Motor Sports Across the Pond (Motor Racing in General)

Member Name: cbpotts

Product:	Motor Racing in General
Date:	11/07/01 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: excitement, fun

Disadvantages: it's on the other side of the pond

I like to think of myself as a cultured person. I enjoy classical music. I've seen both Baryshnikov and Nureyev perform. I enjoy a glass of good, mellow wine.

So, when I moved south from Chicago to North Carolina, I felt it totally appropriate to look down my nose at people who suggested that I watch a NASCAR race on the television. What enjoyment would anyone get from watching a car go round and round? What skill is there in that? Does anyone REALLY believe that it's a "sport"?

Being an accommodating person, I watched a race anyhow. Afterward, my thoughts were along the lines of what enjoyment would anyone get from watching a car go round and round? What skill is there in that? Well, you get the idea.

However, one fateful day, a friend of mine dragged me to a race track, Charlotte Motor Speedway, to be exact, so I could see the race in person.

We sat in bleacher seats, the sun beating down on us, surrounded by boisterous fans eating lunch, drinking beer and enjoying the afternoon. Just about everyone, with the exception of yours truly, had on t-shirts, hats or other such advertisements, for their favorite drivers, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Labonte, etc. It was as enjoyable as being at a baseball game, but to this point, I still couldn't understand the attraction.

Then came the famous words, "Gentlemen, start your engines." In an instant the rumble of pure power poured over the stands. It was matched by boundless enthusiasm as the crowd rose as one and cheered the cars circling the track. I was hooked.

I don't know much about Formula 1 racing, or any type of open-wheel racing, for that matter. I'm still relatively new to NASCAR and stock car racing, but the power, adreneline and excitement of being at a live race have made me a fan.

There are 43 cars in Winston Cup racing. They qualify to obtain the best starting spot on the track a
nd line up two-by-two. The starting spot is called the pole and points are awarded for that spot, for leading the most laps, leading the race at the halfway point, and a variety of other combinations.

From what I can tell, there are three main differences between open-wheel and stock car races. The first is speed. Open-wheels have the ability to go so much faster then stock cars. However, the second difference is what make stock car racing so exciting (to me). It's the fact that the open-wheel cars can't be touched by another without putting the car into a disasterous spin. In stock car racing, trading paint is half the fun.

The third difference seems to be the difference in what people cheer for in each type of racing. In open-wheel racing people cheer more for the car type than the driver. The majority of the fans in NASCAR cheer the driver. My driver is Bobby Labonte. He won the Winston Cup championship this past year and is known for his stability and consistency.

It would be inappropriate to talk about NASCAR without taking a moment to mention the greatest driver that sport has seen, Dale Earnhardt. I was not an Earnhardt fan. Indeed, I was one of the ones that booed him. However, he was the best and he is sorely missed.

I still like a good glass of wine and good classical music. However, now I also like to watch cars go round and round and raise a beer to Bobby when he passes by.

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