How Do Motorsport Athletes Like NASCAR Drivers Mentally Train For Peak Performance & Flow States?
NASCAR Drivers and other elite motorsport athletes use cutting-edge techniques such as Brainspotting to help train their brains to overcome the physiological stress associated with racing. Brainspotting helps drivers access the regions of the brain associated with dysregulation behaviors and flow states while bypassing the regions of the brain that have minimal influence over these issues.
Last updated 7/5/26, written by Benjamin Foodman, CMPC, LCSW, CSCS
About The Author
Ben Foodman is a licensed psychotherapist & Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). He owns his private practice located in Charlotte North Carolina where he specializes in working with athletes to help them overcome mental blocks (the yips), increase mental toughness and improve focus using techniques such as Brainspotting, biofeedback, exercise science and sport psychology. If you are interested in services, use the link here! Enjoy the article below!
Table Of Contents
How Do Sport Psychologists Work With Motorsport Athletes To Develop Flow States?
Why Do Sport Psychologists Teach How Peak Performance Occurs Through Seeking Comfort In Discomfort?
Why Is Process Goal Orientation All That Matters For Athlete Performance?
Frequently Asked Questions About NASCAR Driver Mental Training
How Do CMPCs Use Brainspotting To Develop Peak Psychological Performance For NASCAR Drivers?
How Do Sport Psychologists Work With Motorsport Athletes To Develop Flow States?
NASCAR drivers and other elite motorsport athletes typically train for flow states using three mental strategies: seeking comfort in discomfort, orienting around process goals instead of outcomes, and advanced techniques such as Expansion Brainspotting that access the subcortical regions of the brain where flow states originate.
In the world of professional race car drivers there are specific psychological features one must have in order to achieve both high levels of success, and to sustain that success over long periods of time. A professional race car driver’s career rarely comes down to one race but rather whether they have cultivated a process that can withstand the pressures of this sport. Interestingly I have found that many of these race car driver features have universal application to all other sport performance domains. If properly harnessed these features can allow individuals to achieve what we call flow states (peak performance experiences that feel psychologically & physically effortless).
Because I have worked extensively with many professional race car drivers such as NASCAR drivers, I wanted to take some time to share three key mental strategies that athletes in all sport domains should use to achieve flow states. In part I. I want to review what it means to ‘seek comfort in discomfort’ and the neuroscience that supports this intervention. In part II. I want to discuss how taking a process goal focus primes athletes for mental flow states. Finally in part III. I want to explore an advanced Brainspotting technique called Expansion which can be used to create flow states. Let’s first begin by understanding how to seek comfort in discomfort.
Why Do Sport Psychologists Teach How Peak Performance Occurs Through Seeking Comfort In Discomfort?
Peak performance typically comes from seeking comfort in discomfort: rather than using coping skills to avoid pressure, drivers train to fully experience and understand their discomfort. This engages the subcortical brain, shifts athletes into bottom-up processing, and gives them more access to their body when it matters most.
People that are unfamiliar with the sport of NASCAR usually have a very poor understanding about the psychological and physical demands that drivers are under. These drivers experience immense pressure from their sponsors, fans and teammates to drive their car to perfection. Psychological demands include but are not limited to the following:
analyzing car data in real-time while driving at speeds of 200 MPH
making efficient decisions about when to make tactical pit stops which can result in lost position
avoiding high speed wrecks
maneuvering around rival drivers
maintaining composure when driving tight or loose
avoiding being intentionally wrecked by rival drivers
securing consistent top five finishes
having successful qualifying outcomes
These are just a fraction of the psychological obstacles these athletes face while competing in front of hundreds of thousands if not millions of spectators.
While there are psychological challenges unique to NASCAR, what is not unique is how one deals with the discomfort of pressure that comes during these performances. As I have stated in previous Training Report issues, at the end of the day all sports are problem solving experiences that are meant to induce maximum psychological and physical stress upon its’ participants. The athlete who endures these inductions of stress is usually the most successful. So how does one achieve peak performance in these situations? By seeking comfort in discomfort. What this means is rather than developing coping skills to avoid or manage the discomfort, athletes should seek to both understand and fully experience whatever their subjective discomfort is to the maximum possibility.
From a neuropsychological perspective when athletes partake in this type of activity this usually means that they are directly engaging with an area of the brain called the subcortical brain, which is responsible for physiological regulation. When we consider where mental flow states come from, most research seems to suggest that an athlete’s brain is primarily engaged in what is called bottom-up processing…in simplest terms this means that the athlete is doing minimal critical thinking and letting their body reflexively react the way they have been training to. The more comfortable we become with the discomfort of pressure, the more comfortable we become in our body. The more comfortable we are in our body, the more access we have to it. And the more access we have to our body, odds are we will be the better athlete during the critical moment of performance.
Why Is Process Goal Orientation All That Matters For Athlete Performance?
Process goals matter more than outcome goals because they keep a driver's attention in the present moment, which is where flow states occur. Drivers who grade themselves on process execution rather than results typically enter flow states more often than athletes living in the future or the past.
