I like NASCAR... here is why:

     It's March.  It's Sunday afternoon.  This means I am sitting down getting ready for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.  This week it's the Kobalt Tools 400 in Las Vegas, and I'm excited for it to get started.  I haven't always been like this, NASCAR wasn't very popular in my area growing up.  I went to college at Longwood University in Farmville, VA (and I'm still here today), which is within a couple of hours of two NASCAR tracks, Richmond International Raceway, and Martinsville Speedway.  NASCAR was a lot more popluar with my friends from college than I was used to.  I truly didn't get the hype.  People would talk about NASCAR and I would make fun of them, and I thought I was hilarious!  My classic one-liner was, "Hey what's so special about NASCAR anyway, are they thinking about turning right instead of left this week?"  I was wrong.

     I grew up a Redskins fan, and as far as I knew, Joe Gibbs was the greatest coach, and human being of all time.  I had heard he got into NASCAR but at the time didn't think much of it.  In 2004, I started trying to figure out what all the fuss was about.  I started by casually flipping to the channel I knew the race was on, and checking in on the Joe Gibbs drivers positions during the race, which would scroll across the screen.  Each week, I would check in more and more often, and eventually this turned into watching the whole race.  I was hooked.  I was watching each lap and following the #20 Home Depot car driven by Tony Stewart, and #18 Interstate Batteries car driven by Bobby Labonte, both cars owned by Joe Gibbs.

     I started doing quite a bit of research about NASCAR, and before I knew it, I knew as much about NASCAR as any of my friends.  I have had other friends suddenly get into NASCAR since I have, and I learned one funny fact.  If you want to ask someone about NASCAR, ask someone who just got into the sport, because it doesn't take too long for them to start learning all of the ins and outs.  My new found affection for NASCAR coincided with my graduating college, and I was able to write my senior thesis on advertising in the sport, which is impossible to avoid in a NASCAR race.  My professor Dr. Bill gave me a B on the paper, I'm still slightly bitter over that.  It was a solid B+ paper.  Once you start doing research on NASCAR, which new fans inevitably do, it doesn't take long to find the impact Dale Earnhardt had on the sport.  Earnhardt died 10 years ago on the last lap of the Daytona 500, while he was running 3rd, as the two cars leading the race were both cars he owned, driven by Michael Waltrip, and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Deaths in sports happen often, but none have had near the impact of Dale Earnhardt, not only because of his faithful following still 10 years later, but also the changes his death has made in the overall safety of the sport.

     One of the criticisms non-NASCAR fans have, is that people only like NASCAR for the wrecks.  I'll admit that the wrecks are pretty crazy, but the people who really like NASCAR are not watching for the wrecks, they are watching the passing more than anything, which really makes a good NASCAR race.  The best part about the race, is that the post-game interviews are done immediately as the drivers get out of the cars.  This format has lead to some hilarious reactions in a sport where the athletes wear their emotions on their firesuits right next to their primary sponsors.  Just imagine interviewing the losing player of a football team seconds after giving up the game winning touchdown.

     Another reason you need to get into NASCAR, is the experience of going to a NASCAR race is unlike any other sporting event.  People who go to the NASCAR races make longer than a weekend out of it.  The tracks are covered in RVs, campers, and pick-up trucks, having the world's largest barbecues.  In a culture where stadiums thrive on dirivng up the prices on concession sales, NASCAR tracks let you bring your own cooler into the races.

     For all these reasons in more, I'm glad I came around to being a NASCAR fan, and if you haven't already, try it some time soon and I'll bet you'll thank me later!  Speaking of bets, you can't hate the 5/1 odds on Kyle Busch today!