I
realize that with this post I am going to tread upon some hallowed ground. I apologize in advance, but I have to.
There
is a weekend obsession amongst many that I am not sure I fully understand. I am not talking about football--although
that is something I didn’t even understand while growing up in an Eagles-crazy
environment. No, I am talking about
NASCAR.
Having
lived close to the Richmond International Speedway, I have experienced this
strange ritual first hand. On Thursday
afternoon driving home from work I would start to see the signs: “RACEWAY TRAFFIC
THIS EXIT.” The rest of the weekend it
was difficult to drive most places because of the influx of people. These pilgrims travel hundreds (sometimes
thousands) of miles, tailgate and drink for three days, cheer wildly for their
favorite drivers and don crazy garb to watch grown men drive cars.
It’s
not even like they have to make more than one turn!
I
understand sports obsessions. I really
do! However, I do not understand
watching someone drive around real fast. And how in the world do they keep
points? Baseball…makes sense. Football…makes sense (albeit the numbers are
all weird). Even golf makes sense (although really boring)! The point system is in reverse but at least
there is something to count.
With
NASCAR though, one guy beats the other guys at the race. That should be it right? Wrong.
It just doesn’t make sense really.
I
even used to mock the “athletes” that drive the car. Pish-posh.
I drive my car. Does that make me
an athlete?
Then,
I read an article in Sports Illustrated
that was talking about NASCAR drivers running in a half-marathon and what their
times were. Do you know that of the five
NASCAR drivers participating in the race, three of them finished in less than
two hours? All 13.1 miles in less than
two hours? That is ridiculous!
Guess
they really are athletes…but I still don’t understand the obsession with NASCAR.
Yes...that looks fun.
