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NASCAR teams tune up at NCRC for physical, nutritional conditioning

Testing underway at Appalachian State's Human Performance lab. (Appalachian State photo)

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By Emily Ford, Salisbury Post

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Two NASCAR teams have turned to the N.C. Research Campus to improve pit crew performance through exercise science and nutrition.

Hendrick Motorsports is sending pit crews for the No. 5 and No. 88 teams to the Research Campus in Kannapolis, a $1.5 billion life sciences complex where eight universities study health, nutrition and agriculture.

Hendrick has entered what the company calls a "long-term relationship" with Appalachian State University's Human Performance Lab, directed by Dr. David Nieman.

"We are always looking for an edge of opportunity to improve the performance of our pit crews," said Mark Mauldin, pit crew coordinator for Hendrick Motorsports who lives in Salisbury. "Dr. Nieman has expertise in overall fitness and cardiovascular health, and that's an area we don't pursue heavily in our sport."

It's possible that drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin also will undergo testing at the Research Campus, where athletes run on a treadmill until they can't take another step to measure their pulmonary efficiency and sit in a space-age Bod Pod wearing nothing but a swimsuit to determine their body composition, among other tests.

For more details, see the Salisbury Post report.
 

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