, finished third in the men’s 35-39 age category by running 1:28:16, a pretty quick time for someone who usually races cars. He’s been noted as one of the fitness stock car drivers, which is impressive given the shape most of them keep. He’s a frequent entrant in triathlons and road races while not in the driver’s seat.

Still, this was far from Johnson’s best result in Daytona. He won the Daytona 500 last spring and also in 2006. This year’s Daytona 500 will go off on Sunday, Feb. 23. The half-marathon has become a staple in the lead-up events during Budweiser Speedweek, a week of festivities before the NASCAR race.

The half-marathon starts and ends on the 2.2 mile Daytona International Speedway where the cars race and the route is littered with cars and checkered flags, keeping to the theme of the week.

Another NASCAR personality and two-time Daytona 500 champ, Michael Waltrip, also raced the half-marathon in 2:16:38.

All runners were given tickets to the Daytona 500 qualifying races, which took place the afternoon after the run, on Feb. 16.