NASCAR Drivers Are Training Like Endurance Runners—And Getting Faste

June 4, 2025

With drivers training like runners, it’s becoming harder to ignore the reality that NASCAR isn’t just a mechanical sport,it’s an endurance sport, too.

Ross Chastain used to run a 7-minute mile. Now he clocks 5:30, and it’s not just a personal milestone. That time makes him the fastest in a growing group of NASCAR drivers training like distance runners, thanks to Josh Wise and his Chevrolet-backed “Wise Optimization” program.

Wise, a former Cup Series driver, now works full-time on improving driver performance, physically, mentally, and neurologically.

Drivers in the program train year-round, hitting the gym, riding bikes, and completing half-marathons. Marathon Handbook