Many athletes early in their career are primarily driven by what is commonly known as outcome goals. Outcome goals refer to the ‘final destination’ of what an athlete is working towards (e.g. for NASCAR athletes, the ultimate prize would be to win the Cup Series). However, wanting to achieve outcome goals is as relevant as wanting to breathe. You understand that breathing is necessary to live, but odds are you don’t worry about it on a constant basis. In my work with NASCAR drivers these individuals certainly set outcome goals, but are much more focused on what is known as process goals. Think of process goals as the DNA for the overall outcome goal structure. Let’s explore what this looks like in more detail. Imagine that winning the cup series is your ultimate outcome goal, then following might be examples of process goals: regularly watch film of different tracks & drivers; focus on addressing unilateral deficiencies through prehab style strength & conditioning protocols; utilize a pre-performance sleep routine before bed & track sleep data; regularly assess recovery rate comparing psychometric assessments with HRV data; practice simulations as much as possible, etc.
Ultimately athletes should grade their success based on whether they have accomplished process goals rather than the outcome goals. But what is the connection between focusing on process goals and flow states?
When athletes describe the experience of flow states they will often cite how there was a time distortion aspect.
Usually things around the athlete tend to slow down and an athlete ‘loses themselves’ in the moment.
An elite performer like a NASCAR driver cannot be focused on the potential outcome of a race, but rather what is happening in the moment.
Athletes who are process focused are more likely to achieve a flow state as opposed to athletes who are living either too far into the future or the past.
Taking a process goal focus is an important step to achieve flow states. Now that we have introduced the connection between process goals & flow states, there is one final practice athletes can engage in to create a flow state.
Frequently Asked Questions About NASCAR Driver Mental Training
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When NASCAR drivers work with sport psychologists and CMPCs, they typically use traditional approaches such as imagery or positive self talk. Instead, they should use more cutting-edge approaches such as biofeedback, Brainspotting or advanced goal setting.
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The physical and mental demands associated with the cup series, trucks and xfinity are extreme and can take a toll on athletes. Because of this, these athletes need to integrate mental skills training to overcome the psycho-physiological load they will absorb through competition, and sport psychology is the perfect method for this.
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First and foremost, these individuals should have applied experience. Second, these individuals should have CMPC certifications, licensure and also exercise science backgrounds.
How Do CMPCs Use Brainspotting To Develop Peak Psychological Performance For NASCAR Drivers?
Flow states and dissociation appear to share the same subcortical brain structures: flow is essentially the positive side of the dissociative coin. An advanced technique called Expansion Brainspotting uses this connection to help athletes consciously access flow instead of waiting for it to happen randomly.
I have previously reviewed descriptions of a flow state experience, but let’s discuss what is actually happening in the brain during this process. Many people are probably familiar with the diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how panic attacks are associated with this issue. One of the key aspects of panic attacks and PTSD is that people who experience these problems will frequently show signs of dissociation. Dissociation has been defined as ‘separation of some aspects of mental functioning from conscious awareness, leading to a degree of mental dysfunction’. Some symptoms can include feeling disconnected from one’s body, loss of awareness, and even time distortion. What research in neuroscience seems to suggest is that the areas of the brain responsible for PTSD dissociative responses also happen to be involved in creating flow states. But how can an area of the brain that is responsible for panic attacks be a source for mental peak performance?
The area of the brain responsible for panic attacks are referred to as subcortical brain structures.
This area consists of diverse neural formations deep within the brain which include the diencephalon, pituitary gland, limbic structures and the basal ganglia.
They are involved in complex activities such as memory, emotion, pleasure and hormone production.
These same areas of the brain are also associated with regulation and dysregulation.
The reason this is important is because many of the same symptoms that are associated with PTSD attacks (e.g. dissociation, time distortion, etc.) are also the same symptoms associated with flow states.
Essentially, if dissociative symptoms are a coin, then flow states are the ‘positive’ side of that coin. While many athletes cite how flow state experiences randomly happen to them there is actually a way to consciously enter in and out of these experiences through a Brainspotting technique.
I have previously written about Brainspotting, but in summary this process looks to identify eye reflex positions associated with mental blocks. However, it also appears to be the case that flow states have eye reflex positions associated with these psychological experiences. This Brainspotting technique, which is known as Expansion, essentially helps athletes ‘flip their brain’ to the positive side of a dissociative experience. Remember, as an athlete you spend excessive amounts of time practicing creating a reflexive reaction during competition. Your goal is not to overthink during critical moments, but to get out of your own way and let your body react. I’ll end on this note: sport psychologists mistakenly try to help athletes ‘get out of their head’. My response is rather then get out, let’s help you get into the right spot. I break down this technique in more detail in my guide to Expansion Brainspotting for athletes. And if you are considering this work, know that Brainspotting is usually very uncomfortable and difficult during sessions, with the massive tension release typically coming after. Here is what happens in a Brainspotting session so you know what to expect.
Note To Reader:
If you are an athlete reading this segment of the TRAINING REPORT, hopefully this content was helpful! I put the Training Report together because I felt like many of the discussions on issues such as the Yips/mental blocks, strength training & other subject matter on athlete performance concepts were really missing the mark on these ideas (e.g. how trauma is the direct cause of the Yips). If you are interested in learning more, make sure to subscribe below for when I put out new content on issues related to sport psychology & athlete performance! Also, if you are looking to work with a mental performance specialist, you are in the right place! USE THIS LINK to reach out to me to see if my services are the right fit for your goals!
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