How NASCAR drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano are staying in shape at home

We talked to a few NASCAR drivers to see what their social distancing life is like: “We’ve had to get a little creative.”

Jimmie Johnson is moonlighting as a third-grade and kindergarten teacher, Clint Bowyer is camping in the woods, Joey Logano is on baby watch and Matt DiBenedetto is still doing CrossFit.

And they’re all still racing, despite the NASCAR season currently postponed because of the global COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. With the season on hold, drivers have been competing in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, a weekly exhibition event at virtual versions of real tracks in the iRacing world that’s being broadcasted on FOX and FS1. The next one is Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, where NASCAR would have been racing in real life this weekend.

Seven races have been postponed through May 3, but the Martinsville Speedway race May 9 is unlikely to happen with Virginia issuing a stay-at-home order, which includes a ban on gathers of more than 10 people, through June 10. So it’s unclear how many races in total will be impacted.

But without real races, drivers aren’t traveling to different tracks around the country each weekend. Like so many other people, they’re practicing social distancing, working (and working out) from home and teaching their children’s curriculum — along with finding ways to entertain them.

So we talked to these drivers about how they’re killing time and staying in shape so they’re prepared for whenever the NASCAR season returns, along with their thoughts about the future of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

These answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.

NASCAR first postponed two upcoming races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Were you already at the Atlanta track when NASCAR made the announcement on Friday, March 13?

Joey Logano: I was in Atlanta at the time. I had already flown down there for it. When we were leaving the race track, we had this eerie feeling. We happened to be driving by a school that was letting out really early in the day — I think it was around lunchtime — and it was, “Wow, this is an interesting scenario.” And it’s been that way ever since.

Matt DiBenedetto: Luckily, we were on the plane about to take off and then we got word from NASCAR that things were changing — that they were changing by the minute. You never think in your lifetime that something would happen where NASCAR races would get postponed. It was a crazy day I won’t ever forget.

What was your reaction to the next five races being postponed?

Jimmie Johnson: I wish I was informed in the beginning like I am now. When I look back, it’s the evolution of awareness and learning about this disease and how quickly it spreads and understanding the idea of the curve. In the beginning, disappointment, but now, it’s like, “Wow, we’ve got such an issue,” and I don’t know what the future holds.

Clint Bowyer: We all knew it existed, we all knew it was coming, and then all of a sudden, the sporting world starts falling like flies. That’s when reality hit. And hell, all of us are in this together. Nobody’s ever seen this before. This is a weird, unprecedented time for sure.

Aside from iRacing, how have you been killing time while still social distancing?

Logano: Our little guy’s two, and mama’s pregnant, so we are just on baby watch and watching our little guy grow up. Watching him ride his scooter’s been a lot of fun. He’s getting really good at it, which has been pretty cool because I typically wouldn’t have as much time to spend with him to see him grow.

Bowyer: Haha with two kids — three and five — and a wife, we’ve done everything from camped to you name it. We’ve played outside. The tricky thing is if it’s nice outside, I’ve got a fence I need to repair and change some stuff out. Hell, if you have a farm, you’re never out of projects. But if the weather could break, we could be outside and be working.

Johnson: We’re enjoying the family time together. We started homeschooling last week, which has really complicated our environment because Chani is still trying to work and run her gallery virtually now, just as I’m trying to race cars virtually. At times we’re feeling busier than ever.

FTW: How are your skills as a third-grade and kindergarten teacher?

Johnson: My third grader — things are honestly easier because she understands how to use the computer and she knows the processes involved with writing, reading, and math. But with Lydia in kindergarten, she can’t operate the computer or iPad. She can’t read through the directions or instructions, so hers is way more intensive, and kindergarten takes way longer.

FTW: Denny Hamlin tweeted about Googling elementary school math. Are you needing a reminder about how to do some of these things too?

Johnson: For sure a reminder, but math specifically has changed. They’ve got this whole process where you add in hundreds and tens and then worry about the spare numbers at the end. It’s a whole different process for math than what we grew up doing. So we came to that reality in first or second grade. I definitely recall [thinking], “Hold up, I’ve been doing math my whole life this way, and now you’re doing it that way? How does this work?”

As a diehard Kansas Chiefs fan, have you rewatched the Super Bowl yet?

Bowyer: I lived it, baby. Ain’t no sense in rewatching it, I lived it.

What about working out? Have you had to get creative?

Johnson: Yeah I have, and I’m doing a good job of it. The endurance side, I haven’t been able to get away for longer runs or rides. But from a strength standpoint, I’ve been able to do that. I have a small home gym, and I’ve been getting in some short runs and riding the Peloton.

We live in a neighborhood with nice, quiet roads, and we’ve been outside plenty and kids have been riding bikes. We’ve been practicing social distancing, of course, but our little group of four has been getting out quite a bit.

DiBenedetto: We’ve had to get a little creative. Me and my wife Taylor, [we train with] our two best friends, and they’re coaches at our CrossFit place. I own some equipment that was at our CrossFit gym — some dumbbells, a yoke, which is one of those things you carry and can also be used as a squat rack. And they also had equipment, so we loaded up a trailer behind my truck and we went to our [CrossFit] place before everything was closing down and picked up our equipment and took it to [our friend’s] aunt’s house and set up a temporary gym in her empty garage.

And shoot with nothing else to do, heck, we’ve almost worked out more now than ever because sometimes things can get busy and one week you might only be able to go three or four days. And now, it’s five or six days pretty religiously.

Logano: I’ve been running a lot and taking my little guy on some runs. Working out in my garage plenty. Doing the “honey-do” list, seems like a workout at times depending on what you’re building — beds and cribs and everything she wants me to do. But I’ve got no excuses about not staying fit right now, not like I have a lack of time.

https://www.facebook.com/planetfitness/videos/687539318659106/

FTW: What was it like leading a workout online for people to watch and follow along?

Logano: I’ve never led a workout before. I’m usually having the trainer tell me what to do. So I thought this will be a little different. But we kept it fun and light-hearted. I was sweating at the end, so that was good. I assume others were too.

What’s something you’ve done every day or often that you’d never normally be doing in the middle of the NASCAR season?

DiBenedetto: I’m kind of a homebody in general, so I guess a quarantine isn’t too tough for me. But I’ve mostly been playing a whole lot more iRacing than I have been in the last couple years, and we need some sort of competitive nature in our lives as drivers.

Bowyer: I’ve built a small cabin back in the woods on our farm, and Cash and I have been going out there. I’m trying to help my wife and give her some relief because really, we have two kids, but she has three. And so I try to take Cash. We’ve been camping out at the cabin and having campfires and fishing. We’ve done it all.

Logano: I’m actually riding my bike while talking to you right now, so that’s kind of funny.

How much beer did you stock up on?

Bowyer: Oh, I’ve got plenty of beer. I won’t run out of that. Nobody has to worry about ol’ Clint running out of that category. There are certain necessities in life you’ve got to make sure you have. We’re going to run out of toilet paper before we run out of beer.

Are you binge-watching anything?

DiBenedetto: We mostly look forward to watching This Is Us. We’re way behind the times, but we’re watching Breaking Bad because all these years we’ve never started it. And then we will sit down and watch Two and a Half Men and Family Guy pretty often. Those are our go-tos.

Johnson: I have not because I’ve been in one of those damn sim rigs once the kids go to bed.

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