By Daniel Bukszpan
CNBC.com
Most of the time, people with demanding jobs want to leave them behind when quitting time arrives. Law clerks don't want to file more briefs when they get home, actuaries don't want to weigh financial risk from their comfy chairs, and accounts receivable clerks don't want to send past-due invoices over dinner.
However, some people have no choice but to bring aspects of the workplace to their day-to-day lives. Take the professional race car driver. Unless he or she lives above a convenience store, chances are good that most errands will require an automobile. But who wants to deal with parking a Grand Prix race car at the Piggly Wiggly? Even the most accomplished race car driver will need a regular vehicle to negotiate parking lot shrubbery islands.
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| Slideshow: Day Cars Of Race Car Drivers |
What follows is a list of drivers who compete in NASCAR and Formula One events, and the cars they drive when they're in no hurry to get anywhere at any particular time.
Kyle Busch
2012 Toyota Camry. When NASCAR's Kyle Busch is just trying to get from point A to point B in a leisurely fashion, he prefers to drive one of his Toyotas. His day-to-day vehicle of choice is a black 2012 Toyota Camry, according to his publicity team. Busch's fierce competitiveness was an asset in 2008 when he won a record 21 victories in NASCAR's three series. However, there were also times when it got the better of him, such as in the 2011 WinStar World Casino 350K, when he forced competitor Ron Hornaday Jr. into the inside wall of Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR fined him $50,000 and put him on probation for the rest of the year. Fortunately, 2012 has been better for Busch than 2011. On Feb. 18, he won the Budweiser Shootout, narrowly edging Lamborghini enthusiast and NASCAR champion Tony Stewart.
Tony Stewart
2005 Lamborghini Murcielago. NASCAR's Tony Stewart loves cars, whether he's on or off the track. When he's not competing in an event like the Sprint Cup, he's driving one of several cars he's collected, including a refurbished Cadillac hearse. However, a hearse can't take tight corners and hug curves at 110 mph, so something a little sleeker is in order for long distances. In those instances he drives a 2005 Lamborghini Murcielago, according to the official website of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Timo Glock
Volkswagen Touareg. Timo Glock is a German race car driver who competes on the Marussia Formula One team. He joined Formula Three in 2002, and said: "For talented young racing drivers, Formula 3 is the best training they can get." He didn't become a regular Formula One driver until 2008, but he established himself as a force to be reckoned with and became the main driver for Panasonic Toyota's team that year. Glock drives a Volkswagen Touareg, according to the National Post. The car is described as "powered by frugal 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6s" and the article, which profiled the personal cars of several race car drivers, singled out Glock’s choice as the only one "motivated by pure pragmatism."
Denny Hamlin
2008 Lexus LS 460-L. Denny Hamlin is best known for driving the Number 11 FedEx Toyota in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. However, he made headlines in 2009 when his personal car, a 2008 Lexus LS 460-L valued at $50,000, was stolen out of the driveway of his North Carolina home. The theft was caught on surveillance cameras, and the car was recovered a few weeks later, according to The Associated Press. Hamlin went on to win eight races in the 2010 Cup Series, and in the 2011 season he racked up one victory and five top five finishes.
Ryan Newman
1928 Ford Roadster. Ryan Newman is the winner of the 2008 Daytona 500, and he’s gotten no fewer than 49 pole positions since 2000. However, none of his accomplishments on the racetrack holds a candle to his proudest moment, when his wife, Krissie, gave birth to their first child, Brooklyn Sage Newman, on Nov. 18, 2010. Newman is an avid car enthusiast who customizes, repairs and drives vintage models. He owns 13 different automobiles, including a 1928 Ford Roadster.
Click here for CNBC's complete slideshow on the Day Cars of Race Car Drivers, including Danica Patrick's Lamborghini Gallardo .
-- Questions? Comments? Email SportsBiz@cnbc.com. Or check out more Sports Biz with Darren Rovell.
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