NASCAR: I NEED MORE

In all my blogs I have discussed the major sports, baseball, hockey, football, and basketball. For some that list may not include the one they watch religiously. I am talking about NASCAR, or racing for those who don’t know what NASCAR is. The reason I have yet to discuss NASCAR is because, well, I don’t watch it.

That however, does not mean I do not view it as a sport. I DO! What those 43 cars do each Sunday is quite the feet. The way they race around a track in an extremely modified car at speeds in excess of 170 MPH dodging other cars, and constantly pushing both the car and themselves to the limit is amazing.
I have longed for a long time to be able to do that, and my driving record shows proof of that. At this moment I could not tell you who is leading the points, who has won the most races, or anything about the current race season; which started in February. But what I can tell you is, I recently bought a racing video game for less than $2 and have been addicted to it; it is a surprise I have put it down long enough to write this. Granted it is a game, for me it scratches my NASCAR itch and at this moment fills my need for speed.

There have been times where I would go to local races and see people I know race. For those who follow Maine racing, especially at Oxford Plains Speedway, the name Travis Adams rings a bell. Adams has won his respective division 4 times. I knew him personally and was on a couple occasions able to see and even touch the car that once raced alongside NASCAR great Terry Labonte. It blew my mind to see the car I had touched with my hands racing next to the guy I watched Sunday’s with my dad.
There have also been times where I have gone kart racing, and when I say that I don’t mean the kind at FUNTOWN that have generals on them regulating the speed. I mean Maine Indoor Karting in Scarborough, the kind where you wear the fire suit, neck brace, and helmet and have to watch a safety and instructional video.

I guess I have just given a few too many reasons I should follow NASCAR. I play the games, I go to local tracks, and I even try my hand at it on a smaller scale. But, they have games for everything like war, and I am not going to sign up for that. And for the local tracks and indoor karting, those are expensive. The other sports I enjoy are not nearly as much money, and maybe that’s why I enjoy them. I can get a basketball or football game going with friends at the drop of a hat. Maybe if NASCAR and racing in general was more practical I and many others would care more. I will be the first to admit it is intriguing, but there is nothing that pulls me in the way other sports do. If NASCAR could make the relation to me, I would watch. And if I watched, I would blog.

(top photo from Sports Illustrated)