Kansas Speedway Fall 2007

This week I'm going to take a break from the normal sweet and sour recap and try to answer that age old question… what on earth do people see in a sport that is nothing but left turns? I get this question or one very similar every time I walk out of the house with something NASCAR on and it's not the easiest one to answer but I'll go ahead and give it a good try this week. So NASCAR haters listen up here are a few reason why NASCAR has become one of the most watched sports around.

THE DRIVERS: yes the drivers do help with the 'watchablity' of NASCAR. Drivers like Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards make NASCAR a female friendly sport...but don't get me wrong they are only a small part of why NASCAR is one of my favorite sports. You see there will always be that one driver you want to kick in the face and that one that you would love to hang out with...there is a driver for everyone and everyone has a driver. You may think that once the race is done on Sunday that all the drama is over for another week but that's not the case at all. These drivers and teams have more drama than most sports I won't get into it but really folks if you want good soap opera story lines you'll find it in NASCAR. The rivalries between teams and drivers fuel this sport and you never know from week to week just where everyone will fall when the green flag drops on race day.

ACCESSIBILITY: You will never find another sport that the fans can get so up close and personal. From the race shops in North Carolina all the way down to the tracks these drivers visit every week they are all geared toward the fan experience. These teams and drivers all know what makes the sport what it is today and that is the fans and they rewards us nicely week in and week out.

**THE FANS: We all may have our own favorite driver but when push comes to shove we put the differences aside and ban together. For example last year I was lucky enough to go to Kansas Speedway for the fall race with a friend of mine while trying to light the fire on our grill an older man that was parked right next to us notice that we were REALLY have some problems and so he came to the rescue with a better lighter and even lit it for us. Now that may not seem like much but let me tell you it meant the world to us. If you're not convinced yet then how about the three hour rain delay we all endured but instead of being a miserable experience it was one of the most memorable times that whole weekend. When most people would get mad and frustrated in a situation like that the NASCAR fans I was camped out with took it as an opportunity to meet their neighbors hang out drink a little and have a good time...I have to tell you most people I know would have been complaining and griping but not these fans they were almost enjoying it.

FAN DEDICATION: you can get this with most sports but what make NASCAR fun is that there are 43 drivers out there every week not just two teams and each of those drivers have different "levels" of fans out in the grandstand I'll try to scratch the surface and give you some examples of these "levels":

The DIE HARD: These folks wear everything their favorite driver right down to the beer they are drinking. The car they drive is the same manufacture that their favorite driver drives for. That same car is decked out in EVERY decal they can find; they have pit passes and go to more than one race a year...they are also the ones dropping BIG BUCKS at the haulers. They are the true coinsures of tailgate food and they would be happy to share just step on into their RV's and have a seat watch some TV before the race and then just in time to see the green flag drop grab a cold beer and sit on top of the RV for a bird's eye view of the whole track. Yes they are a chosen few but the sport wouldn't be the same without them and we all wish we were them.

The Family: They all support the same driver, the kids are decked out in the driver of choice, mom and dad are sporting matching t-shirts and hats; they are walking billboards for their driver. The sad thing about this group of fans is that you know that in a few years they will become a house divided, soon the kids will be old enough to realize that Jeff Gordon is dumb and that there mom and dad have been leading them astray for many years...

The teenie boppers: These girls are wearing their drivers gear but not in the drivers colors NO, they are sporting it in pink with sparkles! Needless to say most of these fans aren't at the race to actually watch the race…

Drunken old guy and his friends: These cats don't really know what's going on but they know that their driver will win and if he doesn't it was fixed (these men will fight you if you happen to say something not so nice about their driver or Dale Earnhardt Sr.)

The Laid Back Fan: This fan supports their driver and truly loves the sport for what it is (yeah you guessed that's where I'm putting myself) These fans have the passion of a diehard but no money to back it up, they can drink with the best of the drunk old guys but choose not to because they would like to remember the race, they are part of a divided house and pray that no one see them as one of those annoying teenie boppers.

Which level is the best who know to each his own I guess, they all tend to blend in when the race starts and that's where my next reason picks up.

Gentleman Start Your Engines....There is nothing like hearing 43 of the best drivers out there starting up their engines...seeing them battling for positions, drivers wrecking drivers, and then seeing them cross the finish line and doing one heck of an amazing burn out ,it all makes NASCAR exciting.

NASCAR is a sport you either love or you love to make fun of. I was one that made fun of it when I was younger I didn't see the point but I have had a major change of heart in the past few years and I can truly say I'm a proud NASCAR fan...left turns and all...