The August 24th issue of Parade Magazine carried a delightful article by Janet Evanovich, A Day at the Races, NASCAR races. What is it about NASCAR that has attracted her interest? Two ideas stood out from the article.

First, it's a rush. "It's speed and spectacle and raw power and family and the flag. It's hard to explain what produces the rush, but it's deep inside me when I'm at the track. It's about the people and the cars and the competitive spirit of America." A second reason: "....we're all impatient for the race to start. The color guard takes to the track, and everyone stands for the national anthem - 96,000 people have their hats off and hands over their hearts. A roar toes up when the phrase "the land of the free" rings out, .."

She lists four things not known about NASCAR. One caught my interest: Racing is only a small part of a driver's job. ..the off-track duties - test sessions, interviews, and sponsor appearances - eat up more hours than racing, even on race days. "I have a lot of friends in major league baseball," says Jimmie Johnson."They can't believe everything I have to do before a race. Can you imagine Derek Jeter doing meet-and-greets right before a World Series game?"

No, I can't and maybe the patriotism and the connection between NASCAR drivers and their fans are the reasons NASCAR racing is a top spectator sport in America. Gotta love it! I may have to try it myself.

Labels: America