Ok, lets see. I know lots of people dislike NASCAR. “Who the hell can’t do that? Left, left, floor it, brake, left, left, floor it” you get the idea.
I, however, love it.
I grew up near Bristol. I don’t need to say what state but I’m pretty sure most folks have heard of it. NECKCAR and NHRA were all around me as a kid. Hell, I even worked at the track when I got old enough. It’s hard to deny the popularity of this driving sport. It’s going nuts and each year I say “Wow! They’re racing all over the country these days and it keeps growing. Cool.” I think the answer is that the team members and drivers are all fan favorites and are mostly regular schmoes with which anyone could have a conversation. I met Darrell Waltrip when I was 9 and he was a rookie. I still remember how stoked I was. While in the Navy, a buddy was sent a Talledaga race on video and the crew loved it. Well, most of the crew. After the Navy, I met Rusty Wallace during an appearance at a Food City, I think, and we talked for a while about lots of stuff. Nice guy. Guys and gals all over the country have been building their own racecars for years. On Friday and Saturday nights, they go out on a dirt track and race, crash, win, fight, lose, fail and sadly, some lose their lives. They do it because they love it. Then on Sunday they watch NASTYCAR and feel a connection.
Paul, my uncle, was a huge CRAPCAR fan and he hated Dale Earnhardt with a passion. He passed away in ’97 and when Earnhardt died at Daytona, one of the first things some of my family talked about was “I wonder what Paul would have said.” I think he would have been sad.
My point? Not sure. I just like it. And I don’t sit and watch the entire race, uninterrupted.
That would be boring.
