The scent of high-octane fuel, the roar of 43 cars moving around a .48 mile track at almost 160 mph and the up-close sight of 160,000 spectators getting dizzy as their eyes follow their favorite drivers around the track.
Those are just some of the features of a NASCAR race that fans cannot experience watching from their living rooms. I recently made the trip to Bristol, Tenn., to fulfill my lifelong dream of seeing a NASCAR race in person.
Some may not believe that NASCAR is a sport, and I can respect that opinion. However, after my trip to Bristol and experiencing a race for myself, I must argue that NASCAR contains many aspects of competition that are most valued by sports fans.
For example, there is some intense action. The track at Bristol Motor Speedway is shorter than the others on the Nextel Cup Series schedule. At .48 miles, there quickly becomes a lot of lapped traffic, leading to a lot of bumping and passing and, therefore, wrecks.
There are also some great rivalries in NASCAR. We all know that everyone hates Jeff Gordon. I'm just kidding, though there are those drivers whom fans love ' and love to hate.
When Tony Stewart caused two crashes in the March 26 race, many of the observers filling the stands jumped to their feet screaming obscenities.
I, on the other hand, cheered and spent the entire next week arguing with my boyfriend over whether his moves were 'dirty racing' or 'smart racing.' I took the latter stance, as Stewart is my favorite driver, making up lame excuses in order to feel less guilty for liking the driver who was once ordered by NASCAR officials to take anger management classes.
The diversity of fans' favorite drivers may come from the diversity of the fans themselves. When camping out at Bristol, I noticed that the people there came from all walks of life.
A lot of people consider me a girly-girl ' not exactly the NASCAR type. My roommate calls me a redneck because I force her to watch NASCAR for hours every Sunday afternoon.
Maybe the race just transforms you.
Whether that is the case, at Bristol everyone came together and spent the weekend tailgating. But it was not like ordinary tailgating. These fans partied all day and all night from Thursday to Monday or longer. That's better than your typical sport.
At any other sporting event, onlookers aren't able to listen directly to what athletes are saying on the court or on the field. At NASCAR races, scanner radios connect drivers to their spotters and crew chiefs. Sitting in their living rooms, race viewers are rarely informed of Kyle Busch wanting half a peanut butter sandwich during his next pit stop, or the reasons that Stewart wrecked Martin Truex, Jr.
And I still maintain that the crash was not purposeful; that's just the way racing goes.
During my weekend at Bristol I realized the true nature of the ' dare I say it ' sport. NASCAR boasts the concept of track with the aggression of boxing. And that is why the fans love it.
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Courtney Miller
