auto racing is a sport that requires significant hand-eye coordination
No it doesn't - that's not what "hand-eye coordination" means. Their hands never leave the steering wheel (except I suppose to shift), and the steering wheel isn't moving; it's always right in front of them. There's no "hand-eye coordination" at play here, they're just turning a wheel on which they have a continuous grip.
"Hand-eye coordination" is stuff like catching an object as it's being tossed at you, or being able to bring two interlocking pieces together in front of you without misjudging the depth. Not turning a wheel that never leaves your hand.
Reflexes, sure, but stamina, debateable. Poker players require a lot of "stamina" too, but that doesn't make it a sport.
If auto racing isn't a sport, then golf, sailboat racing and many other recognized sports would be in question too.
Golf, ironically, actually
does require significant "hand-eye coordination," with respect to judging the length of the club and being able to hit the ball square on the face while swinging the club. It also requires physical strength to achieve distance with the ball, and fine motor control while putting.
I suppose sailboat racing is arguable, but I can see a case being made for it being a sport, as it requires strength, agility, and skill, moving about the boat, making adjustments, pulling lines, raising/lowering sails, etc. They're not just buckled in steering the thing, like in NASCAR.
I see a fair amount of overweight baseball players but no overweight Nascar drivers that come to mind right away.
First off, you'll get no argument from me about baseball not being a sport. It's the only sport I can think of where the players are openly eating
DURING THE GAME. Gum, chewing tobacco, peanuts, while they're on the field! You ever see Larry Bird stop at center court and take a bite of a hoagie? The game has about 9 minutes of actual action in a 3 hour "game." Any "sport" where they can play 160+ games a season is not a real sport. Any sport where, after a batter gets on base, they can swap him out for a faster runner, is not a real "sport." If Kobe steals the ball from an opposing player, can they call a timeout and swap him out with Michael Jordan because Jordan's better at dunking?
But I digress.
Are NASCAR drivers skinny because it's such a gruelling "sport," or because lighter cars go faster and every ounce counts when the cars are all exactly the same, so drivers are required to be as skinny as possible? Hmm.. food for thought. But not really, because that's the reason.
Just because it's hot doesn't make it a sport. They sit there and sweat for two hours while turning left and trying not to crash. It's not a sport. It may be entertaining, it may be competitive (so is chess), but it's not a sport.